Italy will support proposal to use frozen assets of aggressor country of russia, but only on condition that this is done on solid legal basisThe corresponding

BRUSSELS (AP) — Italy signaled on Wednesday that it might not support a massive transatlantic free trade deal between the European Union and South American countries, casting further doubt on the agreement as European leaders gather for a summit in Brussels and farmers enraged by the trade pact descend on the capital.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Wednesday she was not ready to back a trade agreement between the European Union and the South American trade bloc Mercosur, dealing a blow to hopes of finalising the deal in the coming days.

Step aside, Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán. Sit down, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever. There’s a new chief villain at the EU’s end-of-year office party.

Meloni’s allies inside the EU are hoping she remains one as a high-stakes summit on Thursday looms. Europe’s leaders are wrestling with two crucial decisions to which the enigmatic Italian premier holds a casting vote: the financial viability of Ukraine and the future of EU trade policy.

A national strike by Italy's largest trade union to protest against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's 2026 budget brought thousands onto the streets on Friday and disrupted trains, schools and other public services across the country.

NEWS ANALYSIS. The Italian prime minister uses France's current difficulties in her speeches to highlight the successes of her own policies, positioning herself as a model for a segment of France's far right.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party has been accused by critics of promoting tax evasion with its plan to double the legal limit for cash payments to €10,000.

Giorgia Meloni cast US President Donald Trump’s new national security strategy as a wake-up call for Europe, while downplaying tensions within her government and reaffirming Italy’s support for Ukraine.

An amendment to Italy's upcoming budget law proposes raising the ceiling for cash payments in the country. While some lawmakers are pushing for more 'consumer freedom', others fear the potential effect on tax evasion and criminal activity.

Foreign shareholders of Italy's central bank should not be able to claim rights over the country's gold reserves, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's nationalist party said in an internal document, amid a mounting spat between the ruling coalition and the ECB over the matter.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her government is not ready to sign a massive trade agreement with South American countries this week, publicly joining France’s opposition and casting doubt on the pact’s future.