Bar Italia - #7/2025
Ten Sips of Italian Politics.
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.
If you’d like to discuss any of the topics covered in this issue, feel free to reach out via email at info@politicaestera.net.
Hope you find it interesting!
Dario
Bar Italia - #7
On May 7, 2025, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni participated in a question time session in the Senate, fourteen months after the last one. During this session, she aimed to showcase the government’s stability and achievements while refuting criticisms regarding controversial policies on topics like the economy, immigration and Italy’s international stance on several issues, from the Israel’s plan to invade Gaza to defense expenditure. She proposed that the state might need to intervene in healthcare if regions fail to provide timely care. On immigration, she pointed to a decrease in migrant arrivals in 2024 compared to 2023, attributing this to agreements with African countries, while criticizing judges who blocked some deportations. On Gaza, Meloni faced intense scrutiny from opposition parties regarding the government’s lack of a clear stance on Netanyahu’s Gaza plan, blaming it on Meloni’s relations with Donald Trump. On this, Meloni said that she supports the plan for Gaza of Arab countries, but indeed said nothing about how she thinks the Israeli plan for a land invasion should be stopped. Meloni also re-affirmed her coalition’s commitment to promised reforms, including Premierato- the direct election for the Prime Minister – and potential changes to the electoral law. The session included a heated exchange with opposition leader Matteo Renzi, who accused the government of inconsistency on various issues, defining Meloni as a “world champion of inconsistency.” These days, Renzi is by far the loudest opponent to Meloni, which speaks volumes about the difficulties that Partito Democratico (PD – Democratic Party) and Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S – Five Star Movement) are having in leading the opposition.
Banco Popolare di Milano (BPM) reported a record profit of 511 million euros in the first quarter, demonstrating growth in revenues despite declining interest rates, which strengthens its position against Unicredit’s takeover attempts. The potential acquisition of BPM by Unicredit continues to create tensions inside the Italian government. Matteo Salvini, backed by Giorgia Meloni, wants to avoid easing restrictions on the deal, while Antonio Tajani was not against the takeover. Moreover, there are mounting concerns regarding a potential intervention by the EU Commission, which might intervene to overturn the government’s “Golden Power” decision on the Unicredit-BPM takeover bid. According to Article 21, paragraph 4, of Regulation 139/2004 on the control of concentrations, when a transaction exceeds certain revenue thresholds is notified to the European competition authority, the Directorate-General for Competition, which has the final say on whether the deal can proceed. National governments “may take appropriate measures to protect legitimate interests”, but these interests must be compatible with the general principles and other provisions of EU law. An external EU intervention would make the situation extremely complicated for the government.
On May 5, after a few months’ delay, the Prime Ministerial Decree (DPCM) in compliance with Article 14 of Law No. 90 of June 28, 2024, on cybersecurity has been finally published in the Italian Gazzetta Ufficiale. The decree identifies IT goods and services for which specific requirements must be met in public contracts to “protect national security.” It could be seen as part of a broader trend shaping an emerging business approach in the defense and security sectors of Western countries: the so-called friendshoring. The decree introduces bonus criteria for proposals or bids involving technologies from Italy, European Union or NATO member states, as well as from third countries identified in the decree as having cooperation agreements with the EU or NATO in cybersecurity, classified information protection, research, and innovation. Gabriele Carrer, one of Italy’s top experts in this field, explained the logic behind this decree and how this law has been introduced to prevent cases like that of Nuctech, a company controlled by the Chinese government, which has also been on the U.S. government’s blacklist since 2020 for national security reason. Nuctech won two public tenders from the Customs Agency for six mobile scanners for as many Italian ports and four X-ray backscatter scanners for the agency’s offices, with an offer economically deemed the best, seven million euros below the tender price compared to its competitors, the British Smiths Detection.
Defense Minister Guido Crosetto presented the new decree for sending arms to Ukraine, its 11th military aid package, during a hearing at COPASIR (Comitato parlamentare per la sicurezza della Repubblica). Italy is set to send approximately 400 M-113 armored personnel carriers and will also provide satellite surveillance systems to help Ukrainian forces monitor enemy positions. These satellites can capture high-quality images of the ground, which is crucial for military planning. Italy’s Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, also reiterated that Italy will continue to firmly support Ukraine, emphasizing that Russia is responsible for the conflict and it is Moscow that needs to consider ways to end it.
