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Rome (ANSA) – Ursula von der Leyen and Giorgia Meloni had their first meeting in Brussels since the new European Commission took office. “At the center of the meeting – announced Palazzo Chigi – were the action priorities of the new EU institutional cycle, starting with the revival of the EU’s role and competitiveness in the world”. Meloni “particularly focused on the prospects of the automotive sector in the context of the environmental transition and the strong concerns of the national agricultural sector within the EU-Mercosur Agreement”.

Two topics on which there have been frictions in the EU. On automotive, one of the sticking points is the EU’s planned ban on diesel and gasoline engines by 2035. Meloni has repeatedly called for “a review of those regulations that risk crippling the European car industry” because the goal should be “supporting technologies that contribute to reducing emissions”, while avoiding “ideological closures that are harmful to many industries”.

Even more divergent are the positions on the EU-Mercosur agreement finalized at the beginning of December by von der Leyen. In the following days, Meloni announced that, from Italy’s perspective, “without a balance there is no support for the agreement”, as there is a risk of an “impact” on the agricultural sector.

“With Giorgia Meloni – wrote von der Leyen on social media – we discussed the need to revitalize Europe’s role on the global stage. Let’s create more partnerships and alliances that contribute to our prosperity. We also discussed the need to intensify the fight against migrant trafficking with partners”.

The two leaders, added Palazzo Chigi, “agreed to further strengthen the collaboration and complementarity between the Italian Mattei Plan for Africa and the European Global Gateway Strategy” (December 20).