RIMINI – Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attended the Communion and Liberation Meeting at the Rimini Fair on Wednesday, her first visit to the event since assuming office. The trip was seen as a return to a forum that had expressed significant support for her in the lead-up to the 2022 elections that brought her to power.
PM Meloni was welcomed by the president of the Meeting Foundation, Emilia Scholz, Rimini Mayor Jamil Sadegholvaad, and Rimini Prefect Giuseppina Cassone. Her entrance was met with applause from the audience, including shouts of “Viva Giorgia.” Visibly moved by the reception, Meloni stated, “Thank you for this touching welcome.” She praised the Meeting as “a fundamental moment” in public debate for nearly half a century and called it “a pleasure and an honor” to participate.
In her wide-ranging address, the Prime Minister articulated her government’s philosophical and policy stance. “The field we have chosen is not that of ideologies or utopias… it is the field of the real, because a trillion ideas are not worth a single person; for people, one must live and die,” she declared.
On foreign policy, Meloni pushed back against critics, noting that even the “often unkind international press” has been forced to consider Italy a “positive anomaly.” She expressed pride in Italy’s NATO Article 5 model proposal for Ukraine’s security guarantees, calling it “the main proposal on the table” and a “possible contribution to peace.”
Addressing the Israel-Hamas conflict, Meloni condemned the “unjustifiable killing of journalists” as an attack on press freedom. While reaffirming Israel’s right to self-defense after the October 7th attacks, she stated that its response had “gone beyond the principle of proportionality, claiming too many innocent victims,” including Christian communities. She reiterated calls for a ceasefire and the release of hostages by Hamas, highlighting Italy’s role as the leading non-Muslim country in conducting medical evacuations from Gaza. “Some write motions, others save children. I am proud to be part of the latter,” she said.
Meloni was sharply critical of the European Union, claiming it is “increasingly condemned to geopolitical irrelevance” and incapable of responding to competitive challenges from China and the U.S., a point she agreed with former PM Mario Draghi on. She stated that many current criticisms of the EU align with those she has voiced for years.
On domestic issues, the Prime Minister issued a strong warning on immigration: “Any attempt to prevent us from governing the phenomenon of illegal immigration will be returned to sender.” She vowed that no “judge, politician, or bureaucrat” would stop the government from enforcing Italian law, ensuring citizen security, fighting human traffickers, and saving lives.
She also outlined key domestic initiatives, including a planned affordable housing program for young couples developed with Deputy PM Matteo Salvini, reforms to support families and birth rates, a focus on tax cuts for the middle class, and a justice reform. On education, she advocated for tools to ensure families can exercise full educational freedom, arguing Italy is the last EU nation without effective school choice and calling for a debate free from “ideological prejudices.”
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