https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9126-4383
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ABSTRACT
Concerned about reassuring its European and transatlantic allies, during 2023 the Meloni government pursued a foreign policy aimed at showing consistency of intent and reaffirming Italy’s international role. In particular, the government has focused its efforts on redefining relations with the European Union, the United States, the wider Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific – while interfacing with the Russian-Ukrainian and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. Migration and energy have been guiding themes for the executive’s conduct on the international scene, particularly in the Mediterranean region. Overall, the foreign policy of the Meloni government has developed in substantial continuity with that of Mario Draghi; what characterises it, however, is a marked pragmatism, an emphasis on a rediscovered national pride, as well as the risks of overstretch and personalisation of political conduct around the role of the Prime Minister.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. J. Foot, ‘Giorgia Meloni May Be No Fascist: But She Evokes Grim Memories of Italy’s Past’, The Guardian, 14 August 2022; C. Gijs, ‘Europe’s Right Wing Cheers Meloni’s Win in Italy, as Others Look on Nervously’, https://www.politico.eu, 26 September 2022; E. Jozsef Elections italiennes: avec Giorgia Meloni, le postfascisme au pouvoir, Liberation, 26 September 2022.
2. ‘Italy’s Meloni Tries to Distance Herself from Fascism’, Deutsche Welle, 25 October 2022; A. Tidey, ‘Italy PM Giorgia Meloni Hails «Frank, Positive» Exchange with EU Leaders in First Brussels Trip’, https://www.euronews.com, 3 November 2022.
3. ‘Da «fuori dall’euro» agli «usurai dell’Ue»: tutti gli attacchi di Meloni a Bruxelles’, la Repubblica, 15 December 2022.
4. A. Gagliardi, ‘La Lega assente dalle celebrazioni lancia un referendum per uscire dalla Ue’, Il Sole-24 Ore, 22 March 2022.
5. On the pragmatism of the Meloni government and for a review of its foreign-policy priorities, see Nelli Feroci and Goretti (Citation2024).
6. ‘Meloni a Bruxelles: «Non siamo marziani, qui per smontare una narrativa contro di me»’, Huffington Post, 3 November 2022.
7. Consiglio europeo del 14–15 dicembre, le Comunicazioni del presidente Meloni alla Camera, https://www.governo.it/it/articolo/consiglio-europeo-del-14–15-dicembre-comunicazioni-del-presidente-meloni-alla-camera/24561, 12 December 2023.
8. E. Bonini, ‘Meloni a Bruxelles: «Non siamo marziani, volevo dare un segnale»’, https://www.eunews.it/2022/11/03/meloni-a-bruxelles-non-siamo-marziani/, 3 November 2022.
9. ‘Meloni incontra i vertici Ue: l’Italia vuole difendere gli interessi nazionali in Europa’, Il Sole-24 Ore, 3 November 2022.
10. As well as on provisions (such as tight restrictions on NGOs and their operations) designed to show resolve and divert attention from the impracticality of ‘closure’ promises on migration [… and on] measures aimed at limiting reception guarantees and integration efforts, so as to discourage migrants from remaining in the country’ [Ceccorulli Citation2023b, 10].
11. F. Basso, Corriere della Sera, 17 April 2023; J. Borrell, Migration Is a Key Element of Our Foreign Policy, https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/migration-key-element-our-foreign-policy_en, 7 February 2023; A. Kaval, EU’s von der Leyen Unveils «a European Response» to Migration Crisis, in «Le Monde», 18 September 2023; J. Liboreiro, Von der Leyen and Michel Praise New EU Deal on Migration While Viktor Orbán Calls It «Unacceptable» , https://www.euronews.com, 9 June 2023.
12. F. Basso and M. Galluzzo, ‘Migrants, the steps forward of the EU. Anger of Poland and Hungary’, Corriere della Sera, 7 October 2023.
