Kanzler Merz und Italiens Ministerpräsidentin Meloni wollen in Europa vorangehen. Bei Verteidigung und Rüstung planen die Länder, enger zusammenzuarbeiten.

Der Kanzler wollte das deutsch-französische Tandem wiederbeleben, doch Frankreichs Präsident ist politisch gelähmt. Da kommen die Regierungskonsultationen in Rom gerade recht.

Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and France’s Marine Le Pen among figures showing support for Hungary’s prime minister

Rightwing leaders from around the world have come together to endorse Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, hinting at the symbolism that the country’s elections hold for global far-right movements even as the populist leader lags in the polls.

A campaign video published online by Orbán this week includes endorsements from nearly a dozen leaders including Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Matteo Salvini, France’s Marine Le Pen and Germany’s Alice Weidel.

Jacques Moretti was detained on Friday, a national day of mourning, because prosecutors considered him a flight risk

Pope Leo also chooses to express a view on the recent events in Venezuela, calling for world governments – I think he means US president Donald Trump in particular – to “respect the will” of the Venezuelan people.

Goes without saying that it’s particularly important coming from the first US pope.

“I wish to repeat my urgent appeal that peaceful political solutions to the current situation should be sought, keeping in mind the common good of the peoples and not the defence of partisan interests.”

“This pertains, in particular to Venezuela. In light of recent developments in this regard, I renew my appeal to respect the will of the Venezuelan people and to safeguard the human and civil rights of all ensuring a future of stability and concord.”

“The Holy See strongly reiterates the pressing need for an immediate ceasefire and for dialogue motivated by a sincere search for ways leading to peace.

I make an urgent appeal to the international community, not to waver in its commitment to pursuing just and lasting solutions that will protect the most vulnerable and restore hope to the afflicted peoples.”

Italien, das Sehnsuchtsland der Deutschen, hat ganz besonders von den Wiederaufbau-Milliarden aus Brüssel profitiert. Aber sie fließen nur noch im Jahr 2026 – und dann?

The prime minister has been lauded for her country’s growing role on the world stage. But poverty and precarity are forcing vast numbers to emigrate

Earlier this month, the gardens of Rome’s Castel Sant’Angelo were filled with families enjoying some unseasonably warm sun by a pop-up ice rink. Teenage couples skated hand in hand, while the watching crowds sipped mulled wine and hot chocolate to a soundtrack of Nat King Cole. At first glance, it looked like a normal Christmas market. The stands, however, revealed a different reality. Among the nativity displays and kitsch decorations were adverts for nationalist newspapers and something called “patriot radio”. On a wall near the kids’ play area, a mural depicted an unlikely cast of characters, tracing a lineage from the fascist poet Gabriele D’Annunzio to the late American Maga influencer Charlie Kirk.

This was the setup I witnessed at this year’s Atreju, Italy’s biggest rightwing festival, which has been running since 1998 as an annual celebration of patriotism and nationalism. During the early editions, proud neo-fascists, including black-hooded thugs from street movements such as CasaPound and Forza Nuova, made up a visible portion of the attenders. At this year’s event, however, the Celtic crosses and odal rune tattoos were tucked under well-ironed shirts. The crowd was made up of nerdy students, gen-Z influencers, civil society campaigners and passersby who had been lured off the street by the glittery lights.

Jamie Mackay is a writer and translator based in Florence

This €90bn agreement won out over a plan to use frozen Russian assets, but has been hailed a ‘huge deal for the EU’

The EU’s failure to agree a “reparations loan” to Ukraine backed by frozen Russian assets was a political blow to the bloc’s big beasts, but the last-gasp alternative it devised will do the job – and marks a potentially significant first.

After a marathon 16 hours of talks, EU leaders early on Friday agreed to fund Ukraine, which risked running out of money by next April, with a much-needed €90bn (£79bn) loan. But the solution they came up with was not the one most had wanted.

Friedrich Merz hat in Brüssel zwar sein wichtigstes Ziel erreicht: die Ukraine finanziell zu retten. Und doch kommt der Sieger dieses EU-Gipfels aus einem anderen Land.

