For the first time in several legislative periods, the duopoly of social democrats and popular parties (EPP) that governs Europe can be broken. Until a few months ago, the desire to form a solid majority between the EPP and the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), with the support of the EU Identity and Democracy (ID) group, had undoubtedly grown stronger – also with in view of the growing resistance to left-wing politics throughout Europe.
The Dutch election results must also be assessed from this perspective. Contrary to the predictions and expectations of progressive journalists, it clearly indicated the will of the European peoples: the radicalism of socialist politics, which tends towards fanaticism, must be overcome. This increasingly bows to the neo-Marxist positions of a naive ecologism that undermines the economic and social foundations of Europe.
The Dutch have clearly rejected Frans Timmermans, the leader of the Dutch Workers’ Party and former Vice-President of the European Commission, and his agenda. They rejected the Green Deal promoted by him and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (EPP). It should not be forgotten: Timmermans’ actions in the economic field – like those of his colleagues in the current and previous legislatures – were made possible by the decisive role of the Socialists in the formation of the coalition and the election of the European Commission.
Meloni shows the way
In political terms, the Socialists’ increasing ideological rigidity has left the EPP People’s Party with a politically momentous decision: either remain undermined by the Socialists’ increasingly radical policies and accept election losses, or change course, albeit slowly. In this sense, the European path we must take is that of a new centre-right alliance, based on the ‘Italian model’.
The alliance, now spanning 30 years, has allowed Italy’s center-right parties to conquer almost all regions, rule thousands of cities and form Italy’s government. While in the twenty years of the Berlusconi era Forza Italia, a party close to the EPP, was at the head of the centre-right coalition, with the rise of Giorgia Meloni and the Fratelli d’Italia, the leadership of the coalition in Italy is switched to the right-wing conservatives.
The collaboration between center-right parties also sets a precedent in Spain
Meloni herself was chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) party long before she took over government responsibility in Italy and therefore plays not only an institutional but also a party-political role in the European landscape. It is no secret that since the election victory in September 2022, there has been talk of the possible creation of a system based on the Italian model in Europe. What is unique about Italy is that the three main parties that make up the coalition (Fratelli d’Italia, Forza Italia and Lega) are members of the EKR, the EPP and the ID, respectively, the three main European right-wing factions.
In Spain, coalitions have already formed at regional level between the People’s Party (PP) and the right-wing Vox (EKR). All this shows that the new challenges are pushing and forcing Christian, conservative and right-wing forces to form one alliance to curb the policies of the left, which, despite their divisions, often unite to push their agenda.
A shared foundation of values is a strength
Regardless of any political assessment, we must remember that the balance of power and alliances at the national level are determined by the electoral laws in force and the fragmentation of the party system. The great strength of the center right is a common foundation of values, the identity and Christian vision of Europe, the power of tradition and, today more than ever, the defense of freedom of expression – threatened by politically correct and woke vulgar language – and the resistance against the fanatical and insane green agenda that impoverishes European countries while enriching China.
Although the alliance between the EPP and the EKR is well advanced, there has been some friction between the two. The fact that the EPP has ruled out an alliance that extends to the sovereigntists of the ID is slowing down efforts for a European center-right government. The clear separation between the People’s Party and the ID is primarily due to the internal dynamics in the German political context, which also influence European alliances. Hence the ‘firewall’ that the CDU-CSU built against the AfD and which was fanned by the mainstream press as a blockade against forces perceived as anti-European.
Regardless of the specificities of individual states, the main goal of the European right must be to achieve a different majority than the current one in the next legislature by driving the socialists out of government. Both Giorgia Meloni and Matteo Salvini (Lega) are working in this direction, and the Italian Prime Minister has stated: “I am working to build an alternative left-wing majority and the rainbow majority.” Already in the current term, the opposition of Europe’s center-right parties in several committees, including the Environment Committee, has blocked much of the left’s ideological progress. It is important to remember that to build an alliance you must start from values and not from the sum of the lists – this is the real lesson of the Italian model.
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Francesco Giubilei is chairman of the conservative Tatarella Foundation and the think tank “Nazione Futura”.