Giorgia Meloni’s Worlds Are About to Collide

Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg’s daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union.

Giorgia Meloni has surprised many in Europe and beyond with her pragmatism, winning over fellow leaders skeptical of her origins in Italy’s hard right. Still basking in the glow of her EU election victory, it’ll be the Italian premier’s moment to shine when she hosts a G-7 summit in Apulia from tomorrow. The question is how long the optimism will last. She faces critical days in her mandate, with the task of repairing the nation’s stretched public finances coming to the forefront as early as next week. Officials at the finance ministry are working on spending cuts or tax hikes to shore up the budget but were under strict orders to say nothing in public about them until after the EU vote, we’re told. Depending on the next steps, Meloni’s relations with her domestic coalition partners or with the EU may suffer. Keeping voters onside could be a tough act, even for her.