Vannacci's EU Broadside at Cernobbio Draws Monti's 'Fascist Rhetoric' Rebuke
At Cernobbio, Italy's Roberto Vannacci urged the EU to halt integration and defend cultural identity, drawing sharp rebukes from Mario Monti.
Italy's political fault lines over Europe's future were on full display at the annual TEHA Ambrosetti business conference in Cernobbio on Saturday, where rising far-right leader Roberto Vannacci made his debut with a sharp critique of the European Union.
Vannacci, a former general whose Futuro Nazionale party has become Italy's fourth-most-popular force within seven months of its launch, told the gathering of managers and entrepreneurs that the EU should abandon further political integration. Instead, he argued, the 27-nation bloc should become "a platform of collaboration, not coercion," focusing on cutting red tape and defending its "culture and civilisation."
The remarks drew an immediate response from former Prime Minister Mario Monti, who warned against what he called "fascist rhetoric." Monti, who led Italy during the 2011-12 debt crisis and served twice as an EU Commissioner, said he was "terrified" by the prospect of Vannacci's party stoking public dissatisfaction and resentment in the manner of wartime dictator Benito Mussolini. "Old as I am, if this were to pass I'd devote what's left of my life to stopping it," he said.
Vannacci positioned right-wing forces as Europe's future, pointing to upcoming elections in eastern Germany where the Alternative for Germany party hopes to win power for the first time, and citing the strength of France's Rassemblement National. French RN leader Jordan Bardella, also speaking at the conference, called for "changing everything without destroying anything" in the EU to build "a Europe of growth and a Europe of borders."
Vannacci's platform includes abolishing Italy's same-sex civil unions and expelling immigrants who fail to assimilate "the values of our civilisation." His rise is siphoning support from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition as she seeks a new mandate in elections expected next year.
Audience reaction was divided. Speed-skater Arianna Fontana, Italy's most decorated Olympian, said she was "almost moved to tears" by Monti's conclusion, while construction lobbyist Achille Colombo Clerici backed Vannacci, saying "many of the things the General said are true." Vannacci's speech drew polite applause, with warmer appreciation reserved for Monti's remarks.