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| Giorgia Meloni |
On her first journey outside of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, the country's new prime minister, is scheduled to meet with top EU officials in Brussels on Thursday.
The far-right lawmaker has separate meetings arranged with European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola.
In the past, Ms. Meloni has frequently criticised the EU and its institutions.
Her presence can be interpreted as a pro-EU message.
Since entering office in October, she has stated that although her government will follow EU regulations, Italy should play a more active role within the organisation.
After making a commotion in Italy prior to the elections, Von der Leyen earlier stated that she was looking forward to "constructive cooperation" with the new Italian government.
Ms Leyen said the EU had tools in place to deal with violations of its rules.
Meloni leads a right-wing alliance of her far-right Brothers of Italy party, the conservative Forza Italia of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and the right-wing Lega of Matteo Salvini.
The three parties clearly won the parliamentary elections held on September 25.
During her election campaign, Meloni promised to defend Italy’s interests internationally.
Italy, however, is economically dependent on EU funding, with the largest amount from an EU fund for reconstruction measures after the COVID-19 pandemic earmarked for the country.
(dpa/NAN)