Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday that the European Union should adopt a confederal model in which member states retain broad sovereignty while cooperating more effectively on strategic issues, rejecting calls for deeper political integration.
"Together with the European Conservative family, I have always believed that the exact opposite is needed: a confederal European model, in which member states retain broad sovereignty but interact more effectively on matters of strategic importance," Meloni said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Foglio, in response to discussions about a federal Europe.
Meloni said the way the EU operates has proven inadequate in addressing the major challenges of our time and agreed that the bloc needs to change its approach.
However, she rejected the view that the answer lies in greater European integration, abandoning unanimity in decision-making or creating a federal Europe that goes beyond the nation-states.
"Therefore I disagree with Mario Draghi," Meloni said, referring to the argument by the former Italian prime minister and European Central Bank chief that the EU's future depends on moving toward a more federal structure.
Meloni also defended her position on Ukraine, saying she would not ally herself with political forces that vote against supporting Kyiv's defense.
"I am a serious person, and I'm not a one-size-fits-all," she said, adding that she would not change her political position based on the support of a particular party or for electoral or personal gain.
Regarding the rise of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), Meloni argued that when European political movements focus on "identity, combating irregular migration and concerns over Islamization," the establishment should address the issues "on their merits" rather than relying on political "cordons sanitaires."
