Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni delivered an impassioned speech on the state of Europe at CPAC on Saturday, asserting that Europe’s identity had been “sacrificed on the altar of wokeness, bureaucracy, and mercantilism.”
Meloni came to the defense of Vice President JD Vance in her speech, who has been heavily critiqued by European elites for his speech regarding censorship and cultural identity at the Munich Security conference last week.
In her address, Meloni declared, “We must say to [the elites] that we will never be ashamed of who we are … we affirm our identity and work to strengthen it.”
“Without a deep-rooted identity, we cannot be great again,” Meloni emphasized.
During her appearance via video at the Conservative Political Action Conference, the prime minister described supporters of mass migration in Europe as part of a “mainstream propaganda machine” that she said falsely predicted Italy’s international isolation.
“We do what we say. We do what is right. We fight for what we believe in. And moreover, we trust people, not fear them.”
Meloni also underscored her perspective on the dangers of so-called “American liberal leftism,” which she argued had been adopted in Europe by a set of “ruling classes and mainstream media.” She maintained that these elites “imported and replicated in the old continent the most reckless theories,” fueling what she sees as a weakening of Europe’s true cultural underpinnings.
Continuing her endorsement of Vance’s position, she reiterated that the vice president had urged European leaders to be clear about “what we are defending” before discussing defense and security matters.
“Vice President Vance was discussing something deeper,” Meloni said, emphasizing “identity, democracy, [and] freedom of speech” as the cornerstone of any Western alliance.
She called on European leaders to show the same level of unity in protecting these foundational values, insisting that “you cannot defend your freedom if you lack the means or the courage to do so.”
Meloni concluded by arguing that greater cooperation is critical, warning against the notion that Europe is “distant or even lost.” Pointing to successes claimed by conservative leadership in various parts of Europe, she maintained that momentum continues to build.
“There is a growing awareness in Europe that security is now the top priority,” she noted, urging leaders to focus on measures that safeguard both Europe’s borders and its cultural identity against what she characterized as external threats and internal ideological pressures.