Both Italy and France opposed the EU's controversial trade agreement with the Mercosur countries in South America when the decision was to be made in December.
But Italy then resolved the issue. Prime Minister Meloni called Brazilian President Lula da Silva and promised a future go-ahead.
Italy also became decisive in how the EU would arrange financial support for Ukraine. When Meloni gave backing to Belgium's opposition to using frozen Russian assets, the others had to give in and eventually agree on a separate EU loan instead.
Trump and Orban
Meloni is also one of the leaders in the EU who has the best contact with US President Donald Trump and his administration.
Unlike another Trump friend, Hungary's Viktor Orbán, she stands firmly on Ukraine's side regarding Russia's war of aggression.
All this makes her increasingly interesting to the EU's other heads of state and government.
Most recently, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz praised the cooperation during a visit to Rome.
“Closer than ever”
"We can state that Germany and Italy are closer to each other in 2026 than ever before in our common history," Merz said at the press conference afterwards - which, however, made some people cringe given the closeness between Berlin and Rome during the "Pact of Steel" between Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in 1939-43.
Merz's words are nevertheless proof of how Italy has gone from a notorious problem country to a power factor in the EU. The economy is still shaky, but the budget deficit and national debt are falling, and unemployment is considerably lower than in, for example, Sweden.
The public opinion situation is also unusually stable: after 3.5 years in power, the three governing parties have virtually the same numbers as in the 2022 election.
The fact that the far-right Lega party is threatened by internal quarrels and division is more than compensated for by a smaller but clear rise for Meloni's own right-wing nationalist party, Brothers of Italy.
Celebrated by Sweden
Meloni also receives good ratings in the EU, especially from other right-leaning governments, such as Sweden. Her focus on a tougher migration policy is also supported by many governments, such as Denmark.
Italy has also been a driving force in scaling back previous climate measures, such as the ban on new gasoline cars from 2035. This is particularly popular among EU countries in the east, such as the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia.
With its southern neighbor Spain, however, the relationship is more complicated. Meloni openly supports the far-right Vox party against the Socialist government under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
“Proud to welcome a good friend who is changing Italy and the world,” Vox leader Santiago Abascal wrote on X after a meeting in January.
Taking over in Brussels?
In the summer of 2024, Meloni was one of the few opposition heads of state and government when the top posts in Brussels were to be distributed after the last EU elections. At that time, she marked her dissatisfaction by abstaining from voting for Ursula von der Leyen to continue as Commission President.
Next time, it may well be Meloni herself who is the main candidate for that position.
Already last summer, the reputable think tank ECFR predicted a development where Europe is sliding increasingly to the right and German Merz will in August 2029 be invited to the G8 summit in Dresden, with Jordan Bardella as president of France and Nigel Farage as prime minister of the United Kingdom.
And Giorgia Meloni as the newly appointed President of the European Commission.
Wiktor Nummelin/TT
Facts: Giorgia Meloni
TT
Giorgia Meloni (born 1977) has been Prime Minister of Italy since 22 October 2022, when her right-wing nationalist party, Brothers of Italy, formed a coalition with the conservative Forza Italia and the far-right Lega party.
Meloni herself was one of the founders of the Brothers of Italy in 2012, having previously represented the nationalist National Alliance. She was elected to parliament in 2006 and served as Youth Minister from 2008–11 in one of the governments of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Meloni grew up in Rome with a single mother and two years older sister, Arianna, who is married to Italy's Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida.
