After meeting Saïed in Tunis Von der Leyen and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered €1 billion (US$1...

Alongside Italy's far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Von der Leyen has courted Saïed with the European Union's cash for migrant control schemes...

Africa was the focus of a three-day G7 summit in Apulia in southern Italy hosted by a buoyant Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni four days after emerging as the biggest winner from the European Parliament elections on 9 June...

Migration and energy deals topped the agenda of Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's flying visit to Tunisia – her fourth in a year – on 17 April...

That was the genesis of negotiations with North African states – Tunisia Mauritania and Egypt – initially marketed by Brussels and EU leaders notably Italy's nationalist Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni purely as 'cash for migrant control' pacts...

Von der Leyen was accompanied by four EU leaders including Giorgia Meloni...

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaking at the 29 January launch of the new Africa initiative launched by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni argued that the destinies and interests of Africa and Europe are more aligned than ever before as she signed a new agreement with the African Investment Bank as part of the €150 billion Global Gateway Africa-Europe investment programme (AC Vol 64 No 2 Grand ambitions little money)...

Talks led by Von der Leyen and the Dutch and Italian Prime Ministers Mark Rutte and Giorgia Meloni (all breaching the EU's rules on negotiations with heads of states on behalf of the bloc) produced a €785 million (US$842m) agreement in July for budget support and investment between the EU and President Kaïs Saïed (AC Vol 64 No 14 Migration cash dominates vote for top EU jobs)...

Neither Borrell nor national governments – with the exception of Italian and Dutch premiers Giorgia Meloni and Mark Rutte – were consulted we hear...