Challenges Faced by Giorgia Meloni: Obstacles and Turning Points

Resilience and perseverance in the journey of Giorgia Meloni. A timeline of obstacles and growth.

Giorgia Meloni is the current Prime Minister of Italy, the first woman to hold the position. She assumed office in October 2022 and leads the third-longest government in the history of the Italian Republic. Meloni has been a member of the Chamber of Deputies since 2006. She has also been the president of the right-wing to far-right party Brothers of Italy (FdI) since 2014 and served as president of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party from 2020 to 2025.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1978: Father abandoned family

In 1978, when Meloni was one year old, her father abandoned the family, moving to the Canary Islands and remarrying.

1993: Opposed the Mancino law

In 1993, Meloni opposed the Mancino law, a hate speech law.

1995: Father convicted of drug trafficking

In 1995, Meloni's father was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to nine years in a Spanish prison.

2013: FdI in the 2013 Italian general election

In 2013, Giorgia Meloni's FdI party won seats in the Italian general election.

2014: Supported lifting sanctions on Russia

Prior to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, in 2014, Meloni supported lifting sanctions on Russia.

2015: Blamed neo-colonialism for the European migrant crisis

In 2015, Meloni blamed neo-colonialism for Africa's underdevelopment and the European migrant crisis.

2016: Meloni Loses Rome Mayoral Election

In 2016, Giorgia Meloni lost the municipal election to become mayor of Rome.

August 2018: Described as having a long history in far-right politics

In August 2018, Friedel Taube wrote in Deutsche Welle describing Giorgia Meloni as having a long history in far-right politics.

2018: FdI in the 2018 Italian general election

In 2018, Giorgia Meloni's FdI party participated in the Italian general election as part of the centre-right coalition. The party secured 4.4% of the vote, increasing their seats compared to 2013. Meloni was elected to the Chamber of Deputies. The election resulted in a hung parliament.

2019: Criticized French rationale for intervention in Libya

In 2019, Meloni criticised the French rationale for the intervention in Libya, stating it was because of Muammar Gaddafi's opposition to the CFA franc.

2020: Declared there is no homophobia in Italy

In 2020, Meloni declared that "there is no homophobia" in Italy, opposing the DDL Zan, an anti-homophobia law.

2021: Denounced Turkey's direction and advocated for EU withdrawal of Ankara's candidate status

In 2021, Meloni stated that her party "denounced the authoritarian, Islamist direction Erdogan's Turkey has taken for years and asked the EU to withdraw Ankara's status as a candidate country".

September 2022: Condemned Russia's annexation of Ukrainian provinces

In September 2022, Meloni stated that Russia's annexation of four partially occupied provinces in southeastern Ukraine has "no legal and political value".

2022: Party Pledged to Review COVID-19 Policies

In 2022, after Giorgia Meloni's party won the Italian general election, they pledged to review the Italian government's COVID-19 pandemic positions and end the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers.

February 2023: Migrant boat sinks off the coast of Calabria

In February 2023, a boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of Steccato di Cutro, near Crotone, Calabria, resulting in at least 86 deaths. Giorgia Meloni expressed sorrow and condemned human traffickers.

March 2023: Calls for resignation after migrant boat sinking

In March 2023, following the migrant boat sinking, Elly Schlein, leader of the Democratic Party, along with other parties, called for the resignation of interior minister Matteo Piantedosi.

May 2023: Severe floods affect Emilia-Romagna

In May 2023, the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy was hit by severe floods, resulting in fatalities and displacement. The damage was estimated to exceed €10 billion. The government approved a €2 billion recovery package.

June 2023: Appointment of Extraordinary Commissioner for the Reconstruction

On 27 June 2023, the Meloni cabinet officially appointed army corps general Francesco Paolo Figliuolo as Extraordinary Commissioner for the Reconstruction, after weeks of tension within the government and between majority and opposition parties, due to the severe floods that affected Emilia-Romagna in May 2023.

September 2023: Addressed migration crisis on Lampedusa and requested EU assistance

In September 2023, after more than 120 boats carrying around 7,000 migrants arrived on Lampedusa within 24 hours, Meloni wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to request her presence on the island and accelerate the agreement with Tunisia.

November 2023: Signed immigration agreement with Albania

In November 2023, Giorgia Meloni and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama signed an immigration agreement allowing Italy to establish migrant management facilities in Albania for at least five years.

