What message has come to Brussels from the elections in Brandenburg?
‘They are regional elections. But from a political point of view they show that the socialists have won in Brandenburg thanks to their distancing from the Scholz government: the chancellor of Germany is no longer able to win elections. And this is a relevant aspect on a European level. Another aspect concerns content: migration was high on the agenda in the regional elections. The Germans want a definitive solution to migration and the EPP is fully committed to solving the problem: we have called for 30,000 Frontex agents at European level and we call for a Mediterranean pact. The EPP is ready to solve the problems’.

What do you expect on the migration front from the new Commission?
‘The Mediterranean is a priority from a European point of view and is the key area of our neighbourhood policy for the next five years. Dubravka Šuica, a Croatian member of the EPP, is an experienced Commissioner, she has the delegation for the Mediterranean and for relations with the southern neighbourhood. We will talk about immigration during the EPP study days starting tomorrow in Naples. We will reflect on concrete initiatives, we need to find a good understanding with our North African neighbours on economic issues, energy and the management of the migration challenge. The understanding with Tunisia is a model. We were much criticised for that agreement but in the first half of 2024 the number of arrivals in Italy was reduced by 64%. I expect S&D and Greens to be in favour of these understandings’.

Is there a risk that Germany will go to early elections?
‘We need a new government as soon as possible because the current one is no longer able to define a common and shared political approach to solve the most important issues. We are united and ready with Friedrich Merz’.

What impact will the weak governments in Paris and Berlin have on European decision-making?
‘Only European solutions can bring results, as during Covid. Now it is necessary to prepare the ground, for example on defence, for when stability returns to Germany with a Cdu government that will relaunch Franco-German cooperation. France and Germany are important, but in recent years the Italian government with Antonio Tajani has shown that Rome is helping to stabilise Europe at a time when Paris and Berlin are not capable’.

Von der Leyen presented the team. There are 14 commissioners from the EPP. Now there are the parliamentary hearings. Will there be a war between groups?
‘I see a strong team with highly qualified personalities. As a Parliament we will ensure a fair and transparent process, but also a demanding procedure for each candidate. Hearing commissioners is a privilege of the EU Parliament, which national parliaments do not have with ministers.’

Commissioner Fitto has been much criticised by S&D, Renew and the Greens. Does he risk rejection?
‘The criticism is not about Fitto as a person, because everyone who knows him knows that he can do this job well and is clearly a pro-European politician. It is about the role of Italy. Together with Tajani, as the EPP, we have fought for a strong role for Italy in the next Commission. Now is not the time for party games. It is also Elly Schlein’s turn to show leadership and bring the S&D to Italy’s side’.

Is the cordon sanitaire against AfD and Rassemblement national still viable given the election results? In the resolution on Venezuela Ppe and Ecr voted with the sovereignists.
‘There is no cooperation with the extreme right, because for us as Christian Democrats and as the EPP, the basic criteria for cooperation are being in favour of Europe, Ukraine and the rule of law. The EPP in the next five years will simply vote for what it believes in. On Venezuela, we criticise the autocrat Maduro and emphasise that the leader of the democratic opposition was the winner of the elections. We followed our convictions’.

What will you do in Naples?
‘There will be many future commissioners. We will discuss the programme for the next five years from a Mediterranean perspective: migration, economy, cooperation, security and peace. And we will address the greatest future project of Europe, historically linked to an Italian: it was De Gasperi who proposed the European defence pillar. With the new Commissioner Kubilius we will discuss the single defence market and joint procurement, but also missile defence, innovation and research, and the hypothesis of a European nuclear shield’.

L'articolo Better late than never – Weber, unlike the CDU hawks, really believes in a united Europe and from Naples he argues that the end of the Baltic shrunkenness era is here: it’s time to put the Mediterranean back at the centre. Immigration without integration has woken everyone up from hibernation proviene da Bubble report.

L'articolo BUBBLEFRESH – Lady Ursula’s Roman holidays – von der Leyen’s campaign tour continues: today at 5pm she will be in Rome for a closed-door speech at the LUISS University. But it seems that no one wants her: she will not meet Meloni or any other Brothers of Italy representative. Ostracised in her own party, she will be running mainly against herself, and although she has declared that she wants to adapt to the new ‘realpolitik’ of the continent, the political choices she has made so far weigh heavily on her proviene da Bubble report.

