Friedrich Merz ⇄ Giorgia Meloni ⇄ Bart De Wever — 2026-10-06
Confirmed video call · Tuesday, October 6, 2026.
- Participants: Friedrich Merz, Giorgia Meloni, Bart De Wever
- Venue: Remote call; no shared physical venue implied
- Corroboration: 1 linked source(s); two-sided corroboration is established only when the links represent both offices.
Readouts involving these participants on the same date are grouped in one evidence case unless distinct time or venue evidence supports separate cases. Multiple articles do not by themselves prove multiple meetings.
What the source records
Source-reported video call: Fourth meeting of the informal working group on European competitiveness
In view of the European Council meeting to be held on 15 and 16 October, President of the Council of Ministers Giorgia Meloni, German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever today hosted another video conference meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the informal working group on European competitiveness. In addition to Italy, Germany and Belgium, the video conference was attended by the European Commission, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden. The discussion focused on three issues: energy costs, simplification of EU rules and international trade relations . President Meloni stressed that the next European Council meeting needs to provide clear and concrete policy guidelines, with particular regard to reducing energy costs and safeguarding the competitiveness of European industry. In this context, she highlighted the joint initiative with the Czech Prime Minister, Andrej Babiš, which sets out proposals to reduce costs linked to the ETS, support the most exposed industrial sectors, limit the impact of CO2 costs on electricity prices and further postpone the entry into force of ETS2. The importance of Europe’s refining capacity for energy security was also underscored. With regard to simplification, it was highlighted that unnecessary, disproportionate or counterproductive European obligations need to be eliminated or revised, starting with the forthcoming entry into force of the EU Methane Regulation, which could make it more difficult and more expensive to turn to alternative energy suppliers. As far as international trade relations are concerned, the discussion focused on the need to bolster Europe’s ability to compete on global markets, ensuring a more level playing field and better access to foreign markets for European companies. Lingua Inglese Fonte: Il Presidente del Consiglio Tipologia Contenuto: Notizie Governo: Meloni Immagine nella notizia: Posizione della fotografia nell'articolo: Centrata Italiano
Evidence
["In view of the European Council meeting to be held on 15 and 16 October, President of the Council of Ministers Giorgia Meloni, German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever today hosted another video conference meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the informal working group on European competitiveness"]
Readouts and source records
Outcomes and corrections
Only outcomes explicitly stated by the linked readouts can be reported. This automated dossier does not infer an agreement from the fact a meeting occurred. No independent editorial review is claimed.
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