For Forza Italia, the central theme for this final year of the legislative term is already set: “We are working toward a liberal and democratic revolution,” one based on reducing bureaucracy, streamlining processes, and lowering taxes to increase the ‘real income’ of citizens. But Antonio Tajani is not only the leader of Forza Italia; he is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs. And that’s where we start. With Ceuta and the crisis that followed. No excessive persistence, but no backing down either: “Let’s wait and see what happens this mid-August week”.
What are you afraid might happen?
“The risk of a new wave of arrivals in Ceuta—and with it, concrete threats of Islamic terrorism—has been flagged by Spanish intelligence itself. And if it’s clear to them, why should we underestimate it?”
Will the temporary suspension of Schengen remain in effect?
“We are not waging any kind of ‘battle’ against Spain; we are simply conducting thorough checks on arrivals, and we have already turned away or detained people who were not entitled to enter Italy. Instead of worrying about us, Spain should worry about Morocco: that’s where the problems are coming from—certainly not from our border controls, which serve everyone’s interests by preventing illegal immigrants and, worse still, potential terrorists from entering Europe. As for the suspension, we’ll see whether the concerns are justified or not, and then we’ll decide. But let’s not make a big deal out of it: Schengen has been suspended with Slovenia for over two years precisely because it is another entry point into Italy and Europe that is at risk.”
Meanwhile, Germany has announced that it will deport undocumented immigrants who entered through our borders back to Italy.
“We are currently discussing this; we are waiting for Europe to decide on the rules for implementing the treaty, but we are also taking into account the number of immigrants who have remained here after being disembarked from German NGO ships. There is no conflict between us; we share the same goal: yes to regular inflows—even substantial ones, if necessary—of foreign workers. No to measures like Sanchez’s mass amnesties, which encourage even desperate or malicious individuals to come here.”
A crisis every day: Israeli settlers attack villages in the West Bank, the Italian Air Force shoots down a drone in Latvia…
“The aggressive behaviour of Israeli settlers is unacceptable and should be punished; at the European level, we will decide what measures to take. The drone demonstrates that our Air Force is outstanding and defends European territory with great skill and effectiveness. And I’ll go even further: the victories we’re achieving in sports are good for our image in foreign policy as well: I’ve appointed the gold medallists in swimming and diving—Sara Curtis and Chiara Pellacani—and in the triple jump—Dariya Derkach—as ‘global sports ambassadors.’
There is an Italy that is succeeding, but there is also one that is struggling.
“We’ve already accomplished a great deal; since 2022, taxes for Italians have been reduced by EUR 33 billion. But we want to do much more than that. There is still a cage stifling our economy that we must break free from: excessive bureaucracy and the slowness and cumbersomeness of a system that holds back both domestic and foreign investment. We will make a true liberal revolution the centrepiece of our demands for the Budget Law. We’ve already done a great job—together with Ministers Casellati and Zangrillo—by eliminating 30,000 outdated regulations and simplifying hundreds of administrative procedures. The cost of bureaucracy to businesses is EUR 57.2 billion. We want to do more.”
What else?
“Apply the ‘one in, two out’ rule here and in Europe as well—that is, for every new regulation introduced, two existing ones must be repealed. We, at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have created a unit dedicated to simplification; Forza Italia will propose a law to implement this across all ministries, adding a provision for tacit approval by the public administration for anything not specifically protected. We must eliminate the system whereby citizens or businesses have to resubmit documents they have already provided each time; we need to cut down on steps that are costly in terms of both money and time. We have also set up a Forza Italia email channel so that citizens can report to us any difficulties, shortcomings, or unnecessary steps they encounter in their day-to-day work. Let’s turn the country around. And, at the same time, let’s move forward with lowering taxes. Without raising them for anyone, not even for banks, especially to protect local popular and cooperative banks. In economics, there are only profits; extra profits are a rallying cry of the ideological left.”
The Prime Minister is also talking about lowering taxes.
“This is a positive development. I will bring together all the Italian EPP forces—FI, UDC, Noi Moderati, and the SVP— as well as affiliated trade union and third-sector organisations—to jointly develop proposals that move in this direction: a pro-European, liberal, and democratic social market economy opposed to any populist or far-left excess. We are the only true centrist party in Italy, and in Europe, we—the centre—are the only bulwark against the radicalisation of positions, both on the left and on the far right. Let us keep the banner of the social market economy and the liberal revolution flying high.”
So, in the Ranucci case, how does that work?
“We are advocates of due process, but there is no doubt that the credibility of one of the leading figures of the Five Star Movement and the Italian left has been shattered, regardless of what the investigations may reveal.”
