Editorial: El Mundo

• The Rome summit between German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has led to a new political axis within the EU.
• The two simultaneous challenges defining this historic moment are the military threat from Russia and the strategic, economic, and political pressure from Donald Trump's United States.
• The Protocol signed in Rome declares that Russia is a «direct threat» to the EU and that the war against Ukraine is an attack on its security architecture.
• It is necessary to strengthen the European pillar of NATO and for the Union to take charge of its own defense.
• It is essential for Europe to strengthen its economic base for the military and strategic effort to be viable.
• Meloni and Merz share an agenda that combines defense, migration control, and competitiveness.
• Meloni's relationship with Trump adds a geopolitical dimension to the coordination between Rome and Berlin.

Conclusion: The purpose of this new political axis is to prevent Europe from being caught between an aggressive Russia and a transactional US, seeking to balance the threats and strategic, economic, and political pressures it faces.

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