Though Italy’s far-right prime minister presents herself as a “pragmatic and moderate leader,” the ongoing erosion of the rule of law shows how Viktor Orbán’s illiberal playbook has been applied to other EU countries, from Italy to Slovakia. The “Orbanization” of Italy has become a common refrain repeated by the international media as well as members of the European Parliament. Attacks against independent journalists, the political capture of the public TV broadcaster, the identity crusade against the LGBTQIA+ community, not to mention the propaganda on immigration: these are just some of the elements marking the influence of Viktor Orbán’s political strategies on Giorgia Meloni’s tactics.
In 2021, it was Meloni who sabotaged the far-right group project Orbán and Salvini were working to create, causing it to fail. Provoking this failure served her for two reasons: as a negotiating tool for the alliance with the EPP, and to secure leadership in her political field. Following her appointment as prime minister, Meloni at first downplayed her relations with Hungary to gain credibility. This dual strategy represents Meloni’s “Trojan horse tactic,” aimed at occupying the field of both the Europe-wide right and far-right forces.
The divided trajectories of Fidesz and Brothers of Italy belie a set of close connections. Budapest-based think tanks are frequented by Meloni’s entourage, and Orbán’s henchmen often take the stage in Rome. The division of roles between the two––who plays the tactics, who conceives the strategy––is part of a broader common purpose.
Francesca De Benedetti is senior editor at the Italian daily Domani, where she covers European politics. She writes columns for Vanity Fair and Jacobin (USA); her writing on Italian politics has been published by The Independent, Balkan Insight, the International Press Institute, and other international outlets. De Benedetti previously worked as a reporter at la Repubblica and La7tv. She also co-founded the European Focus newsletter, a cross-border editorial production (Balkan Insight, Delfi, Domani, El Confidencial, Gazeta Wyborcza, HVG, Libération, n-ost, Tagesspiegel).
Ivan Krastev, IWM Permanent Fellow, moderated the colloquium discussion.
