ECR, in particular, gained 15 seats last evening. 14 of those came from the party of the Italian Prime Minister, Georgia Meloni. She has been a much milder conservative than her election campaign might have suggested, recognizing the degree of cooperation needed with both Brussels and Washington DC in order to consolidate her power. Even so, formally working with the ECR might be a taboo for the mainstream parties. But collaboration on specific policy issues is now possible for the EPP, even if only used as a threat and a negotiation technique in disagreements with the center-left.
