Chiara Albanese

Nationalist parties in France and Italy set to join new group Orban announced alliance plan as Hungary assumed EU presidency

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s nascent European Union alliance got a boost of influence Monday, with two major far—right parties — led by France’s Marine Le Pen and Italy’s Matteo Salvini — planning to join it.

A spokesman for the Hungarian leader, Zoltan Kovacs, announced the moves by Le Pen and Salvini in posts on X Monday, where he said the new grouping

Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure, Matteo Salvini (L) and France's Far-right Rassemblement National (RN) National Assembly parliamentary group President Marine Le Pen react during the annual rally of the Italian far-right League (Lega) party in Pontida, northern Italy on Sept. 17, 2023. (Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

Giorgia Meloni 's lawmakers in Brussels voted against the reappointment of Ursula von der Leyen as the president of the European Commission, highlighting tensions between the Italian prime minister and European Union institutions.

The Italian government is considering restrictions on French retailer Fnac Darty SA 's offer for one of the country's largest electronics chains over concerns about sensitive data on millions of customers, people familiar with the matter said.

The Italian government is considering restrictions on French retailer Fnac Darty SA’s offer for one of the country’s largest electronics chains over concerns about sensitive data on millions of customers, people familiar with the matter said.

Italian government officials are growing frustrated at Germany’s opposition to a potential takeover of Commerzbank AG by Milan-based UniCredit Spa, threatening to disrupt the delicate diplomatic relations between Berlin and Rome.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is preparing to sell as much as 15% of Poste Italiane SpA as part of a privatization drive aimed at cutting the country’s mammoth debt, according to people familiar with the matter.

(Bloomberg) -- Italy plans to raise taxes on the companies that benefitted most from the economic turbulence of recent years in order to help bring down the country's budget deficit, Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said.