by Aleksandra Krzysztoszek
Former PiS prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki will take over from Italian Prime Minister and Fratelli d’Italia leader Giorgia Meloni as president of the EU’s conservative ECR group in January, according to Italian media reports.
The potential succession has been a topic of discussion for several months, and for Morawiecki, a new post is reportedly seen as a consolation prize for not being chosen as the PiS candidate for the Polish presidency.
“It has been no secret that Giorgia Meloni intended to step down as the president of the ECR. Equally, it has been well-known that Mateusz Morawiecki was the frontrunner to succeed her,” the newspaper Il Giornale reported on Thursday.
According to the daily, the change at the top of the party is closer than thought, as early as mid-January 2025, so that Morawiecki can be part of the ECR delegation that will attend US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on 20 January in Washington.
In addition, the ECR’s statute stipulates that 15 days must elapse between the convening of the party council and the election of the new party leader.
As Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia party and the PiS are the two largest members of the ECR, the consensus between these two parties is usually enough for a candidate to win the presidency, provided the smaller parties are given vice-presidential positions so as not to offend them, Il Giornale notes.
The handover is scheduled for Sunday, the last day of Atreju, the annual festival of Fratelli d’Italia’s youth wing. Morawiecki will be the only non-Italian member of the ECR to attend and will close the session dedicated to the conservative EU group.
The daily reports that Meloni will use her speech on Sunday to greet Morawiecki with a de facto endorsement. The formal procedures for electing the new president should begin next week.
Chance for Morawiecki and PiS
Meloni became the first Italian to hold the presidency of the ECR in 2020. At the time, it was a crucial step for the party leader and now prime minister in terms of international recognition. Since then, she has become one of Europe’s most influential leaders and no longer needs the position, the Italian daily added.
The Italian newspaper also points out that the current Italian prime minister has good relations with a Polish politician, which could influence his nomination. Morawiecki has already expressed his willingness to take on the role, a stance he confirmed in an interview with Il Giornale two months ago.
Morawiecki’s potential leadership of the ECR could have significant international implications for PiS if Morawiecki attends Trump’s inauguration, according to Polish media.
"Morawiecki would be a good ECR president," PiS MEP Bogdan Rzonca told Euractiv Poland earlier this year. He noted that Meloni, who is also Italy’s prime minister, has a lot of commitments and could not find time to fully dedicate himself to the ECR, while the party needs to focus on rebuilding its power before the next European elections.
Meanwhile, the ECR Study Days are taking place in Warsaw, with FdI members Carlo Fidanza and Nicola Procaccini taking part in the panels on agriculture. Fidanza recently reiterated his "no" to the EU-Mercosur agreement, which he described as "too unbalanced to the disadvantage of European farmers".
Fratelli d’Italia’s challenge to the deal would be good news for Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who said he was counting on the Italian government to support Warsaw and Paris in their opposition to free trade with Mercosur so that the three countries could form a blocking majority in the EU Council.
*first published in: Euractiv.com
By: N. Peter Kramer
