The FI-PD talks are causing concern amongst Meloni’s supporters. Malan’s rejection: “End-of-life care is not in the programme”

It is a fear that, for now, is simmering beneath the surface between Via della Scrofa and Palazzo Chigi. But the dialogue between Forza Italia and the PD on end-of-life issues, reinvigorated by the approval of regional legislation in Veneto, has set off some alarm bells in Giorgia Meloni’s camp. Beyond the celebrations marking the longest-serving government in history, there is no shortage of concerns: there is the ever-present Roberto Vannacci, for example, and an issue such as end-of-life care can cause unrest where positions differ. Furthermore, a fierce battle is underway within the Lega against Matteo Salvini, which adds further uncertainties.

Against this backdrop, there is scope for potential cooperation between the PD, the other opposition parties and FI. Tajani’s party intends, as Stefania Craxi explained, to request that the end-of-life bill be placed on the agenda as soon as possible. At the next group leaders’ meeting, even with the support of the PD. What will FdI do? “We are currently focused on electoral reform,” states Lucio Malan, FdI’s group leader in the Senate. “But our position on end-of-life legislation has not changed.” They would gladly do without this bill. As for Veneto, where FdI voted against the end-of-life bill, Malan says: “It seems to me that this is not one of the regional matters provided for by the Constitution.” And yet Parliament will have to deal with it, sooner or later. And it could do so by shaking up the political alignments, with (more or less unexpected) alliances. “FI wants a law on end-of-life issues. The PD wants its own law. We do not rule out that it might be possible, but we certainly are not the ones who want to push for it or speed things up. Beyond that, it is an issue that does not form part of the coalition’s programme,” Malan finally warns, explaining that the debate concerns “parliamentary dynamics”. But that is precisely where the pitfalls for the governing right might lie, not least because even on the Melonellum not all viewpoints are aligned, and with a budget bill – the last one before the elections – that will provide further material for debate. And division. On the other hand, the cool reception from Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini towards the Melonellum rally in Bari is a signal that cannot be underestimated in Via della Scrofa.