Mystery Fitto and Urso’s name emerges. The EU game, the background of Bisignani –

Here are the obstacles to the PNRR minister as EU commissioner. And Giorgia Meloni also thinks about her colleague who leads Made in Italy

Louis Bisignani

August 18, 2024

Dear Director, Meloni’s summer doubt: should we rent Fitto to Brussels? For our next EU commissioner, male or female, it doesn’t matter, as long as it’s “alpha”. It could be Raffaele Fitto or Elisabetta Belloni. But if in the race to Brussels another “alpha” like Adolfo Urso were to be added by surprise, the pack will see some great things.

In the meantime, the pieces between Giorgia Meloni and Ursula von der Leyen are being put back together, for obvious opportunism, the latter will soon receive from our Prime Minister the names for the role of EU Commissioner that is up to Italy. Meloni, stubborn, insists on a dry name to be approved by the Council of Ministers for Recovery. For the Fitto hypothesis, the delegation could be the very vague one – confused among the most authoritative EU financial high commissioners – of the budget, cohesion and PNRR, but the so-called virtuous countries, led by the Danes, are raising a wall against him as they do not forgive him for the doors wide open to the Chinese in offshore wind power. In the meantime, as the leader of the pack Giorgia commands, she is doing a full immersion in English under the beach umbrella. Evidently, during her last legislature in Europe she did not practice it too much but her ability to weave political relationships, already abundantly demonstrated in Italy, has emerged well. He had a close relationship with Giorgia since the time when, back in 2008, they sat together in the seats of Minister of Regional Affairs, he, and Minister of Youth, she.

Raffaele made his political debut at 21 – in the Apulian Regional Council – he juggled with style between the First and Second Republics, arriving at the Third Republic without a fight. With his good-boy face, he initially “snubbed” Berlusconi, but then he was elected to Europe with the colors of the Cavaliere, the same ones that in 2000 made him president of the Apulia Region, following in the footsteps of his father who tragically died in a car accident. The mandate of governor seemed destined for renewal, instead, five years later, he was surprisingly defeated by Nichi Vendola. However, the Apulian “puppy”, as Berlusconi called him, found the understanding of the Cav who had him elected MEP in 2006 and then MP and minister in his fourth government. But gratitude, Andreotti said, is the feeling of the eve so, when the Berlusconi star began to fade, in 2015, Fitto did not hesitate to leave him, founding with Daniele Capezzone the “Conservatives and Reformists”, from which the liaison with Meloni started. “Raffaele has grown up”, they say in Bari, he has mended, at least on the surface and, perhaps out of cunning, with the other Apulian, very powerful of Palazzo Chigi Alfredo Mantovano. Who would be happy even if he went to Europe with the very useless delegation for immigration – the ambassador Elisabetta Belloni, a shooting star at the DIS. The undersecretary has never tolerated the direct line between her and the prime minister.

Returning to Fitto, the final “push” was the meeting with his wife Adriana. Before her he was a golden bachelor, and also a governor.

The girls of the cream vied for an invitation to one of his parties or on a boat in Otranto and his wedding was elected the most glamorous of 2005. In Europe, the “puppy” has also “caught” Ursula von der Leyen with whom he is on excellent terms and for this reason perhaps he still hopes for a more “weighty” role, then yes he would have no doubts in accepting.

But first there is a complex knot to untie: the question of the bathing establishments. For 15 years Italy has tried to ignore the Bolkestein directive that forces to put out to tender the concessions today passed down from father to son at ridiculous prices.

So far, all governments have been dragging their feet with extensions. With the latest attempts to extend the concessions to 2027 or even 2029 having failed, the threat of an EU appeal to the Court of Justice is increasingly concrete. Fitto, who is leading negotiations with Europe to overcome Meloni’s dead silence, seems to want to advance the idea of ​​increasing the compensation for entrepreneurs who are unable to maintain the management of their beaches. For some, his ideal position in the EU Commission would be to control the PNRR, but Fitto also represents our country in negotiations on the management of post-Covid funds and Italy is one of the countries that has received the most aid from the European Union. Can Meloni deprive herself of her trusted man in relations with Europe? Who would she replace him with? A new undersecretary at Palazzo Chigi? Mantovano, at the possibility of taking over Fitto’s delegations, seems to have already said no; there would be the Fazzolari card, which however lacks the essential Christian Democrat skills of Fitto; finally, one could think of bringing the delegations back to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, but another crazy August idea is circulating in the halls of power: that Adolfo Urso go to Brussels. For him, the delegations “Financial stability, financial services and Capital Markets Union” or “International partnerships” are being discussed privately.

Promoveatur ut amoveatur, a “Franciscan” custom – in the sense of Pope Francis – to avoid reshuffles that, instead, would be more than necessary according to everyone, including unions and entrepreneurs. With a positive impact for Fitto in Italy, who would probably acquire the Made in Italy delegations, adding them to his own so as to play the capercaillie with Giancarlo Giorgetti. If the European portfolio is not top-notch, for Fitto it is better to be a super minister than a commissioner, but perhaps he can’t wait to escape before the unfinished business of the PNRR comes home to roost. It is obvious that everyone will blame him.

For now, the only Fitto that the Curva Nord is rooting for is Gabriele, Raffaele’s son, who recently arrived in the Lazio youth team as a central striker.
From the smiling Maglie they climb all the rankings. Forza Lazio!