November 2023: Council of Ministers approved the "Safety Package"

On 16 November 2023, the Council of Ministers approved the "safety package", later known as the "Safety Bill", which included subjects such as terrorism, scams, cannabis, and illegal occupation of property.

2023: Imposed full arms embargo on Israel

After the 2023 Israeli invasion of Gaza, Meloni reversed her pro-Israel stance and imposed a full arms embargo on Israel.

January 2024: Approval of the bill about "differentiated autonomy" in the Senate

In January 2024, the bill about "differentiated autonomy" was approved in the Senate, it was then approved by the Chamber on 19 June. The law was criticised by the opposition.

June 2024: Meloni Criticizes EU ban on petrol and diesel car sales

In June 2024, Giorgia Meloni criticized the EU ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035. She stated that it would condemn Europe to new strategic dependencies, such as China's electric vehicles.

August 2024: Meloni comments on court case over Italian government's social policy

On 12 August 2024, Meloni characterised as "surrealist" the court case initiated by the European Commission over the Italian government's social policy that favoured Italians over recent non-citizen immigrants.

September 2024: Chamber of Deputies approved the "Safety Bill"

On 18 September 2024, the Chamber of Deputies approved the "Safety Bill", which covered subjects such as terrorism, scams, cannabis, and illegal occupation of property.

October 2024: Condemnation of Israeli attacks on UNIFIL bases in Lebanon

In October 2024, during the Gaza war, Giorgia Meloni condemned Israeli attacks on UNIFIL bases in Lebanon.

October 2024: Senate extends ban on surrogacy

On 16 October 2024, The Senate voted 84-58 in favor of extending a ban on surrogacy to couples who go abroad to avail of the procedure.

December 2024: Italian journalist Cecilia Sala arrested in Tehran

On December 19, 2024, Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was arrested in Tehran and put in solitary confinement in Evin Prison. This became known on December 27. On December 30, Iran's Ministry of Culture confirmed her arrest for "violating the laws of the Islamic Republic".

January 2025: Libyan General Almasri Arrested and Released

On January 19, 2025, Libyan general Osama Elmasry Njeem (Almasri) was arrested near Juventus Stadium in Turin. He was later released on January 21 due to the irregularity of the arrest. After his release, the Libyan military officer was expelled and repatriated to Libya aboard a Falcon 900 aircraft of the Italian intelligence services.

April 2025: Government approves a decree-law based on the previous security bill

On 4 April 2025, the government approved a decree-law that almost entirely follows the previous security bill, which had been sent back to the Chamber due to the lack of financial coverage and doubts raised by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, in order to speed up the approval process.

August 2025: Meloni criticizes Israel's military actions in Gaza

On August 27, 2025, Giorgia Meloni criticized Israel's military actions in Gaza, specifically condemning the killing of five journalists in an airstrike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis as unjustifiable. She stated that the military reaction had gone beyond the principle of proportionality.

September 2025: Meloni Faces Strikes for Gaza Policies

In September 2025, Giorgia Meloni faced large general strikes for her policies towards the Gaza war and in response to Israeli military attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla. Meloni condemned the violence between demonstrators and police forces, referring to the protesters as hooligans.

February 2026: Meloni Condemns Missile Strike on School in Minab, Iran

On February 28, 2026, Giorgia Meloni condemned the missile strike on a school in Minab, Iran, describing the incident as a 'massacre'. She called for accountability for the tragedy, which occurred during U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran.

March 2026: Constitutional Referendum Held on "Nordio Reform"

In March 2026, Giorgia Meloni's government held a constitutional referendum where voters were asked whether they approved a constitutional law, often called the "Nordio Reform", that would amend the Italian Constitution in various aspects. The victory of the "No" side was widely seen as a blow to her government and a boost to opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general election.

March 2026: Called for suspension of EU Emissions Trading System for electricity production

In March 2026, Meloni called for an urgent suspension of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) for electricity production, citing the need to lower soaring energy prices triggered by the crisis in the Middle East.

March 2026: Requested review of EU Emissions Trading System

On 18 March 2026, Meloni and nine other EU member state leaders requested a review of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) in a joint letter to European authorities.

2028: Advocated for gradual phase-out of free quotas starting in 2028

In March 2026, Meloni advocated for a more gradual phase-out of free quotas starting in 2028, citing the need to support European industry, in a joint letter to European authorities.