Meloni’s man in Brussels dodges political questions in hearing

The Italian nominee for Commission Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms focused on technical aspects of his portfolio during a European Parliament confirmation hearing on Tuesday, saying that he would not represent his party or his country.

“If I delve into political matters, I would be violating the code of conduct because I am representing the European Commission for the next five years,” said Raffaele Fitto, nominated by Giorgia Meloni.

During the hearing Fitto sidestepped politically sensitive topics.

“He was as slippery as an eel,” one leftist MEP quipped to colleagues after the hearing.

Although some MEPs attempted to pin him down on some of the right-wing political standpoints espoused by his Brothers of Italy party, Fitto underlined his “full and serious commitment to representing the interests of the EU".

If confirmed for the post, Fitto said that he would represent the Commission and act in the interest of the entire EU, distancing himself from his party. “I will make a serious commitment to the European Union, abiding by the EU Treaties and the Commission’s code of conduct,” he said.

“He didn’t even mention Fratelli d’Italia, his own party,” another leftist MEP said afterwards.

Fitto defended himself when MEP Raquel García Hermida-van der Walle (Netherlands/Renew Europe)criticized his voting record as an MEP. “You voted against the Article 7 procedure against Hungary, against better protection for women within cohesion policy, and in favour of claims that the rule of law policy aims to undermine democratically elected governments," she said.

The designated commissioner declined to discuss his political views, arguing that those stances are irrelevant to the institutional role he is expected to assume in the European Commission.

The issue of withholding cohesion funds from Hungary was raised multiple times. Brussels is currently blocking over €6 billion of Hungary’s allocated share for breaches of the rule of law. Fitto’s party, Fratelli d’Italia, has been critical of this move.

Fitto stated firmly that “respect for the rule of law is an essential and founding principle of the EU” and promised to “maintain an equal distance” from all 27 governments. However, he refrained from addressing the specific issue.

Italian MEPs sought to engage him on domestic political matters but met with no success. Valentina Palmisano of the Five Star Movement (The Left) questioned his stance on an Italian reform that devolves power to regional authorities, which she argued disadvantages the Southern regions of the country. Mimmo Lucano, also from the Left, criticized Rome’s decision to send some asylum seekers to a reception center in Albania.

Fitto avoided engaging on these topics, instead defending his performance as Italy’s Minister for European Affairs and countering allegations of centralizing the management of cohesion funds.

He advocated for doubling the EU housing budget from €7 billion to €14 billion and committed to strengthening the European Social Fund to address anticipated job losses across the 27 Member States.

Regarding a key issue—the possible redirection of cohesion funds to military expenditures as reported by the Financial Times—Fitto said only that this would not be allowed under current rules, without specifying his personal position on the matter.

Fitto's confirmation by MEPs will be "packaged" together with other designated vice-presidents who have had hearings today and negotiated together by the groups in the European Parliament at the end of all the hearings. "It could be the end of this week, it could be Monday or Tuesday next week," Bulgarian MEP Andrey Novakov, coordinator for EPP in the Committee on Regional Development, told Euronews. 

This political agreement concerns the votes on all the six designated vice-presidents: Spain's Teresa Ribera Rodríguez; Romanian Roxana Mînzatu (Socialist and democrats); Finland's Henna Virkkunen (European People's Party); France's Stéphane Séjourné and Estonian Kaja Kallas (Renew Europe).

But Fitto's appointment appears not at risk. "He will be approved for sure. It would have happened today if we had the chance to vote. I know that there is majority, including among the coordinators," said Novakov. "The only reason for his approval being delayed is because of the other candidates, especially the Spanish one."