The leader of the League, Matteo Salvini, demanded this Friday “an apology or the resignation” of Ursula von der Leyen who mentioned “the instruments” at the disposal of Brussels to sanction possible attacks on the democratic principles of the EU in case of victory of the ultra-conservatives in the legislative elections.
“If things go in a difficult direction, I spoke of Hungary and Poland, we have instruments”, warned the president of the European Commission in response to a question on Sunday’s elections in Italy where a right/extreme right coalition is favourite. “We will see the result of the elections, we have also just had elections in Sweden”, won by the right with the support of the extreme right. “My approach is that regardless of the democratically elected government, we work together,” she said during a Thursday evening visit to the American University of Princeton.
“Interference” in the campaign
Matteo Salvini strongly replied on Friday. “What is a threat? Shameful arrogance. Respect the vote, free, democratic and sovereign of the Italian people! Friends of all, servants of no one, ”he wrote on his Twitter account. “Either she apologizes or she resigns,” he also told the daily. Il Corriere della Sera.
Same echo with the vice-president of Forza Italia, the party of Silvio Berlusconi which has made an alliance for this election with the League and Fratelli d’Italia of Giorgia Meloni. Ursula von der Leyen’s statements are “interference” in the campaign, judged Antonio Tajani.
Polish-Hungarian showdown
Ursula von der Leyen’s spokesperson, Eric Mamer, recalled on Friday that the Commission works “with any government that comes out of the elections and that is willing to work with the European Commission. It is absolutely clear that the President did not intervene in the Italian elections. When she referred to the instruments, she specifically referred to ongoing proceedings in other countries of the European Union”.
The European Commission has engaged in a standoff with Hungary and Poland, which it accuses of breaches of the rule of law. Brussels refuses in particular to pay them funds as long as they have not implemented the reforms requested.