On May 8, President Sergio Mattarella chaired a meeting of the Consiglio Supremo di Difesa (Supreme Defense Council). The Council has examined the contents of the White Paper on European Defence Readiness 2030, presented by the European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, to address the security framework, the critical issues at Europe’s borders, and the current phase of transformation in the global landscape. Among the many topics discussed in the council, there were the government’s decisions regarding crucial issues such as participation in the European defense project and military modernization efforts, the different situations of crisis in the world (Gaza, Ukraine, India-Pakistan, Red Sea), and issues related to cyber and space security.
Italy has submitted a fifth request to the EU for modifications to its Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR - Recovery Plan), which includes technical changes related to payment milestones and objectives. The EU Commission is currently assessing this request.
On June 8 and 9, 2025, Italian citizens are called to participate in popular abrogative referendums (Article 75 of the Constitution) on five questions regarding labor regulations and citizenship. Government parties in Italy are encouraging citizens to abstain from voting, arguing that non-participation is a legitimate political choice. This decision has drawn criticism from the opposition, which sees it as a sign of fear and a lack of political and civic responsibility.
Parts of Partito Democratico, namely its moderate and reformist component, Matteo Renzi’s Italia Viva and Carlo Calenda’s Azione have launched the “Circolo Matteotti” in Milan. Named after Giacomo Matteotti, the Socialist MP kidnapped and killed by Mussolini’s secret political police on June 10, 1924, this is a new political initiative aimed at uniting various centrist and center-left forces dissatisfied with Elly Schlein’s leadership and her idea of strengthening ties with Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S) and Alleanza Verdi Sinistra (AVS). The groups participating in this circolo advocate for a more moderate approach, particularly on foreign policy issues, for instance European sovereignty and support for Ukraine. Lia Quartapelle, one of the PD’s most well-known figures on foreign policy issues, denied that this initiative marks the beginning of a splinter within the party. Well… Excusatio non petita, accusatio manifesta (since the Conclave made Latin fashionable again): A denial is often a confirmation.
Italian Minister of Enterprises Adolfo Urso and MFA Deputy Minister Edmondo Cirielli undertook a three-day official mission to Norway and Lithuania. Italian and Norwegian ministers signed a strategic agreement to enhance cooperation in the space economy and critical raw materials. There were also discussions on defense issues, and Italy has the ambition to strengthen industrial ties with Oslo and attract further Norwegian investment in Italy. In Lithuania, Urso and Cirielli met with Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas, in a meeting that built on the recent March 4 meeting in Rome between Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda. The parties discussed ways to reinforce political and economic partnerships, including in the areas of defense industry and space cooperation, and also addressed current international issues—starting with developments related to the conflict in Ukraine, the evolution of transatlantic relations, EU enlargement, and relations with the Caucasus and Central Asia.
On May 4, MFA Secretary General, Ambassador Riccardo Guariglia (one of the names still in the running to become Italy’s new ambassador to the United States - see the Politica Estera Deep Dive on this topic) visited Doha for institutional meetings aimed at strengthening Italy-Qatar relations. Jointly with the Italian Ambassador to Qatar, Paolo Toschi, Guariglia discussed bilateral interests and several regional issues—the crises in Gaza, the evolution of the situation in Syria, instability in Libya, and the negotiations with Iran. Moreover, the visit also represented an occasion to discuss ways to boost Italian economic activities in the lively Gulf country, as well as to promote deeper cultural ties.
See also…
Politica Estera - Deep Dive - Meloni’s Transatlantic Bridge: Fragile, but Still Standing
Politica Estera - Deep Dive - The Race for Villa Firenze: Who Will Be Italy’s Next Ambassador to D.C.?
Politica Estera - The Italian Compass - #7/2025
Politica Estera - Bar Italia - #6/2025
Politica Estera - Scriptorium Italiae #2/2025