| Diplomats agree that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni played a key role in taming Viktor Orbán during the extraordinary EU summit on Thursday (1 February). Their ideological closeness helped – which possibly augurs a bright future for Meloni. According to Italian government sources, Meloni was pivotal in brokering the agreement. She reportedly acted as an intermediary, at least since the inconclusive December summit, up to the last-minute talks in Orbán’s hotel on Wednesday night. When Meloni became prime minister in October 2022, many in Europe were shocked to see a politician from a far-right party lead Italy. Her party, Brothers of Italy, is described by opponents as neo-fascist or post-fascist, while Meloni describes it as conservative. The fears in Europe were even bigger, given that Italy is traditionally vulnerable to Russian influence, and one of Meloni’s key allies, Matteo Salvini, leader of the League, used to post photos of himself wearing a Putin T-shirt. Salvini is now deputy prime minister and keeps quiet about Russia. No rapprochement with Russia took place in Italy, on the contrary, Meloni proved to be a staunch ally of Ukraine, firmly committed to NATO. In terms of EU relations, Meloni has made comments that make sense, that the EU should deal with the “big issues” that the member states cannot tackle alone, while it should cede more powers on the issues “closer to the lives of citizens”, as per the principle of subsidiarity. In addition, Meloni has taken full ownership of the Commission’s blueprint to curb migration via partnerships with third countries in the Mediterranean, seeking to strengthen her role as a strategic player. In turn, the EU has also capitalised on Italy’s diplomatic channels to manage migration outside its borders. Meloni has also pledged to make African development a central theme of her mandate. | 
