Italy’s commissioner listening to: Raffaele Fitto on cohesion and reforms — stay updates

Keep your moccasins on and the espresso on the prepared as a result of issues are about to get awfully Italian in Brussels.

Giorgia Meloni’s man, Raffaele Fitto, hits the auditorium to defend his experience and diplomatic credentials whereas being thought-about for an government vice chairman position overseeing some €400 billion in funding for poorer areas.

And issues might get firey. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has already let it’s identified she needs the distribution of those so-called “cohesion funds” — which apply to varied sectors together with transport and agriculture — to be subjected to conditionality, one thing that’s already upset everybody from Polish farmers to Greek laborers.

There might be Italian political drama too. Fitto hails from the right-wing Brothers of Italy which vocally opposed von der Leyen’s reappointment as president, a indisputable fact that enraged the pan-European Socialists and Democrats grouping. Many fear concerning the party’s fascist leanings, regardless that Fitto himself is taken into account a average. Whether party politics or Italian patriotism prevails would be the query on the day.

We’ll be bringing you all of the stay motion from 9 a.m. CET on Nov. 12. 

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PS. If you wish to observe extra of the motion from the hearings, our reporters can be bringing you blow-by-blow updates from all 26 commissioner interviews right here.