Raffaele Fitto grapples with EU regional funding – live updates – POLITICO

Keep your moccasins and espresso handy because things are about to get awfully Italian in Brussels.

from Giorgia Meloni manRaffaele Fitto, comes to the auditorium to defend his expertise and diplomatic credentials as he is being considered for a role as executive vice-president, overseeing around €400 billion in funding for poorer regions.

And things could catch fire. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen already made known she wants the distribution of these so-called “cohesion funds” — which apply to various sectors, including transport and agriculture — to be subject to conditionality, which is already bothering everyone from Polish farmers to Greek workers.

It could also be Italian political drama. Fitto hails from the right-wing Brotherhood of Italy, which has vocally opposed von der Leyen’s reappointment as president, angering the pan-European. Socialists and Democrats grouping. Many worry about the party’s fascist leanings, even though Fitto himself is considered a moderate. Either party politics or Italian patriotism SUPERSEDE will be the question of the day.

We’ll be bringing you all the action live from 9:00 CET on November 12.

Background reading:

P.S. If you want to follow more action from the hearings, our reporters will bring you blow-by-blow updates from all 26 commissioner interviews here.