Italy’s EU partners vigilant as far right set to take power

By LORNE COOK and COLLEEN BARRY
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — Italy’s European Union partners are signaling discomfort and vigilance after one of the bloc’s founding members swung far to the political right. The result of Italy’s latest election raises troubling questions about whether Rome will maintain its commitments to EU principles, laws and ambitions. The French prime minister on Monday said that France, along with EU officials, would be watching closely to ensure that basic human rights — along with access to abortion — are guaranteed in Italy after Giorgia Meloni’s neo-fascist far-right Brothers of Italy Party topped the vote count in Sunday’s parliamentary election.