EU confident despite Italian election result

Many European media outlets focus on the results of Sunday’s Italian general elections. In a factual tone, Le Figaro reports that the Five Star Movement (M5S) and Lega Nord both claimed the right to govern Italy, while ruling out any alliance between the two parties. Commenting on a possible post-electoral alliance, Northern League leader Matteo Salvini clearly states that he will “never form a government with them”, Il Corriere della Sera reports.

The 32% support for the populist Five Star Movement was larger than expected, Postimees notes, adding that the coalition of Lega Nord, Ford and Fratelli d’Italia received 37% of the votes, with Lega Nord receiving 18%. In his editorial for Les Echos, Dominique Seux believes that “the results obtained by the far-right and the Five Star Movement in Italy bring a new worrying light on the progression of Populists in the Western countries in recent years: this occurs even when there is an economic recovery”.

Meanwhile, writing in The Daily Telegraph, Juliet Samuel comments that the results of the Italian elections could threaten Franco-German plans to reform the EU, because they suggest that European voters “are in no mood to take orders about economic policy from Brussels”. Vice-President Katainen noted that “the Commission hopes that Italy will be able to form a Government as soon as possible”, Rai Tre says. At the same time, the Commission sent a message of calm specially addressed to European citizens and markets. “We have confidence that President Mattarella will facilitate the formation of a stable government in Italy”, and in the meantime, “Italy has a Government led by [Paolo] Gentiloni, with whom we are working closely,” said Commission Chief Spokesperson Margaritis Schinas.

Other media outlets focus on the impact these elections have on Europe as a whole. L’Opinion states that the results in Italy have opened the door to a dark scenario for Europe: an alliance between Lega Nord and M5S. Yesterday, the Commission merely said that it was “confident” in the ability of Italian President Mattarella to facilitate the creation of a “stable” Government. Indeed, President Juncker says he is calm about the outcome of the elections because the Community is capable of overcoming various challenges, LRT Televizija says. In the same vein, in an interview with Le Figaro, while First Vice-President Timmermans says he is “not worried” because “Italy is a very strong nation”, he underlines that those results “reflect Italians’ disappointment with Europe”. That’s why, according to him, the EU must take this as “a wake-up call and draw the right conclusions”.

In a more critical tone, a Daily Mail editorial comments that Brussels is still not listening to “the cries for change” and that EU’s Brexit Negotiatior “Michel Barnier and the rest are far more interested in punishing the UK over Brexit than fixing the EU’s dangerous democratic deficit”. Even more worrying is the announcement by Matteo Salvini, the leader of the Lega Nord, that if the euro area rules were not changed under the pressure of Italy, he would propose to exit the EU, Rzeczpospolita reports. According to Alberto D’Argenio, writing in La Repubblica, because of this tense situation, the Commission chose not to put political or economic pressure on Italy, since a direct attack against the League or the Five Star Movement could lead to a definitive estrangement from the EU.

According to Olivier le Bussy, commenting in La Libre Belgique, the result is still a clear message to Europe: Italian citizens feel that the EU is not fulfilling its promise of prosperity. For Christian Nitsche, speaking on ARD, frustration has led Italian citizens to populist parties. According to a Berlingske analysis, European leaders should take notice of what it is that the Italian voters have rejected, before underlining the need for more European integration.

Furthermore, according to Le Monde, Brexit has not killed populism and social-democracy has weakened to a point where it will necessarily affect Brussels’ power balance. Sharing this view, The Guardian’s Rafael Behr even says that the Italian results reveal that the forces that drove Brexit are part of a “pan-European crisis”. In a commentary for Die Welt, Dirk Schümer observed that the Italian elections confirmed that established parties have stopped functioning.

A Times’ editorial comments that such results have squashed the idea that “the dark forces of populism” have been defeated in Europe and that they should “force the EU to face up to the problems of mass, unfiltered migration to the continent”. The EU may be paying its incapacity to help Italy in the migrant crisis, the French newspaper Le Monde also believes. In a less negative tone, a Guardian editorial comments that “Europe has proved more resistant to the current strain of populism than many thought possible”.

Today’s European media outlets also report on the political situation in Germany. Chancellor Merkel has secured her fourth term, ending nearly six months of uncertainty since the last election, after members of the Social Democrat Party (SPD) voted in favour of joining a coalition, The New York Times states. The US paper adds that this announcement will also allow her to work with French President Macron on overhauling the EU. Libération comments that if the next German Government seems to prioritise the European issue, in reality, things are less clear. Indeed, the Sunday agreement between CDU/CSU and SPD did not put back this topic on the table. However, in Der Standard, Paul Lendvai announces that the formation of the CDU/CSU-SPD coalition has been received with relief in pro-European circles.

Indeed, Commissioner Oettinger said, as quoted by Rheinische Post, that “we, the Europeans, are glad that a clear decision has been reached”. The grand coalition could provide a boost for the EU reform process launched by President Macron, which provides a fresh chance not only for Germany, but for all of Europe, according to Mr Lendvai. Avghi comments that the next European Council meeting on 22-23 March will not be another lost opportunity, because Chancellor Merkel will have the mandate to negotiate French President Macron’s proposals to reform the euro area.

However, Mikael Björk writes in a comment in Dagens Industri that the new German coalition Government is starting from a weak position. It has to tackle Brexit, the US steel tariffs and China, as well as challenges in the automotive industry. Moreover, according to an analysis in De Volkskrant, the elections in Italy and Germany make it difficult for French President Macron to achieve his European ambitious. Indeed, he hopes to be able to cooperate with Chancellor Merkel, but her position is weakened after the elections.