Raffaele Fitto Rimini Meeting
Raffaele Fitto, from Puglia to the European Commission: who is the future bridge between the Government and the EU
Perhaps not even Giorgia Meloni could imagine that the choice of Italian commissioner was one of the most troubled and considered choices of these almost two years in government of the country. But on the other hand, perhaps never before has the stakes been so high. And the Prime Minister wanted to play her game without excessive compromises right from the start. First by abstaining in a very tense European Council on the choice catapulted from above to nominate von der Leyen for the presidency again and then by making her vote against her troops in Parliament. Then a slow and patient game of mending, without ever losing sight of what was the main objective, that is to ensure that a large country like Italy plays its rightful role. Now the die is cast and the Prime Minister is convinced, in her heart, that she played her game well. The name is there and it is one of the weighty ones, and consequently, necessarily, the delegations granted must also be there. On the other hand, the choice of Raffaele Fittothe super minister who, up to now, has masterfully led a very complicated game like that of the PNRR, is the one hoped for, right from the start, also by the President of the Commission herself, as well as being the most natural and obvious.
And how could it be otherwise, considering that especially when it comes to European issues, perhaps no one knows better than the minister from Puglia, born in Maglie on 28 August 1969, the mechanisms and in some cases the byzantinisms of European politics. In almost ten years as a member of the European Parliament he has managed to gain the esteem and respect of allies and opposition. And it is precisely this experience and authority that has had a decisive weight in the negotiations with the Commission, to remodel the recovery and resilience plan. His long political career certifies how the politician from Puglia is perhaps one of the few old-school politicians (and of the school of his father) left on the scene, a true thoroughbred one could define him, unlike too many dwarfs and dancers who have followed one another in these years of populism and show politics.
Yet, Fitto, that Born into a bourgeois family from Puglia, as a teenager he certainly did not seem oriented towards a brilliant political career. He is a somewhat reckless boy (a fate that who knows why often seems to unite many great men) in the early 80s that seem to be a poorly done and faded refrain of the unforgettable 60s. He likes football, motorbikes and beautiful girls, a little less school (and who would have ever said that from a top of the class as he is now considered). Perhaps he seemed destined for a completely different professional life than the public one, perhaps a lawyer who knows. But fate has put him in front of one of those moments, in which past and future meet and form a sort of watershed in life. On August 29, 1988 (one day after he turned nineteen) beloved father Salvatore, dies tragically in a car accident, on the Taranto Brindisi highway, after having been at a commemoration, in his capacity as president of the Puglia Region. On the day of the funeral in the presence of five ministers, he himself went up to the altar (paraphrasing Manzoni, one could follow that charisma is like courage, if you don’t have it, you can’t give it to yourself). He took the microphone and thanked everyone. An unexpected, spontaneous gesture. “Until an hour ago we were destroyed. But when we left the house and saw so many people, we immediately recovered. You gave us strength: dad will continue to live in our and your hearts” words that showed, already at that age, how his destiny had taken a path that was unexpected until then. He became the youngest president of Puglia at just 31 years old (while at 21 he was elected regional councilor), deputy, then minister, MEP and minister again. A somewhat introverted and shy character (even if those who know him well define him as very nice), the complete opposite of his father so jovial and open, like his two brothers, Felice and Carmela.
He has also shown his stern nature in cases of more bitter disputes during his career, such as the now historic one with Silvio Berlusconi, which led to the breakup in 2015. As Meloni had no reverential fears in abandoning Berlusconi’s party, with which she had always had a relationship of mutual respect. As if to say that coherence and courage are qualities that the Salento politician certainly does not lack, as well as its current leader, who has a very close relationship with him. The Berlusconi parenthesis closed and after having founded the party of conservatives and reformists together with other Forza Italia defectors, he devoted himself body and soul to strengthening the party of European conservatives, of which he soon became vice president, and which also thanks to him became a weighty group within the European Parliament. In December 2018 joins Brothers of Italy and stands as a candidate for the European elections of 2019, winning over 87,000 votes. In Europe Fitto has excellent relationships at all levels. He is highly appreciated by Manfred Weber, president of the People’s Party, and obviously also has a privileged relationship with Ursula von der Leyen.
Now in Europe, in his new probable role, he could and should act as a real bridge between the European Commission and the Italian government.as also written by the very authoritative magazine Politico, highly listened to in the high spheres of the Belgian capital. His authority, his innate ability to mediate and his great tenacity in achieving objectives, are a real guarantee for Giorgia Meloni and her government. The way in which he managed the very delicate issue of the PNRR made him unassailable, even by those in the opposition, a few months ago, who were asking for his resignation due to manifest incapacity (he has always been a great cash collector, like those who are well aware of their value, as Voltaire said, time is a gentleman). Now if, as it seems, he will really have the delegations on the PNRR and cohesion funds, he will be able and will have to try to put in order a matter such as that of the structural funds which appears less and less homogeneous and effective. Yet, part of the development of some particularly disadvantaged areas (such as our South) depends to a large extent on these funds. According to the latest Cohesion Report, published in 2024, its expenditure represents almost 13% of total public investments in the EU as a whole and 51% in the less developed Member States. Suffice it to say that our country has so far used only 1% of the 42 billion planned for the period 2021-2027 (against 25% of the PNRR).
Not to mention that, based on his experience in the field over the last two years, his analysis of what is working and what is not in the Next Generation EU plans could be very useful. in the various European beneficiaries, with a clear focus on the one to which the largest pie is destined, namely our country. He is the man of great challenges and impossible undertakings, such as when he was appointed assessor for the budget in the regional council from 1995 to 2000 “my math teacher (who had repeatedly sent him back) called me and said: it’s not possible, how did you do it?” Fitto jokes about us. An extraordinary normal man, those who know him well define him, very attached to his land, Maglie, and to his family (his wife Adriana, an “extraordinary woman” and his three children Salvatore, Gabriele, a promising footballer who has just joined the Lazio youth team, and Anna). So extraordinary that, according to some, the real dilemma now for Giorgia Meloni will be how and where to find a worthy replacement for her in Rome.
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