A propaganda that saw sovereignists from all over Europe, allies of the vice-premier, parading in the Tuscan capital: French, Polish, Estonian and Portuguese. Salvini attacks ‘the EU of bureaucrats’ that ‘we, like David did, will eventually defeat’. Europe defined as ‘Masonic’ by those who, like Salvini, have ‘heard different cultures speak, with some even different nuances, Id is not a barracks, but I have only heard about the future. Today the Renaissance of the Europe that will be can be born,’ the Italian deputy prime minister says emphatically from the stage in Florence.

Salvini then moves on to the epic, speaking of the women and men, who took part in the event, ‘who armed with common sense, courage and faith will defeat a giant Goliath who is Europe’s first enemy, the technocratic Freemasons who want to destroy the identity of our continent. We of the Goliath Soros are not afraid, of those who finance the destruction of our civilisation we are not afraid’. It was a sovereignist event that saw the League’s main exponents present in support of the Captain: from the minister Giancarlo Giorgetti to the group leader at the Chamber of Deputies Riccardo Molinari, passing through the Chamber president Lorenzo Fontana and the governors Zaia and Fedriga.

The most eagerly awaited speech was that of Marine Le Pen, who in a video message apologised for her absence, reserving a stoccata for Ursula von der Leyen: “For the lady, immigration is not a problem, but a project,” said the leader of the Rassemblement National, represented in Florence by deputy Bardella. ‘We,’ says the Frenchwoman, ‘are treated by the EU as goods, not as people’. The other Portuguese ally Andrè Ventura also appears on video: “Enough with the bureaucrats, we want to say how we want to live”, thunders the leader of Chega (Truth), assuring the sovereignists that they can always count on him.

Geert Wilders, the new winner of the vote in the Netherlands, seems to keep a low profile, struggling with the formation of a government in his country: ‘The Netherlands for the Dutch, no more migrants’, is the summary of his ‘contribution’. Social postcard from Hungary from Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who sent his greetings to the League leader. “My greetings and best wishes go to Matteo Salvini and all our friends gathered today in Florence. The wind of change has arrived!” wrote Orban on X.

Returning to Italian politics, Salvini tries to reason with his allies Fratelli d’Italia (in Europe with the Ecr conservatives) and Forza Italia (in Europe with the Populars). “Tajani is wrong,” Salvini explains, referring to the foreign minister’s words that he will never ally himself with Le Pen or the Germans of Afd. ‘Those in the centre-right who prefer the left are making an incredible mistake. I would be sorry if someone from the centre-right wanted to ally with the left’. Then he corrects the shot: ‘With Giorgia and Antonio I work very well. As Minister of Infrastructure I am working on projects that will last for many more years, government will last for the entire legislature, until 2027’.

L'articolo A sad meeting indeed – Salvini flops big time in Florence, his sovereign demonstration is diserted by the European allies of Identity and Democracy: Le Pen and Wilders participate only remotely. A big show of weakness reflected by his poor 8% in Italian political polls proviene da Bubble report.

Meloni’s office confirmed that she had been “misled” into the phone call – reportedly by two Russian comedians – that took place on 18 September “by an impostor who passed himself off as the president of the African Union Commission”.

According to reports in the Italian press, the callers were two Russian comedians, Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, jointly known as Vovan and Lexus, one of whom presented himself to Meloni as “an African politician”.

Vovan and Lexus, who are strongly pro-Russia, have been accused of having links to Russian intelligence services, although there is no evidence to substantiate the allegation.

A recording of the call was published on the Canadian video-sharing platform Rumble before being picked up by the Russian state-owned news agency Ria Novosti.

“There is a lot of tiredness on all sides,” Meloni is heard saying regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine. “The moment is approaching when everyone will understand that we need a way out.

“Ukraine’s counteroffensive is not going as expected … It has not changed the fate of the conflict, and everyone understands that [the conflict] could last many years if we don’t find a solution. The Ukrainians are doing what they have to do and we are trying to help them.”

