The Italian-German initiative has sparked significant divisions within the European Union, underscored by the recent European Council at Alden Biesen where seven EU leaders were notably absent. The summit, organized by German Chancellor Merz and Italian Prime Minister Meloni, focused on critical issues facing the EU but has been marred by controversy due to the significant number of excluded nations. Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Malta were all left out, which drew immediate criticism from these countries.