Italy in the European Union

POL S 346/JSIS A 302: Europeanizaon of polical systems Spring Term 2017 Frank Wendler May 23, 2017 Italy in the EU

From top le clockwise to center: Signing of the Treaty of Rome founding the EEC in 1957, former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi, EU Foreign Policy Representave Federica Mogherini, 5-Star Movement leader Beppe Grillo, a scene with refugees on Lampedusa, portal of Italian bank Monte dei Paschi and President Obama with Italian PM Maeo Renzi in 2016. Three theses about Italy’s membership in the European Union

(1) Membership in the European Union has worked as an almost connuous pressure for economic and polical reform in Italy.

(2) These economic and polical reforms are hard to realize because of the specific structure of Italy’s polical system, which combines a strong instuonal consensus democracy with high polical polarizaon.

(3) The result is that Europeanizaon has increased the centrifugal tendencies of Italian polics, leaving three main opons for a resoluon: an-elite populism, technocrac government or instuonal reform. ‘Gli Esami Non Finiscono Mai’

Vincent della Sala ‘Gli Esami Non Finiscono Mai’: The EU as an ininite test of Italy’s modernization

• Italy as a founding member of the EEC 1957 • Post-war stabiliziaon and rehabilitaon

• Parcipaon in the Single Market • EC Single Market as a test of Italy’s compeveness

• Membership in the Eurozone • Far-reaching economic and social reform passed to meet membership criteria

• Link between EU Membership and domesc polical reform • 2016 constuonal referendum: perceived as a crical test for Italy to manage challenges of Europeanizaon Applying Europeanization theory to the case of Italy

• Top-down Europeanizaon: EU as a factor of modernizaon • Pressures on domesc reform: labour market, social policy, fiscal policy, structural and investment policy

• Boom up Europeanizaon: Elusive influence in the EU • Italy as the key voice and representave of Southern Europe?

• Horizontal Europeanizaon: The results of interdependence • Immigraon: Italy as a ‘frontline state’, among the most heavily affected EU Member States (disadvantaged by Dublin rules) • Eurozone crisis: Italy as the crical Member State (‘too big to fail’) The political system of Italy in a nutshell

• Strong instuonal consensus requirements... • ‘Perfect bicameralism’ creates strong consensus requirement • Proporonal vong system increases number of relevant pares

• ... combined with party polical polarizaon and instability... • Strong economic and cultural differences between North & South • Corrupon scandals, breakdown of party system in 1990s

• ... create dysfuncon and pressure for reform. • Dysfuncon: Polical gridlock and rise of populist pares • Pressure for reform: especially of vong system and bicameralism • Short-term responses: between populism and ‘unmediated government’ Italy’s two chambers of parliament: ‘bicameralismo perfetto’

• Two chambers of parliament: Camera dei Deputa and Senato

• Both chambers are equally involved in legislave decision-making

• The execuve is accountable to BOTH chambers of parliaments; EITHER one can move a vote of no confidence

• Both chambers are directly elected, but according to slightly different rules (oen resulng in incongruent majories)

• Elecons are based on proporonal representaon (resulng in a large number of parliamentary pares)

Two features of the Italian politics: Political polarization in a consensus system

• Consensus instuons • The Italian polical system has almost all instuonal features of a consensus democracy: parcularly a strong bicameral parliament, a strong judiciary, and a proporonal vong system

• Polical polarizaon • However, polical polarizaon is quite strong, parcularly through the structure of the party system and the relaons between the state and the regions

è The result is frequent gridlock, strong instability of governments and discontent with the polical system Political polarization and gridlock: three responses (1) Populism (Mainstream populism: Berlusconi, le-wing populism: 5 star movement)

(2) Technocrac, all-party government (“unmediated democracy”, according to Culpepper 2014)

(3) Polical reform (referendum on a reform of the polical system iniated in 2016) The referendum An attempt of resolving the gridlock: was a centerpiece of PM Maeo the 2016 constitutional referendum Renzi’s reform agenda • What was at stake? • The constuonal reform proposed diminishing the influence of the upper house of parliament (Senate), hence increasing the effecveness of decision-making and increasing the stability of governments holding a majority in the lower chamber (Chamber of Depues)

• Why did voters decide against the constuonal reform? • Mostly because of resistance against a centralizaon of the Italian state, for two regions: • Economic and cultural disparies between North and South • Historical memories and taboos arising from Italy’s fascist past

• What are the implicaons? • PM Renzi stepped down, and his agenda of polical reform is perceived as failed • The scheduling of the next general elecon is unclear, and the le- wing populist 5-Star Movement is expected to do well Early 1990s: Breakdown of the PCI and enter Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi: a polarizing politician Berlusoni’s populist appeal to Italian voters

• The self-made businessman • Rise form humble beginnings to real estate investor, media tycoon and mul-billionaire

• The an-establishment candidate • Self-depicon as a challenger of the established polical class, a down-to-earth businessman with no interest in a party career

• The jovial man of the people • Hedonisc lifestyle and jovial humour used to win sympathies

• The man in control of the media • Direct control over 3 major commercial naonal TV staons, indirect control over public television through his influence as Prime Minister Italian governments since Berlusconi’s departure

• Mario Mon forms a technocrac caretaker government (2011-2013)

• Enrico Lea leads a fragile grand coalion (2013-14)

• Maeo Renzi leads a government of the center-le, promising encompassing polical and economic reforms

• Aer the failed referendum of 2016, he is replaced by curent PM Paolo Genloni Unmediated democracy: the polar opposite to populism

• Posive appraisal of elite competence and leadership

• Emphasis on collecve, technocrac decision-making

• Denial of voluntarism and popular sovereignty

• Recognion of challenges resulng from de-naonalizaon

• Legimacy based on substanve results, not popular approval The personiications of unmediated democracy and populism: Berlusconi and Monti

• Charismac party leader, mulple • Sober, professional, serious, elecon winner, successful competent, yet uerly businessman, scandalous yet uncharismac, with a background admired man of the people in academia and the EU Commission, not elected and with an unpleasant, uninspiring polical program A response to unmediated democracy? The rise of the 5-star movement

• An-establishment discourse and demands for increased transparency

• Rejecon of polical coalions with established pares

• Rejecon of reform policies pursued by established pares M 5 S leader Beppe Grillo, a and requested by the Eurozone former TV comedian

• Dual character: leader-oriented populist party, combined with civic parcipatory demands Conclusion: back to the beginning

• Strong instuonal consensus requirements... • ‘Perfect bicameralism’ creates strong consensus requirement • Proporonal vong system increases number of relevant pares

• ... combined with party polical polarizaon and instability... • Strong economic and cultural differences between North & South • Corrupon scandals, breakdown of party system in 1990s

• ... create dysfuncon and pressure for reform. • Dysfuncon: Polical gridlock and rise of populist pares • Pressure for reform: especially of vong system and bicameralism • Short-term responses: between populism and ‘unmediated government’ Retrospective: three responses to pressures for reform

• Technocrac, all-party government (‘unmediated democracy’): Jaylen

• Mainstream populism: Silvio Berlusconi (Allison)

• An-establishment populism: the Five Star Movement (Chase)