13. Amnesty International, Accordo sul Patto Ue migrazione e asilo: un’ondata di sofferenza alle frontiere, https://www.amnesty.it/accordo-sul-patto-ue-migrazione-e-asilounondata-di-sofferenza-alle-frontiere/, 20 December 2023. The critical position of the Associazione per gli studi giuridici sull’immigrazione (Association for Legal Studies on Immigration, Asgi) is set out at: https://www.asgi.it/patto-ue-migrazione-e-aiuto.
14. L. Scazzieri, ‘What Giorgia Meloni’s Government Means for Europe’, https://www.cer.eu/in-the-press/what-giorgia-meloni%E2%80%99s-government-means-europe, 24 October 2022.
15. L. Castellani (Citation2023), 'One Year of the Meloni Government: A Tortuous but Determined Path Towards Europe', 24 October 2023.
16. G. Mercuri, ‘Migranti, perché Meloni attacca la Germania: i motivi dietro alla lettera al cancelliere Scholz’, Corriere della Sera, 26 September 2023; C. Tito, ‘La lettera di Meloni a Scholz, la premier prigioniera di se stessa’, la Repubblica, 26 September 2023.
18. E. Grazzini, ‘Meloni la trasformista punta al presidenzialismo per conquistare i «pieni poteri», come Orbán in Ungheria’, Micromega, 9 May 2023.
19. P. Baker, ‘Once Wary, Biden Welcomes Italy’s Meloni to the White House’, The New York Times, 27 July 2023.
20. A. Varvelli, ‘The Atlantic Is not Enough: The Italian Government’s Difficult Relations in Europe’, https://ecfr.eu/article/the-atlantic-is-not-enough-the-italian-governments-difficult-relations-in-europe, 3 October 2023.
21. G. Carbone, ‘Italy in Africa: reasons, projects and questions about the possible relaunch’, https://www.ispionline.it/en/publication/italy-in-africa-reasons-projects-and-questions-on-a-possible-relaunch-138265, 13 July 2023.
22. Fonti, in vertice a 6 su migranti intesa su 8 punti azione, https://www.ansa.it, 5 October 2023.
23. Intervento di apertura alla Conferenza internazionale su sviluppo e migrazioni, https://www.governo.it/it/article/interno-di-aperto-alla-conferimento-internazionale-su-sviluppo-e-migrazioni/23260, 23 July 2023.
24. T. Ciriaco, ‘Meloni in Etiopia dimentica la storia e attacca Repubblica: «Il passato coloniale dell’Italia? Non ne abbiamo parlato, qui non c’è il vostro giornale»’, la Repubblica, 15 April 2023; G. Merli, ‘L’ex parlamentare tunisino Karbai: «Da Meloni un progetto neocoloniale con vecchie ricette»’, Il Manifesto, 25 July 2023.
25. For further details on the migration policy of the Meloni government, see Ceccorulli [Citation2023a] and the article by Echeverrìa and Finotelli in this issue.
26. L. Palma, Italy’s New Look , https://warontherocks.com/2023/08/italys-new-look, 17 August 2023.
27. P. di Caro, ‘Tajani: «L’Italia invierà il sistema missilistico Samp-T. Sosterremo l’Ucraina: ora la pace non è possibile»’, Corriere della Sera, 22 January 2023; M. Galluzzo, ‘Gas, ecco i patti con l’Algeria. Meloni: così l’Italia aiuta l’UE’, Corriere della Sera, 24 January 2024.
28. F. Pascale, ‘Meloni: L’Italia può diventare l’hub energetico dell’Europa’, https://www.euractiv.it, 11 October 2023.
29. N.J. Kurmayer, ‘Rome, Berlin Plan Massive Hydrogen Pipeline to Africa’, https://www.euractiv.it, 23 November 2023.
30. Comunicato stampa del Consiglio dei ministri n. 57, https://www.governo.it/it/articolo/comunicato-stampa-del-consiglio-dei-ministri-n-57/24163, 3 November 2023.
31. Emblematically, the Meloni government, on its own initiative, had excluded Russia from the summit of the International Group against Nuclear Proliferation, held in Rome in October 2022.
32. M. Serafini, ‘Urso a Kiev, incontro con Zelensky. Dieci progetti per la ricostruzione’, Corriere della Sera, 13 January 2023. Meloni had visited Kyiv on 20–23 February 2023 and had met Zelensky a few weeks earlier, on the margins of an EU summit.
