March 13, 2025 (EIRNS)—Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party, FDL, broke the front of unconditional support for Ukraine in the vote at the European Parliament on March 12. FDL MEPs abstained on the resolution, which was seen as more “anti-Trump” than “pro-Ukraine.” According to the business daily Il Sole 24 Ore, this is a “message to Starmer,” the British Prime Minister, who is organizing the U.S.-less front. The Italian Prime Minister has not yet decided whether to join the online meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing” that Starmer organized for March 15.
The Italian government is also cautioning that military expenditures should not go to the detriment of other expenditures (health, pensions, etc.). From an unexpected corner, the Netherlands, the Rearm Europe Plan was rejected in toto. The Dutch House of Representatives voted against the plan, citing financial risks and a lack of clear guidelines, the Volkskrant newspaper reported on March 11.
Dutch lawmakers have warned that the plan lacks a concrete financial framework and could lead to an economic crisis. Despite Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof initially backing von der Leyen, a narrow parliamentary majority—including the Party for Freedom, New Social Contract, and the Farmer-Citizen Movement—rejected the proposal in a vote on March 11. Lawmakers argued that the plan’s reliance on joint EU loans would increase debt burdens for member states and expose them to financial risks. A representative of the New Social Contract noted that, while the party supports Ukraine aid and increased EU military budgets, it is opposed to any form of eurobonds or the expansion of budgetary standards, as proposed by the REARM plan.
