Giorgia Meloni pushes internal policy agenda as criticism rises over her repeated lateness

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has placed domestic policy dossiers at the top of her agenda, directing ministries to screen and advance pending measures before the end of the legislative term. She convened a security meeting with Vice‑Premiers Matteo Salvini and Antonio Tajani, and urged the government to address railway disruptions, terrorism threats and infrastructure sabotage. In the European arena, Italy supported the EU Parliament’s launch of negotiations on a digital euro, while backing a joint Eurobond plan that Spain opposed.

Meloni’s domestic focus has been accompanied by a growing pattern of late arrivals to key events. She arrived 20 minutes late to a parliamentary session in December 2022, citing traffic in Rome, and later appeared last at a NATO summit dinner in Ankara, prompting criticism from fellow politicians and the media. The incidents have been used by opponents to question her punctuality and institutional respect, although the prime minister’s office attributes the delays to logistical challenges.