Meloni cuts Macron out of engine of Europe

Giorgia Meloni and Friedrich Merz looked more like an odd couple than a power couple when they met in the Roman sunshine to sign a partnership pact.

Don't read my lips

Balding and bespectacled, the 6ft 6in Mr Merz, 70, towered over his 5ft 2in blonde host, who is 49. “Italy and Germany are closer than ever before,” he said.

Ms Meloni, the “post-fascist” single mother from a working-class Rome neighbourhood is an unlikely partner for the former BlackRock executive and grandfather of six, who has two private jets.

“But he is not going to explain to his fellow citizens that it’s a great idea to share debt with the French, who have been unable to balance their books for 50 years. 

Meloni, on the other hand, has done the job on the budget. She has cleaned up her accounts.”

Telegraph 2 February 2026

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/02/meloni-cuts-macron-out-engine-europe/


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