Bar Italia #6/2025
Ten Sips of Italian Politics. With a Special Thought for My Late Mother.
Welcome to the latest issue of Bar Italia!
Bar Italia is the newsletter for those interested in Italy and Italian politics but looking for a broader, less detailed overview than The Italian Compass. If you’re curious about why this newsletter is titled “Bar Italia” and how it’s structured, I invite you to read the introduction to the inaugural issue.
You might have noticed that I haven’t yet sent the announced piece on Giorgia Meloni’s trip to the White House. I had to postpone it, but you will receive it next week.
This week, I’m writing to you all from Italy—again—as I had to return suddenly to Naples because my late mother, Adele, passed away on April 24 after a long and painful illness. Her condition worsened significantly over the past year, which is why I spent most of my time in Italy over the last twelve months.
I would love to dedicate this piece to her, but I can’t, because:
she didn’t speak English, so she might need a translator wherever she is now; and
she used to complain until the very end that she never really understood what kind of job I do (according to many of my colleagues, a common complain for many Italian parents). Worst of all, for her, she couldn’t explain it to her friends in the neighborhood. (Apparently, in Secondigliano, “think tanker” or “political analyst” isn’t really a viable job option…). Her classic line was: “Ma un bel lavoro in banca no? (that can be translated as: Ah, if only you had gotten a nice job at a bank!)”
So, I’ll just say: Grazie, Mamma, per tutto. And I’m sure she can easily understand that.
Now more than ever, I would genuinely welcome the chance to discuss any of the topics covered in this issue—or anything else you might want to ask on Italian politics in general. Work, at this moment, is really a helpful distraction from the obvious sadness. So please, make use of me! Feel free to reach out via email at info@politicaestera.net.
I hope you find this new issue of Bar Italia interesting!
Dario
Bar Italia - #6
On April 26, 2025, the funeral of Pope Francis was held in the Vatican. From an organizational and logistical standpoint, everything went smoothly. Politically, the now-famous photo of Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky captured much of the public's attention. Rome managed the event—and the influx of world leaders, pilgrims, and devotees—in an exceptional manner, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the national government, security services, the Municipality of Rome, Civil Protection, and others. In one of the many contradictions of this vast, majestic and extraordinary city, Rome may struggle with numerous issues in its day-to-day administration, yet it remains phenomenal when it comes to handling major, extraordinary events.
In a statement for Labor Day, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni highlighted the government’s creation of over one million jobs and record employment levels. Ahead of Labor Day, Meloni also announced that the government will allocate €1.2 billion for workplace safety and claimed that real wages are finally increasing.
Italian Foreign Minister and Forza Italia leader Antonio Tajani was re-elected as Vice President at the Congress of the European People’s Party, receiving 438 votes, making him the second most voted candidate. Tajani has held this position since 2002, proof of his significant and long-standing influence within the party.
On April 29, Prime Minister Meloni welcomed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Rome for the IV Intergovernmental Italy-Türkiye Summit. The two countries signed nine agreements, and they aim aimed boost further bilateral trade, taking it to $40 billion (from $32 billion).
Prime Minister Meloni had to postpone her planned trip to Central Asia due to the death of Pope Francis. The visit originally set for April 25 -27, and now needs to be rescheduled. Meloni planned to visit Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev invited Meloni to Astana to host the first-ever Central Asia–Italy summit. Central Asia is surprisingly at the top of Meloni’s foreign policy agenda.
On April 24, Foreign Minister Tajani visited Egypt and met with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. Italy and Egypt signed several agreements, including a memorandum to establish an Italian-Egyptian employment center aimed at integrating young graduates into local and Italian job markets while addressing labor demands and migration management Tajani also emphasized Italy’s appreciation for the mediation role played by Egypt between Israel and Hamas and for the Arab Plan for the reconstruction of Gaza, underlining the need to reach a new ceasefire as soon as possible. Minister Tajani confirmed Italy’s commitment to the new Lebanese authorities and its support for the UNIFIL mission, and expressed satisfaction for the start of negotiations between the United States and Iran on the nuclear issue.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and MFA Deputy Minister Edmondo Cirielli met General Khalifa Haftar in eastern Libya. The meeting focused on enhancing security cooperation between Libya and Italy. Although Haftar does not hold an official position in Libya, authorities from many countries continue to engage with him directly. The recent trip to Washington by his son, Saddam Haftar, further underscores this unusual approach taken by many external actors in Libya.
Mediobanca is attempting to acquire Banca Generali for €6.3 billion to strengthen its position in the Italian banking sector amid a competitive landscape marked by a potential takeover threat from Monte dei Paschi di Siena, highlighting the ongoing rivalry between Rome and Milan, and their different business and capitalistic cultures, in the financial industry.
Ciro Pellegrino, a Neapolitan journalist from Fanpage, has reported being targeted by sophisticated spyware developed by the Israeli company Paragon Solutions, as confirmed by a notification from Apple. He is the second journalist from the same outlet to experience such an attack. This has prompted calls from opposition parties for a swift investigation, amid growing concerns over the surveillance of journalists in Italy. Fanpage is one of the most critical media outlets of the current government. Last year, Fanpage infiltrated a journalist into Gioventù Nazionale, the youth wing of Fratelli d’Italia, documenting several cases of possible fascist glorification among young militants. Following this investigation, Prime Minister Meloni stated that a journalist pretending to be a party member in order to understand its ideas, impulses, and deeper sentiments from within represents a troubling development and a threat to democracy. She compared the approach to practices typical of authoritarian regimes and called for intervention from the Head of State.
Labor exploitation, known in Italian as “Caporalato” and traditionally associated with the agricultural sector in Southern Italy, has now spread to Northern regions, including vineyards and greenhouses. Vulnerable workers, often paperless migrants, are subjected to unfair practices, such as fake contracts and sometimes even violence, and starvation wages to maintain low prices set by large retailers.
See also…
Politica Estera - The Italian Compass - #7/2025
Politica Estera - Deep Dive - The Race for Villa Firenze: Who Will Be Italy’s Next Ambassador to D.C.?
Politica Estera - Scriptorium Italiae #2/2025
RIP 🙏