Domestic Policy
Migrants: The Ministry of the Interior is preparing to reactivate the Gjader center in Albania by spring to detain asylum seekers from countries deemed safe, thanks to new EU regulations that facilitate accelerated border procedures and repatriations. Justice Minister Carlo Nordio described the new regulatory framework as a decisive step toward a definitive solution on border procedures. Meanwhile, the Migrantes Foundation criticized the “Albania model,” calling it marginal to democracy.
Atreju: At Atreju, Minister Eugenia Roccella and other members of Brothers of Italy claimed Pier Paolo Pasolini and Yukio Mishima as cross-cutting cultural figures outside conventional frameworks, criticizing the left’s alleged cultural hegemony. Roccella emphasized Pasolini’s role in the fight for civil rights and criticized the LGBTQ community’s conformity in treating him as an icon. Federico Mollicone and Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli announced an exhibition on the two authors, highlighting their creative freedom.
Foreign Policy
Zelensky in Rome: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met at Palazzo Chigi to discuss coordination between Europe and the United States ahead of peace negotiations. Zelensky has prepared a 20-point counter-plan, maintaining firm positions on the territorial issue of Donbas, and reiterated that any failure of talks should be blamed on Moscow. Meloni assured Italy’s support, including militarily and energetically, while Kyiv urges continued aid and the use of frozen Russian assets. Later that day, the Ukrainian president also met Pope Leo XIV at Castel Gandolfo, in a warm conversation focused on seeking a “just, lasting, and authentic” peace.
Trump: Donald Trump has issued Volodymyr Zelensky a new ultimatum of just a few days to accept the American peace plan, which includes territorial concessions deemed unacceptable by Kyiv, placing strong pressure on European allies. Zelensky, returning from meetings in EU capitals, is preparing a response and is open to the possibility of early elections despite martial law, responding to requests from both Washington and Moscow. In a particularly harsh interview with Politico, Trump accused European leaders of weakness, described Ukraine as struggling, and openly criticized the current management of the conflict.
Economy and Finance
Confesercenti: According to Confesercenti, between 2007 and 2024, real wages and incomes have decreased by €4,000 due to inflation and contractual dumping, which drains €1.5 billion annually from the economic system. President Sergio Mattarella, addressing the Assembly with a message, strongly reaffirmed the centrality of workers, small businesses, and self-employed individuals, insisting that wages and incomes must align with the guarantees provided by the Constitution.
Bankitalia: Bank of Italy Governor Fabio Panetta warned that the global monetary system is entering an unprecedented phase, marked by the gradual weakening of the dollar’s dominance and the rise of digital infrastructures, including stablecoins, which remain vulnerable without public institutional backing. Meanwhile, attention turns to the face-to-face meeting between Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti and European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde at the Eurogroup, aimed at clarifying the ECB’s concerns regarding the Brothers of Italy amendment reaffirming Italian ownership of gold reserves.