The problem, Meloni said, was “finding a way out that is acceptable for both sides without destroying international law”.

She added: “I have some ideas on how to manage this situation, but I’m waiting for the right moment to put them on the table.”

Publicly, Meloni has always been staunch in her support of Ukraine, a position that was reiterated by sources cited in the Italian press on Wednesday.

Vovan and Lexus are known to be adept at social engineering political leaders into taking their calls. Meloni’s office said she was targeted during an “intense” period when she was working to “strengthen relations” with African leaders whom she had arranged to meet on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in New York between 19 and 21 September.

Meloni has also been seeking the help of African leaders to stop migrant vessels crossing to Italy’s coast, a topic she raised during the call.

She said: “Europe has for a long time thought that it could solve the problem by limiting it to Italy. What they don’t understand is that it’s impossible. The dimension of this phenomenon is such that it involves not only the EU, but in my opinion also the UN. The problem is that others don’t care, and everyone agrees that Italy must solve this problem alone.”

L'articolo “A lot of fatigue from all sides” – Italian PM Giorgia Meloni pranked by Russian comedians says what everyone’s thinking about Ukraine. And on the migrants crisis she has harsh words for her European partners: “They don’t care”. Please remember Giorgia, don’t hold your breath waiting for help proviene da Bubble report.

“The Italian government has announced the reintroduction of internal land border controls with Slovenia, based on Article 28 of the Schengen Borders Code (EU Regulation 2016/339). The reintroduction of internal border controls, already adopted in the Schengen area, was communicated by Minister Piantedosi to the Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, the Secretary General of the Council of the European Union, Thérèse Blanchet, and the interior ministers of the EU Member States and Schengen associated countries.” So reads a note from Palazzo Chigi.

“The intensification of crisis outbreaks on Europe’s borders, particularly after the attack on Israel, has in fact increased the threat level of violent action also within the Union”, Palazzo Chigi informs.

The measure will be implemented from Saturday 21st of October for a period of 10 days, which could be extended. The control methods will be implemented in such a way as to “ensure the proportionality of the measure, adapted to the threat and calibrated to cause the least possible impact on cross-border traffic and goods traffic”‘. Further developments in the situation and the effectiveness of the measures will be constantly analysed, in the hope of a rapid return to full freedom of movement.”

The picture, explains the note of the Presidency of the Council, is “further aggravated by the constant migratory pressure to which Italy is subject, by sea and by land (140,000 arrivals on Italian coasts, +85% compared to 2022). In the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia alone, since the beginning of the year, 16 thousand people have entered the national territory irregularly”.

How the Schengen stop works

There are two procedures that can be adopted in cases like this, an ordinary one (Article 25 of the Schengen Code) and an extraordinary one (Article 28), the one that the government opted for, motivated by a letter from the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi.

Italy resorted to the emergency procedure, which aims to reintroduce controls immediately. In this case, the first suspension – the regulation in question – may not exceed 10 days (starting on 21 October), while any subsequent extensions may last up to 20 days each, up to a maximum total of two months. Once the maximum period has been reached, it is possible to activate the ordinary procedure and extend the Schengen suspension for a further four months, up to a total of six months.

Suspension of the Schengen Agreement is not an uncommon circumstance: over the years, the various EU countries have resorted to it 387 times for the most varied reasons. Italy, for example, during the G8 in L’Aquila (2009), the G7 in Taormina (2017) and the G20 in Rome (2021).

L'articolo Shengen Adieu – Ten countries reintroduce border controls. After Arras and Brussels, fear of new attacks is alive and well on the Continent. Europe is always too late to wake up proviene da Bubble report.

According to the investigators, Lassoued arrived in Lampedusa in 2011 and then went to Sweden. After other stops in Italy, Belgium was his last destination.

L'articolo Choo chooooo! Abdesalem Lassoued’s “Interrail tour” began 12 years ago in Lampedusa, Brussels was its last stop. The Franco-German axis must understand that a clear response to the migration issue is urgently needed proviene da Bubble report.