European rearmament breaks the logic of alliance between the Italian parties and split the coalitions. With 419 votes in favor, 204 against and 46 abstained the European Parliament has given the green light to the resolution on the white photographer on the future of the European defense that invites the European Union to act urgently to guarantee its safety and “welcomes the Rearm Europe plan proposed by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Among the Italian parties who voted in favor there are brothers of Italy, Forza Italia and a part of the Democratic Party. While they expressed themselves against the League, the 5 Star Movement and the Green alliance and left. But a full -bodied part of the Dem delegation has chosen the way of abstention, demonstrating how on the rearm the party is divided between the position of the Elly Schlein secretariat and the one played by Pina Picierno and other party members.
Bonaccini votes against Schlein
In the voting on the white paper that took place today, Wednesday 12 March, eleven MEP of the Democratic Party have abstained: these are Lucia Annunziata, Brando Benifei, Annalisa Corrado, Camilla Laureti, Dario Nardella, Matteo Ricci, Sandro Ruotolo, Cecilia Strada, Marco Tarquinio, Alessandro Zan and the chief delegation Nicola Zingaretti.
In addition to Picierno, nine other MEPs have voted in favor: they are Stefano Bonaccini, Antonio Decaro, Giorgio Gori, Elisabetta Gualmini, Giuseppe Lupo, Pierfrancesco Maran, Alessandra Moretti, Irene Tinagli and Raffaele Topo. For Bonaccini, president of the Democratic Party, this is the first vote “dissent” compared to the line carried out by the secretary Schlein.
Fdi abstains on Kiev
On the other hand, no sopresa on the hostility to the Rearm plan by the League, M5S and AVS and on the favorable vote of FI and Fdi. Giorgia Meloni’s party, however, has chosen to refrain on another resolution, that relating to Ukraine. Fratelli d’Italia wanted to underline the distance from a text that “does not take into account the novelties of the past few hours and ends up unleashing hatred towards the US instead of helping Ukraine”, explained Nicola Procaccini, MEP of the Brothers of Italy and the Copeping of the ECR group.
Schlein defends himself but the discontent grows in the Democratic Party
Elly Schlein intervened to defend her line: “Europe is needed to common defense, not the ride to the rearmament of individual states. It is and this remains the position of the Democratic Party”. The resolution voted today “also gave support to the Rearmeu Plan proposed by Ursula von der Leyen which we have advanced and confirm many criticism precisely because it facilitates the rearmament of the individual states by making national debt, but does not contribute to the common defense and indeed risks delaying it”. For the secretary of the Democratic Party, the “must be changed” plan: the European Union need “common investments” and a “federalist horizon”, with a common army “at the service of a common foreign policy and a peace project”.
But the crack that was recorded within the Dem delegation shakes the waters of the Democratic Party. According to the deputy Marianna Madia, the “means votes” are not needed and now the Democratic Party must “discuss, explain, understand” to get to a “synthesis”. Concerns to which the deputy and vice -president of the Defense Commission Piero Fassino is associated: “After today’s vote at the European Parliament, a comparison based on the awareness that the international positioning of a party defines identity, profile and credibility” is necessary. While the deputies Gianni Cuperlo and Lia Quartapelle and the Senator Sandra Zampa ask that a discussion will be opened within the party.
Schlein’s position is defended by Peppe Provenzano, foreign manager in the secretariat of the Democratic Party: “We have advanced and confirmed the criticisms of the Rearmeu plan proposed by Ursula von der Leyen precisely because it is inadequate to the challenges in front of Europe”.
