The conservative premier of the southern German state of Bavaria, Markus Söder, said he found a great deal of common ground with Italy’s far-right prime minister, Georgia Meloni, following a meeting in Rome on Friday.
Söder said they were in agreement on energy, transport and asylum policy issues.
Bavaria and Italy, for example, both have an interest in a hydrogen corridor from Italy to the south of Germany, said Söder.
He also agreed with Meloni that the European Union must reverse its future phase-out of vehicles powered by combustion engines.
The plan for new gas and hydrogen pipelines across the Alps is also part of a current action plan by the German and Italian governments.
In terms of asylum policy, Söder once again praised a refugee deal between Italy and Albania. Italy plans to operate two migrant centres on Albanian soil, which is not part of the European Union.
Meloni’s government is hoping that the deal will help stem migration across the Mediterranean to Italy and thus into the EU.
“This could also be a solution for the whole of Europe,” Söder said on Friday of the arrangement.
Söder said they did not discuss whether Meloni’s controversial far-right party would be accepted as part of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) bloc, which operates at the EU level.
“There is definitely no interest in joining the EPP – the discussion is definitely not relevant and is also over,” said Söder. “Which I think is good. It wouldn’t have been a good fit because of the past of Ms Meloni’s party.”
Meloni’s party, the Brothers of Italy, traces its roots to former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini’s fascist movement.
On the other hand, Söder said that Meloni expressed a “clear rejection” of the far-right, anti-EU Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which is polling second in nationwide surveys.
