Meloni celebrates record tenure: “Italy is being taken seriously again”
Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
At a glance
Newswire
From a news agency
Context piece
- Giorgia Meloni celebrated her government’s 1,413 days in office, surpassing the record of Silvio Berlusconi’s second government.
- She credited coalition stability with restoring Italy’s influence and defended her government’s migration policies, including return centers in third countries.
- Meloni cited an 83% decline in irregular arrivals in 2026 compared with 2023 and called for reciprocity in trade agreements, including the EU-Mercosur deal.
Giorgia Meloni celebrated a record for her government on Friday, saying Italy had stopped being “the sick man of Europe” and had regained weight and respect on the international stage.
Speaking at a Brothers of Italy event in Bari, Meloni marked 1,413 days in office, surpassing the record held by Silvio Berlusconi’s second government from 2001 to 2005. She presented the longevity of her cabinet and the stability of its coalition as its main strengths.
Today, when Italy sits at the table, everyone knows that this interlocutor will have to be reckoned with for a long time.
“Today, when Italy sits at the table, everyone knows that this interlocutor will have to be reckoned with for a long time,” Meloni said. She argued that stability had protected the country’s ability to make decisions rather than simply respond to them. “Stability has been a shield through which our country is once again taken very seriously. You can afford to say no, determine decisions instead of suffering them, and set the direction instead of adapting,” she said.
Stability has been a shield through which our country is once again taken very seriously. You can afford to say no, determine decisions instead of suffering them, and set the direction instead of adapting.
Meloni used the event to attack Italy’s opposition and international political figures, including Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, while discussing the 2027 elections. She questioned what she called the Sánchez model after Ceuta, as well as positions on “woke” politics, political correctness and gender ideology.
On migration, Meloni said positions once labeled extremist had entered European rules after measures allowing return centers in non-EU countries, following Italy’s model in Albania. She cited an 83% drop in irregular arrivals in 2026 compared with 2023, while acknowledging that the situation was not resolved. “There is much to do, but today we have instruments that did not exist yesterday. The phase is beginning in which those instruments can be applied and produce results,” she said.
There is much to do, but today we have instruments that did not exist yesterday. The phase is beginning in which those instruments can be applied and produce results.
She also defended trade policies and protections for the primary sector, particularly in relation to the European Union-Mercosur agreement. “We have managed to impose the principle of reciprocity: whoever sells in Europe must comply with the same rules. As long as we are here, every trade agreement must defend our products: that is the condition for Italy to say yes,” Meloni said.
We have managed to impose the principle of reciprocity: whoever sells in Europe must comply with the same rules. As long as we are here, every trade agreement must defend our products: that is the condition for Italy to say yes.
About this summary
Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
More Stories
From Our Blog
News in Translation: What Gets Lost, and How We Keep the Framing
Diaspora Media: How Communities Abroad Follow Home
Traveling Where the Press Is Not Free: How to Read the News There
The Digital Nomad's Guide to Local News
The Same Story, Different Countries: How Coverage Changes at the Border
