Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, showcased their strong relationship as Fiala admitted to sharing close opinions during Meloni’s first visit as prime minister to Prague.
On Wednesday, the European Conservative and Reformists Party (ECR) members discussed “strategic topics”, such as security, energy and migration. While this was Meloni’s first visit to Prague as prime minister, she had met Fiala several times.
“We have very similar views on the vast majority of issues, and we have found that we can further develop cooperation between Italy and the Czech Republic,” Fiala said during the press briefing after meeting Meloni, currently ECR president.
“There is an opinion closeness, and it is good news for the whole of Europe that countries like the Czech Republic and Italy have a common strategic perspective and want to work together,” Fiala added.
According to EURACTIV’s information, Meloni, currently the president of the ECR, is eyeing a partnership with EPP and has close ties with EPP leader Manfred Weber.
Weber, for his part, is also quite close to Fiala, and it is no secret that Weber would probably like to see Fiala’s Civic Democratic Party (ODS) in the EPP after the 2024 European elections.
Before Meloni arrived in Prague, it was rumoured that the aim of the meeting could have been to discuss the future of the ECR and its possible cooperation with the European People’s Party (EPP). The Czech Republic could be a “role model” for such collaboration.
In the 2021 Czech parliamentary elections, ECR-affiliated Civic Democrats created a coalition with EPP-affiliated parties – TOP 09 and Christian Democrats – and together, as a “SPOLU” (Together) coalition, secured a victory.
There are ongoing discussions on the possibility of SPOLU running in the European elections, too. however, nothing has been confirmed.
“The Czech government really does politics of EPP. That is why I have a good relationship with Prime Minister Petr Fiala,” Weber said in a recent interview with Czech Radio.
“In the Czech Republic, the presentation of SPOLU as a combination, as a common branding to combine and to bring centre-right parties together, is successful. People appreciate this approach,” Weber said, adding that the Czech Republic can be considered a “positive symbol” in this regard.
However, as EURACTIV.cz has learnt, the EPP-ECR cooperation was not on the agenda of Wednesday’s Meloni-Fiala talks in Prague.
Still, it has proven the strong ties between Fiala and Meloni that would likely affect the formation of political groups in the European Parliament after the 2024 elections.
(Aneta Zachová | EURACTIV.cz)
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