Es hängt an Italien: Ohne Zustimmung aus Rom scheitert der größte Handelsvertrag in der EU-Geschichte. Auf Wunsch von Regierungschefin Meloni verschiebt die Kommission die Unterzeichnung mit den Mercosur-Ländern. Wird das noch was?

Es hängt an Italien: Ohne Zustimmung aus Rom scheitert der größte Handelsvertrag in der EU-Geschichte. Auf Wunsch von Regierungschefin Meloni verschiebt die Kommission die Unterzeichnung mit den Mercosur-Ländern. Wird das noch was?

Italian prime minister’s charity sale may also feature presents from Narendra Modi, Viktor Orbán and Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Passing on unwanted presents might be considered a little discourteous – unless it’s done the right way.

Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, will offload 270 gifts given to her by world leaders during her travels abroad, which could include a chainsaw-wielding statuette of Javier Milei, the Argentinian president, or a pair of blue python skin shoes with gold heels, in a charity auction.

Mit den vielen Milliarden der russischen Zentralbank, die in Belgien festliegen, ließe sich ein Kredit an die Ukraine finanzieren. Diese Woche wird zeigen, ob die EU den historischen Schritt wagt – oder daran scheitert.

Week-long event organised by Brothers of Italy looks like winter wonderland but is chance for PM to flaunt power

When, out of curiosity, Leila Cader and her friends entered the gardens surrounding Castel Sant’Angelo, a prominent Rome monument that once served as a refuge for popes during times of war, they thought they’d chanced upon an enchanting winter wonderland.

With the scent of mulled wine wafting through the air, Santa’s elves wandering around, stalls selling nativity-scene figurines and skaters merrily gliding on an ice-rink, it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Italian cooking added to ‘intangible cultural heritage’ list after campaign by Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government

Unesco has officially recognised Italian cooking as a cultural beacon, an endorsement hailed by the far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, whose government has put the country’s food at the heart of its nationalistic expression of identity.

The announcement, made on Wednesday during the UN cultural body’s assembly in Delhi, means Italian cuisine – from pasta and mozzarella to wine and tiramisu – will be inscribed on the coveted list of “intangible cultural heritage”.

Italiens Ministerpräsidentin sagt dem ukrainischen Präsidenten Wolodimir Selenskij Unterstützung zu – lässt aber entscheidende Punkte weg. Handelt sie im Sinne Trumps?

Parliament delays debate over law defining sex without consent as rape, after comments by far-right deputy PM

Italy’s parliament has delayed a debate over a landmark law that would define sex without consent as rape amid a rift within the ruling coalition.

The measure, the result of a rare pact between the far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and her main political opponent, the centre-left leader, Elly Schlein, passed in the lower house last week and had been expected to get final approval in the senate this week.

Der Verband der Familienunternehmer lädt AfD-Vertreter ein und normalisiert damit eine Partei, die selbst international als extrem gilt. Die Lobbyisten untergraben damit demokratische Prinzipien.

The fragility of France’s cordon sanitaire against Le Pen is part of a worrying wider pattern, as centrist parties seek to revive their fortunes

Earlier this autumn, Giorgia Meloni laid out the strategic path to a new era of nationalist populism across Europe. Addressing a gathering of the French far-right party Identité-Libertés, which is led by Marine Le Pen’s niece, Marion Maréchal, Italy’s prime minister underlined the need to work towards “the unity of the right and the centre-right” adding “I hope that one day this can also happen in France … but that will depend on you.”

Ms Meloni knows of what she speaks. Her Brothers of Italy party, which has a lineage going back to postwar neofascist movements, became hegemonic under her leadership by mounting a reverse takeover of the Italian right. Less than a decade ago, it scored a marginal 4% in a general election. Currently, it stands at 31% in the polls. Forza Italia, the centre-right party founded by Silvio Berlusconi and a coalition partner in Ms Meloni’s government, is at 8%.

Angst vor „Indoktrinierung“ und „Gendertheorien“: An Schulen in Italien soll es Aufklärungsunterricht bald nur noch mit Einverständnis der Eltern geben.