Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has ramped up her criticism of Brussels in recent days, pushing for greater fiscal flexibility as the energy crisis weighs on the Italian economy and the country heads into local elections.
During the general assembly of Confindustria, Italy's main business association, Meloni openly attacked the "current structure" of the European Union on Tuesday.
"A bureaucratic behemoth that has all too often sacrificed competitiveness, growth and strategic vision on the altar of ideological and technocratic approaches, thereby contributing to the continent's gradual economic and geopolitical decline," she said.
The Italian prime minister appeared to double down on her criticism of the EU's excessive red tape, its "unreasonable" approach to the green transition, and its failure to act as a strategic actor in an international setting beset by multiple crises.
Meloni had already made headlines across Europe last week with a letter addressed directly to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, demanding fiscal flexibility to tackle the ongoing energy crisis — similar to that recently granted for defence spending.
