Antonio Tajani is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vice-President of the EPP and Secretary of Forza Italia. Roles that enable him to combine foreign policy with domestic policy.<\/p>\n
So, how do you manage to balance all these interests without them coming into conflict?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI have no difficulty in taking on all these roles because the guiding principle is the same. Forza Italia is the popular soul of this government, which works to safeguard both Italian and European interests.\u201d<\/p>\n Regarding the suspension of the Schengen Agreement with Spain, which of the two interests prevailed?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cBoth. As Italians and Europeans, we must be concerned about internal security. Nothing has changed with regard to Schengen; since 2006, it has been suspended around 498 times. Let us bear in mind that Spain is granting Spanish \u2013 and therefore European \u2013 citizenship to more than half a million irregular migrants.\u201d<\/p>\n Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Is an anti-Western \u2018axis of evil\u2019 taking shape?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAn alternative model to the Western one is taking shape, but we must be able to defend our position and our values, and we can only do so by strengthening NATO politically and militarily.\u201d<\/p>\n So, is our liberal European civilisation in danger?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt is certainly under attack. There is fierce competition between autocracies and democracies. We start from a more difficult position because we prioritise and safeguard citizens\u2019 freedoms, placing the individual at the heart of our cultural model.\u201d<\/p>\n In this scenario, is diplomacy or military force more important?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe use of force is subject to diplomacy, which must employ every means at its disposal to ensure peace. The message from the Americans that we must do more must be heeded. Of course, we cannot do what the left is calling for: not spending on defence and not following American leadership. To avoid following American leadership, we must invest in defence.\u201d<\/p>\n Why did EU countries not provide direct support to Trump in Iran? <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cBecause it is not a European war; but we have guaranteed protection and support to the Gulf countries that were under attack. It was an American decision, even though we were strongly opposed to Iran\u2019s use of the atomic bomb.\u201d<\/p>\n How is the Atlantic Alliance faring?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s doing well; certainly, Europe must do more. The Atlantic Alliance is indispensable both for us Europeans and for the United States. The alliance is set to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n Will you increase defence spending?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cFirstly, we must take social issues into account, but yes, we should use SAFE funds because they are a financial instrument that allows us to save money compared to the cost of government bonds.\u201d<\/p>\n You have \u2018governed\u2019 under both Berlusconi and Meloni. Is there a common element shared by the two leaderships?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cTwo completely different people, yet united by a strong inclination towards leadership. Berlusconi is a leader already enshrined in history. He founded the centre-right \u2013 safeguarding freedom in Italy and preventing a dramatic drift towards the far left \u2013 and has restored our country to the centre of international affairs. He is inimitable. Thirty years on, that centre-right is still firmly in government, and Giorgia Meloni has the task, alongside Forza Italia, of upholding the values and the strong determination to transform Italy into a truly liberal country.\u201d<\/p>\n Will you vote unanimously in favour of the electoral law (Stabilicum)?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely. We must not make a big deal of it when there is a debate over the details of a law. The aim of this law is to ensure stability, which means: economic growth, investment and international recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n But is not the amendment on preferences just a \u2018minor detail\u2019?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cLet’s clear this up once and for all: before we say yes, we want to draft the text of the amendment together \u2013 an amendment which, amongst other things, will introduce the system of fixed-list candidates. As for me, I\u2019ve always been elected on the basis of the preferences and I don\u2019t see any major problems.\u201d<\/p>\n Will Vannacci be part of the coalition or outside it in 2027?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt is right to clarify matters here as well: he was the deputy secretary of a centre-right party; he left, and now his former supporters are voting for Schlein, Bonelli and Fratoianni. Given their policies and track records, it is unlikely there will be an electoral alliance: do we even know what he thinks about the economy? About education? About healthcare? Well, simply dressing up as Julius Caesar is not enough to claim, \u2018I am capable of governing Italy\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Will you be open to centrist alliances?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe are in talks with all the centrist parties, but only if they wish to join the centre-right.\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone is looking to the right, but will the next elections always be decided in the centre?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cYes, partly because the centre-left is dead. Perhaps Grillo and Di Battista will even wage a war from the left against the left…\u201d<\/p>\n Are there divisions within Forza Italia?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe discuss these issues because we want to keep growing and increase participation. A leader is not a dictator but someone who can engage others. And it is through such discussion that leaders emerge.\u201d<\/p>\n Minister Tajani, is your name in the running to succeed Mattarella?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cFor now, let\u2019s focus on winning the general election in 2027.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Antonio Tajani is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vice-President of the EPP and Secretary of Forza Italia. Roles that enable him to combine foreign policy with domestic policy. So, how do you manage to balance all these interests without them coming into conflict? \u201cI have no difficulty in taking on all these roles because the […]","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[28],"class_list":["post-201374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviste","tag-ministro"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201374"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":201376,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201374\/revisions\/201376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}