"The League is absolutely opposed to any possibility of Ukraine joining the European Union. In addition to not having the necessary requirements, which other countries have or are about to achieve after years of work, Kyiv joining the EU would represent enormous economic and social damage." This was stated in a harsh statement by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini's party. following the news that the EU Commission is moving towards proposing the opening of the first group of negotiating chapters on Ukraine's accession at the General Affairs Council on 16 June.
Decisive meeting on 18-19 June on the occasion of the EU leaders' summit
The meeting precedes the EU leaders' summit on June 18-19, which will also be attended by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who will have the opportunity to comment on the proposal and who supports opening up to Ukraine. According to the European portal Euractiv.com, on that occasion: there will be a proposal to open the first "cluster" also for Moldova. Also contributing to the acceleration was the election of moderate right-wing leader Peter Magyar as head of the Hungarian government, after defeating the pro-Russian (and ally of the League in Europe) Viktor Orban in the elections.
Tajani: "We favor Kiev's entry into the EU, but the Balkans are the priority."
But returning to Italy, the political aspect of Salvini's League's position is that the majority risks splitting. Forza Italia, in fact, has a different opinion than the League, and through Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, commented on Brussels' decision as follows: "We We are in favor of starting a process that will bring Ukraine into the European Union, but we must not forget that there are other candidate countries, we must not forget the Balkans, for us the priority is the Balkans".
