The far right disrupts an EU summit for the first time

BrusselsItalian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever belong to the same far-right family, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European Parliament. However, EU leaders welcomed them with open arms and see them as a reliable far-right force fully committed to the common project. In the opinion of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen herself, they are the least extreme of the far right, maintaining a very good relationship. For this reason, the traditional European right has had no qualms about breaking the cordon sanitaire, and De Wever and Meloni have gone from being a threat to the future of the European Union to being key decision-makers on this blog.

So far, both the Italian and the Flemish have played a constructive and even leading role within the European bloc. They have nothing to do with, for example, Viktor Orbán, as was initially feared. Their commitment to Ukraine and European security has been unquestionable. However, for the first time, two far-right leaders have turned a European Council on its head and prevented the two major agreements with which the leaders of the EU club wanted to end the year from being finalized: the use of Russian funds frozen in the EU to send a loan in Ukraine and the final ratification of the trade agreement with Mercosur

The Belgian prime minister, who until recently was one of the leading figures in the Flemish independence movement, has become a national hero. He argued to the end that, for the good of his country, the EU could not use the approximately €185 billion held in Brussels as collateral for a loan to Ukraine. De Wever considered it too high a risk because there were doubts about whether the measure violated international law, and he feared having to return all that money to Russia in the future. The newspaper Le SoirThe newspaper, which is completely opposed to Flemish nationalism and called in an editorial for the acceptance of this use of Russian money, published a poll in which almost 70% of Belgians supported De Wever in his company.

The victory of the Prime Minister, who emerged triumphant from the meeting, is no small matter. He managed to defeat the largest and most influential EU member state, Germany, and the will of Ursula von der Leyen herself and the vast majority of member states. Chancellor Friedrich Merz had even gone so far as to assert that there was no plan B for the use of Russian funds. The alternative was to fail in the attempt to reinforce Ukraine at a crucial moment in the war and guarantee its predictable long-term functioning. "Today we have shown that small countries also have a voice and that we are not simply directed by the big capitals," De Wever celebrated.

Furthermore, the Belgian Prime Minister also sought to tone down the bellicose rhetoric of some of his European partners and their opposition to Russian expansionism. To such an extent that some of the statements he made surrounded by journalists, among whom he feels very comfortable, are reminiscent of more pro-Russian positions within the EU. "Of course there are people who don't like Vladimir Putin and want to punish him by seizing his money. But politics isn't an emotional business, and reason has prevailed," the far-right leader pointed out.

Meloni's key ambivalence

The Flemish leader wasn't the only one going against the grain. Aside from the usual suspects, like Viktor Orbán's Hungary, Meloni also showed support, and the Italian government criticized in a letter the fact that De Wever was being pressured to that extent without being offered the legal guarantees he requested. According to the newspaper Financial TimesItaly's reluctance was also key within the European Council this Thursday because at two in the morning, after some fourteen hours of negotiations, the European leaders gave up and advocated for an alternative option to temporarily finance Ukraine: the issuance of common debt.

Regarding the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, Meloni's role has been even more decisive. It seemed to be a done deal, and Von der Leyen was already scheduled to travel to Brazil this weekend to stage the final signing with Latin American leaders. At the last minute, due to divisions within her government and to appease Italian farmers, the Italian Prime Minister backed down and joined the blocking minority, led by France and Poland.

Nevertheless, Meloni is leaving the door open to giving her approval in the coming days, and sources at the European Commission assure that the trip to Brazil has only been postponed by a month. And, in fact, Germany and Spain, two of the countries most in favor of the trade agreement, remain optimistic. "We've been waiting for an agreement for 25 years; we can wait 25 years and a month," said Pedro Sánchez at a press conference.