Il European Parliament he gave his green light to the plan Warehouse European rearmament and confirmed the support atUkraine. With 419 votes in favor, 204 against e 46 abstentions, the European Parliament has approved the two texts that have dominated the debate in recent days. In particular, attention has focused on the EU Defence White Paper, which includes the ReArmU plan proposed by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, which provides an 800 billion euro fund to strengthen European defence.
However, this is not a final approval of the plan, the details of which are still being worked out between the European Commission and national governments. Von der Leyen has stated that she wants to accelerate the implementation of the project (through Article 122 of the EU Treaty), thus removing it from parliamentary approval. In any case, the Strasbourg Assembly has already discussed the plan extensively, giving the green light in principle with a resolution that calls for responses to external geopolitical risks to be "similar to those in times of war". Behind this approval, however, strong political fractures, especially in Italy.
The position of the Italian parties on the European rearmament plan
Il vote of the Italian MEPs followed the Forecasts: the Alloy he voted against the resolution, probably to ride the growing defensive nationalism in Italy, without proposing concrete alternatives to strengthen European security. On the contrary, Forza Italy e Brothers of Italy they gave theirs support to European defense. Even within the opposition there is no lack of disagreements: M5S and Green Left Alliance are opposed on the floor. The Democratic Party, instead, yes it is split: one party voted in favour, disregarding the line of secretary Elly Schlein, while others abstained.
FdI abstains on Kiev, amendment to change plan name rejected
Brothers of Italy yes but it is abstained on another point of the debate, the one relating to the resolution about Ukraine. After having tried in vain to postpone the vote, FdI decided to abstain on the resolution. Nicola Procaccini, a member of the party, explained that the text on Ukraine did not reflect recent political developments and risked fueling “hatred towards the United States, instead of supporting Ukraine”.
FdI also attempted to modify the original proposal of the European Commission, putting forward an amendment for change the name of the rearmament plan, believing that ReArm Europe was “misleading” and “too limiting” for a plan that aims to strengthen European defense on multiple fronts, including technology and civil protection. The proposal to rename the plan to Defend Europe was however rejected, showing the Parliament's resistance to changing the name of a proposal that it already considers sufficiently clear.
The split in the Democratic Party: 10 MPs in favour, 11 abstentions
The internal division of the Democratic Party was the real sore point of the vote. Ten deputies they supported the resolution, while eleven abstained, but no one voted against. This split has highlighted the PD's inability to take a united position on such a crucial issue for Europe, revealing an internal crisis that does not seem easy to overcome. The difference in views has emerged clearly among the MEPs in favor of the rearmament plan (in line with the rest of the S&D group), including Stefano Bonaccini, Antonio decaro, Alessandra Moretti, Pierfrancesco Mara, Elizabeth Gualmini, Raffaele Top, Giuseppe Wolf, Pina Picierno, Giorgio gori, Irene Tinagli – and those who chose to abstain, including: Nicola Zingaretti, Brando Benifei, Dario Nardella, Annalisa Corrado, Sandro Ruotolo, Camilla Lauret, Cecilia Street, Matteo Ricci, FRAME tarquinius, Lucia Annunziata e Alessandro Zan.
Abstaining on a resolution that concerns European collective security, in such a delicate geopolitical context, is a choice that speaks for itself: it is a luxury that we cannot afford, and yet it is precisely what a part of the Democratic Party has done, diluting its own responsibility in an embarrassing vagueness that only fuels doubts about the future of the party.
The No of the Five Star Movement and the Greens
Meanwhile, the Movement 5 Stars and the delegation of Green Left Alliance, with their vote against, confirmed their critical position towards a rearmament that they consider excessive and, in some cases, ineffective. The M5S delegation defined the day as “a black page for European democracy”, accusing the Parliament of not having used the opportunity to send a strong message to the Commission. Instead, a resolution was approved that supports an 800 billion plan for rearmament that, according to them, will increase military escalation and impoverish Europe. A position that seems to ignore the reality of aEurope increasingly vulnerable, which has suffered decades of dependence on U.S. protection and which can no longer afford di to be left without a defense strategy self.
In short, while the European Parliament has shown a certain cohesion in strengthening European defense, the Italian political forces, unfortunately, continue to navigate turbulent waters, unable to find a synthesis between the need for security and their own lacerating internal divisions. Foreign and defense policy cannot be a game of convenience, but a question of responsibility. And, those who voted against or abstained, today find themselves having to explain why Europe, in an increasingly dangerous world context, does not deserve full support.
