Why Europe is listening to Meloni

The coalition includes the centre-Right Forza Italia, a member of Mrs von der Leyen’s European People’s Party (EPP), which was founded by the late Silvio Berlusconi.

Its third member is the hard-Right League, led by the combustible, pro-Putin, eurosceptic Matteo Salvini, whose jealousy of Ms Meloni’s higher profile is an open secret.

Rise to Brussels kingmaker

So how did a woman who flirted with fascism and recently accused Brussels of wanting to force people to eat insects to fight climate change get the keys to the EU establishment?

She had, after all, described the EU as “rotten to the core” and called on Italy to, Brexit-style, quit the bloc.

Her first trip abroad as prime minister was to Brussels. “I want to give a signal about our will to collaborate with the EU and to defend our national interest” she told the leaders of its institutions.

She emphasised migration but also backed the EU on Ukraine and the cost of living crisis.

Ms Meloni has since forged a reputation as a “constructive partner” at EU summits, and as a centrist sellout among some of Europe’s far-Right parties.

At a June summit last year, the Italian premier tried to broker a compromise deal between anti-migrant Poland and Hungary and the other member states on migration policy. It failed, but her worth as a bridge to the populist Right was demonstrated.

After her first 100 days in power, Charles Michel, the European Council president, thanked her for the “responsibility” she has shown in office.

Her occasional bouts of Brussels-bashing are now largely forgiven or ignored by her fellow prime ministers and presidents.

As a result, Ms Meloni can swap kisses with the ardently-europhile Emmanuel Macron at a European Council, while appearing at rallies for Spain’s hard-Right Vox urging national sovereignty.

This year, she forced anti-net zero tractor protests onto leaders’ summit discussions. After pulling Europe to the Right on migration, she hopes to do the same with what she calls its “holy war” on climate change.

Support for Ukraine

Such influence would have been impossible without her support for Ukraine and her rejection of Vladimir Putin, who she had expressed admiration for before the invasion.

Only then could Mrs von der Leyen, a staunch supporter of Ukraine and Europe’s centre-Right, reach out to her.

The women travelled together to Kyiv, with Justin Trudeau, Canadian prime minister, and Alexander de Croo, Belgian prime minister, for the war’s two-year anniversary.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, later said of Ms Meloni: “We have a very strong relationship on a human level.”