How populism influences European integration. The Italian case study from the sovereign debt crisis to the Meloni government

In the last decade the issue of how populism has been influencing the process of European integration has attracted growing interest in the field of International Relations given the rise in electoral support for populist parties across Europe and the simultaneous emergence of multiple crises that have been threatening the stability of the EU. Specifically, Italy represents an interesting case study as it is a big founding Member State that has already experienced a couple of populist-led governments that shifted its stance toward the EU. The aim of this research was to analyze and theoretically classify the political phenomenon of populism and to empirically verify whether it influenced the stance of Italy’s most important executives from the outbreak of the sovereign debt crisis to the present day. The research was conducted by drawing on the extensive scientific literature on populism and through semi-structured qualitative interviews with political scientists, historians, economists and members of Italian Parliament from the current legislature. Moreover, specific reference indicators were developed to assess the degree of populism present in the political parties that supported the four governments under consideration, i.e., the Monti, Renzi, Conte I and Meloni cabinets. The results show that, following an initial phase of strong criticism and opposition toward the EU triggered by the rise to power of populist parties, due to a radical shift of variables in the international relations having a significant impact on Italian foreign policy, there has been a partial moderation among some of the populist parties followed by a more positive and cooperative attitude toward Brussels on the part of the government they support.