The discreet charm of the nationalists
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is travelling to Rome today, an appointment that in the past, under other circumstances, would have been an unspectacular courtesy visit to an EU member state. But since the post-fascist Giorgia Meloni, who used to make no secret of her "disgust" of Germany, has been in power there, a trip to Rome has become highly political. Is it even allowed to visit this aggressive nationalist, who has moderated her tone since taking office, but then, according to critics, "Orbanizes" her country a little more discreetly, i.e. undermines Italian democracy, like Viktor Orbán undermines that of Hungary?
Other EU heads of government may be reluctant to postpone their inaugural visit; the German Chancellor, on the other hand, received Giorgia Meloni at the Chancellery in the spring. "Scholz must not fall for Meloni during his visit today," warns our Italy correspondent Frank Hornig in today's editorial on Scholz's visit. "There he meets a politician with two faces: outwardly friendly and obliging, inwardly aggressive." Nevertheless, Frank thinks the visit is right: "Integrating instead of excluding, reconciling instead of dividing – for the time being, this is the more sensible strategy for dealing with Italy."
I will accompany the Chancellor on his trip today, meet Mr Hornig in Rome and make sure that there continues to be a friendly and binding relationship between SPIEGEL's foreign affairs department and the capital city office, and we will report together for our esteemed readership.
Scholz meets Meloni: Visiting post-fascists
Last hurdle for the right of asylum
The timing of today's Chancellor's visit to Italy is also delicate because perhaps the most important political decision of the EU this year is pending in Luxembourg at the same time: the adoption of a new asylum compromise. The EU interior ministers could decide today in Luxembourg whether, for example, asylum procedures for people from comparatively safe countries of origin should take place at the EU's external borders in the future.
Italy, ruled by Meloni, naturally plays an important role as the "first country of entry", where many refugees set foot on European soil for the first time. The other states, according to the concept, should either take people from Italy in the future, or pay a compensatory sum.
According to information from our SPIEGEL colleagues, a majority in favour of the project is on the brink. In order to facilitate the agreement, Germany has even waived central demands, such as exceptions for minors. In addition to Poland and Hungary, at least three other countries are strictly against the reform, according to diplomats, and seven others have serious concerns.
It seems clear that if Germany, represented by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, were to abstain from the vote, its failure would be almost impossible to prevent. And then Germany would face a really hot autumn in view of the state elections in Bavaria and Hesse. And in Hesse, Faeser herself is running for the top of the government, so in Luxembourg her political future is also being negotiated indirectly.
For the Greens, on the other hand, the asylum deal has already caused great internal anger. However, its Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, whose house had insisted on exemptions for minors, is just really far away from Luxembourg: Yesterday she was in Brazil (topic: Ukraine war, shortage of skilled workers), today she travels to Colombia (feminist peace policy), and after a visit to Panama she goes directly to the Protestant Church Congress, where she may not have had an optimal night's sleep with former German President Joachim Gauck about foreign policy action at the turn of the century will discuss.
Showdown with the interior ministers: That's why the EU asylum deal could still fall through
More bureaucracy for more ethics
There is a lot going on today in the EU in general and Luxembourg in particular: the EU Commission is expected to present its plans for a new ethics authority. This is intended to prevent corruption and influence by foreign states, for example on the EU Parliament, or to identify and eliminate possible conflicts of interest of EU commissioners at an early stage.
The older ones remember: Half a year ago, the corruption scandal involving MEPs who had accepted bribes from Morocco and Qatar became known. Would an ethics authority have prevented this? It might be more expedient to follow the press conference of NGOs such as LobbyControl and Transparency International in Berlin today. They take stock of how well or badly the European institutions have dealt with their own scandal.
In Luxembourg, meanwhile, today is one of those days when the press office of the European Court of Justice floods the inboxes of Europe's legal policy correspondents with information on the latest decisions. When I was still responsible for these topics – it was a long time ago, but the memory feels fresh because I haven't unsubscribed from the messages to this day – I always dreaded looking through this jumble of the many unspectacular messages to the occasional bangers.
Today, the topic of Corona and travel, which is particularly close to the citizens, is discussed several times. One case involved an Austrian couple whose flight from Mauritius to their home country with Austrian Airlines had been cancelled at the beginning of the pandemic. They therefore flew back in a plane booked by their Viennese government – also Austrian Airlines, same day, presumably exactly the connection they had booked, only they had to pay for a ticket again. I wonder if many people felt that way? In any case, it doesn't sound fair. Now you just have to find the press release today...
After Qatar corruption scandal: "Moroccogate" in the EU Parliament
Click here for the current daily quiz
Today's starting question: "Brussels is wrong, the toll is coming, justice is winning." Who said that?
Winner of the day...
... For me, these are my colleagues at SPIEGEL TV. You've just released an hour-long documentary about the Rammo clan that packs a punch. It is a reconstruction of the spectacular burglary of the Green Vault in Dresden and the theft of priceless jewels such as the Saxon Treasury. The one-hour film is also a moral portrait of the extended families behind the coup.
The colleagues, especially the robust Thomas Heise, impress me again and again with their tenacity and nerves, for example when they interview clan patriarch Issa Rammo, or approach a group of a dozen clan rulers who are picking up one of their people from custody. "Well, what's it like to be free again?" the colleagues cheerfully call out to the clan types. At best, they are only wildly insulted, but sometimes one of the musclemen rushes threateningly towards them.
The result is a film that is entertaining, informative and crass in the best sense of the word.
SPIEGEL TV on the Rammo clan: A criminal dynasty
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At the next wedding, we leave the children at home: There are places and occasions where children are simply out of place. Swinger clubs, for example, or weddings. Unfortunately for me, society just hasn't understood this yet.
I wish you a good start to the day.
Melanie Amann, Member of the Editor-in-Chief