33. A. Logroscino, ‘La ricetta di Berlusconi per far trattare Kiev’, Corriere della Sera, 31 October 2023.
34. M. Guerzoni, ‘Da Bruxelles a Washington – gli «alleati» in soccorso di Meloni’, Corriere della Sera, 14 February 2023.
35. R. Frignani, ‘L’ammiraglio Cavo Dragone: «Il fronte ucraino ora è in stallo, occorre rilanciare il negoziato»’, Corriere della Sera, 4 November 2022.
36. M. Guerzoni, ‘Crosetto: «Israele? L’intera area è instabile, la Russia potrebbe inserirsi. Aiuti a Kiev? Non infiniti»’, Corriere della Sera-Roma, 8 October 2023.
37. P. di Caro, ‘Tajani:«Israele, va sventata un’escalation dagli effetti incalcolabili. Serve la mediazione araba»’, Corriere della Sera, 9 October 2023.
38. O. Lanzavecchia, Marco Polo, Step Aside: Italy Cools on China, Center for European Policy Analysis, 14 July 2023.
39. M. Galluzzo, ‘Meloni in India e l’asse con Modi’, Corriere della Sera, 3 March 2023.
40. Tajani «Cina ci deve aiutare a raggiungere la pace», Rome, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, https://www.esteri.it/it/sala_stampa/archivionotizie/comunicati/2023/02/tajani-cina-ci-deve-aiutare-a-raggiungere-la-pace/, 16 February 2023.
41. D. Sacks, Why Is Italy Withdrawing from China’s Belt and Road Initiative?, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), 3 August 2023.
42. J. Rankin, ‘Macron Sparks Anger by Saying Europe Shouldn’t Be «Vassal» in US-China Clash’, The Guardian, 10 April 2023.
43. Italy is no stranger to overstretching in Asia following the lead of its major ally, or to seeking greater international prestige. A recent example was the decision to send a contingent of Alpine troops on a mission to East Timor, in 1999–2000.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Nicolò Fasola
Nicolò Fasola is Research Fellow in International Relations in the Department of Political and Social Sciences, where he teaches IR theory and China-Russia relations. He is also academic tutor for the MA programme in East European & Eurasian Studies. His areas of interest are: Russia’s foreign policy and military thought; NATO’s defence policy and partnerships; as well as security sector reform, with a particular concern for doctrinal frameworks. Prior to joining UNIBO, Nicolò was doctoral researcher at the University of Birmingham, adjunct lecturer at the University of Salford, visiting researcher at Saint Petersburg State University and Friedrich-Schiller University Jena, as well as Eisenhower Fellow at the NATO Defense College (NDC). He also served with the Italian Embassy in Estonia and NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). Nicolò is frequently interviewed by national and international media for his comments on the ongoing Ukraine war. He has appeared in TIME, Newsweek, France 24, and Il Sole 24 Ore – among others.
Sonia Lucarelli
Sonia Lucarelli is a Professor at the University of Bologna, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Forum on the Problems of Peace and War and of the Institute of International Affairs. She overseas, on behalf of the University of Bologna, implementation of the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Bologna and NATO Allied Command Transformation, and is the University’s representative in the Consortium Europaeum. Lucarelli has been Resident Member of the Bologna Institute for Advanced Studies, and Jean Monnet Fellow at the European University Institute. Her areas of expertise include EU foreign policy and the EU’s external profile, European security, NATO, European identity and Foreign Policy, Migration and Global Justice. She is Team Leader in the project GLOBUS:Reconsidering European Contributions to Global Justice (Horizon 2020); and was Lead Scientist in the NATO-funded project PREDICT; in the GARNET Network of Excellence (EU VI FP) and in the Research project, EU-GRASP (EU VII FP). She has also received grants for individual research form NATO, the Volkswagen Stiftung, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and IAI. Her latest book is Cala il sipario sull’ordine liberale? Crisi di un sistema che ha cambiato il mondo (2020).