“Vote for von der Leyen? Impossible for now but we’ll see” –

Nicola Procaccini, Roman, former mayor of Terracina, born in 1976, is the MEP of Fratelli d’Italia and president of the ECR group who is preparing the ground for tomorrow’s meetings between Giorgia Meloni and Ursula von der Leyen. In the meantime, he is packing his suitcase. Still shaken by the news of the attack on Donald Trump.

Is the Pittsburgh attack the sick fruit of polarization, of the climate of hatred that turns rivals into enemies? And is it an American problem?
“No. It’s not an American problem. It’s the demonization, the monstrosity of the adversary. We run away from the confrontation, from the merit of the issues and the escape route is to paint the political adversary as non-human, as a threat to democracy. An enemy to be defeated. And this is an element that is omnipresent in the narrative of the left. Omnipresent. It can concern Marine Le Pen, like Giorgia Meloni. It can concern Trump, like Orban or Fico, who recently suffered an attack in the heart of Europe.”

Does the danger arise from those on the left who show an anthropological presumption regarding their adversaries?
“There is a pre-political instinct that aims to demonize the political opponent and can make inroads on psychologically weak elements. When that narrative meets an insane person, this is what can happen. That someone pulls the trigger.”

Is there also a problem of excessive diffusion of weapons?
“In our legal system, the State has a monopoly on force. In the United States, there are different laws, a different cultural tradition. We can open a debate on those laws, but it concerns Americans. However, let’s not fall into the error of looking at the gun that fired and not the actor who pointed it at Trump. The issue is who demonizes the adversary, who advocates hatred that then transcends into the personal, having no other tools to overcome it. The real issue is not closing the armories but stopping the hatred, understanding what levers push unbalanced people to act like this, to channel their violence towards certain objectives.”

He expressed solidarity with Trump, but not only with him…
“Our solidarity goes to the entire Republican Party, which among other things is paying with the death of one of its militants and with other injuries. We are part of the same political network. Together also with the Tories in the United Kingdom and the Israeli Likud”.

All hot fronts. But the hottest is in Europe, this week. What will happen? You are chairing the meeting with Von der Leyen on behalf of your Eurogroup.
“There will be delegations from all the nations, we are 78 parliamentarians from 18 different nations. I can say what the guidelines are, based on constructive criticism, and that there is freedom of expression in our group. So much so that in our group five years ago the Poles of the PiS, who were then the most numerous, voted in favor of von der Leyen. We voted once morest.”

And the position of the Fratelli d’Italia delegation today, with respect to von der Leyen?
“We will ask for discontinuity with respect to various issues. The green transition, the ideological fury that has caused damage to European competitiveness, is no longer sustainable. The fact of having contracted out the European energy destiny to China poses a problem from an environmental point of view and exploits a sovereignty of the supply chain that is almost entirely in its hands. Then there is the fight once morest illegal immigration. Too much laxity, the president seemed almost collateral to the immigration NGOs. Then there was a change of heart, in recent months”.

Has Von der Leyen gone into centre-right mode?
“The European elections deliver a Commission shifted to the center-right. It’s a fact. Von der Leyen began to rotate her positions a few months ago. Changing her political agenda in a more reasonable direction, more aligned with our point of view. Sending us a clear signal of availability.”

Will you decide to vote for her in the end?
“For now it is impossible, but we will see. The government in the European Council abstained on you, it did not vote once morest you. This leaves room for discussions and negotiations that will take place in these days. I recognize that your policy in the past has found itself having to rely on a European Commission ideologically positioned on the left, formed through the indications of commissioners predominantly from the center-left. I have the feeling that now you want to distance yourself, for the future.”

Ecr is evolving. It was formed by the Tories, when there was the UK. Now it goes back to being the conservative group, distinct from the two groups that are born to its right?
“We are the moderate right-wing government group. And we don’t just bear witness: we are protagonists of the games at a national level, those who change the outcome. We are in Italy and we will be in Europe.”