The Conte Government: Radical Change or Pragmatic Continuity © 2018 IAI in Italian Foreign and Defence Policy? by Alessandro Marrone The new Italian government headed The second priority is the migration by Giuseppe Conte relies on a challenge, and the reduction of parliamentary majority formed by the extraordinary flows that Italy has ISSN 22532-6570 Five Star Movement (Movimento 5 Stelle, experienced since 2013, with 624,747 M5S) and Lega parties. The governing arrivals in four years.1 Efforts to coalition represents a significant accelerate the repatriation of migrants novelty in Italian politics and some tops the political agenda of the uncertainty remains regarding the Lega, whose leader, Matteo Salvini, trajectory of Italian foreign and defence campaigned heavily on this issue and policy. Caught between continuity and presently heads the Ministry of Interior change, radicalism and pragmatism, as well as acting as the second deputy the priorities of the government are prime minister. well known, what is less clear is the strategy to carry these forth. 1 In particular, 170,100 in 2014 and 153,842 in The key priorities for the government 2015, plus 181,436 in 2016 and 119,369 in 2017. See are twofold. On the one hand stands Italian Ministry of Interior. Department for Civil economic policy, particularly regarding Liberties and Immigration, Cruscotto statistico fiscal deficits and the welfare system. It giornaliero, 31 December 2016, http://www. libertaciviliimmigrazione.dlci.interno.gov.it/ is no coincidence that Luigi Di Maio, sites/default/files/allegati/cruscotto_statistico_ the leader of the M5S and deputy prime giornaliero_31_dicembre_2016.pdf; and the minister, has taken over (and merged) latest Cruscotto statistico giornaliero of 14 June 2018, http://www.libertaciviliimmigrazione. the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry dlci.interno.gov.it/it/node/1300. See also of Economic Development, assuming “Migranti, la situazione in Italia”, in Corriere the post of Minister of Economic della Sera, 14 January 2018, https://www. Development, Labour and Social corriere.it/cronache/18_gennaio_14/migranti- situazione-italia-7dcf55e2-f96a-11e7-908c- Policies in the Conte government. 5ec0ce9694cc.shtml. Alessandro Marrone is Head of the Defence Programme and Senior Fellow in the Security IAI COMMENTARIES 18 | 33 - JUNE 2018 IAI COMMENTARIES Programme at the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI). 1 The Conte Government: Radical Change or Pragmatic Continuity in Italian Foreign and Defence Policy? Against this backdrop, a toughening pledged a strengthening of these of Italy’s negotiation stances with policies, including the opening of new countries of origin and/or transit is identification centres to process asylum to be expected. Aside from a recent requests and increased repatriations. spat with Tunisia, confrontational exchanges have also occurred with Tensions, however, are likely with Malta, a country that has repeatedly Brussels and other European capitals been accused by Italy of preventing on the relocation of asylum seekers © 2018 IAI vessels carrying migrants from docking and the related reform of the Dublin in its ports, instead directing them to regulations. On 6 June Rome opposed the Italian coast. the latest EU compromise proposal, as this was deemed insufficient to address Following two alleged episodes of the needs of first-arrival countries like such practices by Maltese authorities Italy but also Spain, Greece, Malta and since the beginning of June, Salvini Cyprus. announced Italy’s refusal to grant docking permission to the Aquarius It remains to be seen how new ISSN 2532-6570 vessel, a ship affiliated with the Franco- negotiations will unfold, as well German charity SOS Méditerranée, as what proposal and alliances the and carrying 629 migrants rescued Conte government will build within in the Mediterranean on 9 June. the Union to advance its priorities. With the ship stranded between The appointment of Enzo Moavero Maltese and Italian waters, the Italian Milanesi, a former minister in the government reiterated its request for governments headed by Mario Monti European assistance in sharing the and Enrico Letta, could serve as an migration burden, leading by 11 June important channel of communications to an announcement by the Spanish with European interlocutors. government that it would accept the migrants. With regards to security and defence policy, the new Italian government When it comes to the EU dimension of has signalled its intention to prioritize the migration issue, many European the Mediterranean region at the recent partners are likely to support Italian NATO and G7 meetings, highlighting efforts to reduce arrivals and increase the twin tracks of migration and anti- repatriation. Italy’s tough migration terrorism. Italy’s new Defence Minister policies actually date back to the Elisabetta Trenta – an expert of security previous government and Salvini has and defence issues with both research declared his intention to continue and operational experience who ran this strategy. Praising the efforts of for parliament with the M5S – has his predecessor, Marco Minniti,2 he stressed that NATO should do more for the Southern flank, while reassuring 2 “Migranti, Salvini: o Ue ci aiuta o sceglieremo altre vie. Da Minniti buon lavoro”, in Il Sole 24 shtml; Italian Senate, Informativa del Ministro Ore, 4 June 2018, http://www.ilsole24ore.com/ dell’interno sulla vicenda della nave Aquarius, art/notizie/2018-06-04/migranti-salvini-o- 13 June 2018, p. 6, http://www.senato.it/service/ ue-ci-aiuta-o-sceglieremo-altre-vie--100310. PDF/PDFServer/BGT/1067790.pdf. IAI COMMENTARIES 18 | 33 - JUNE 2018 IAI COMMENTARIES 2 The Conte Government: Radical Change or Pragmatic Continuity in Italian Foreign and Defence Policy? partners of Italy’s intention to fulfil its During a recent meeting with NATO commitments on the Eastern one.3 Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Rome, Conte also reiterated much of These steps are fully in line with the what is in the M5S-Lega government coalition agreement signed by the agreement: Italy is a committed NATO leaders of the M5S and Lega last May. member, with the US as its privileged The agreement – or “contract” – clearly ally, but is also keen to dialogue with identifies the Mediterranean region as Russia, considered an important 6 © 2018 IAI the locus of threats, describing how interlocutor for Europe’s security. “more factors of instability are gathered [in the Mediterranean], such as: Islamic With regards to Russia, Italy has extremism, uncontrolled migratory traditionally sought to balance its flows, with consequent tensions commitments to Euro-Atlantic security [among] regional powers”.4 with Rome’s good economic relations with Moscow. It is no coincidence The Euro-Mediterranean region was that the NATO-Russia Council was already identified as a priority area established under Italian auspices at ISSN 2532-6570 in the 2015 Italian White Paper for an extraordinary NATO summit in International Security and Defence. the outskirts of Rome in 2002. After In recent years, Rome worked the 2014 Crimea crisis, Italy remained hard in both EU and NATO forums committed to Allied reassurances, to increase multilateral efforts to defence and deterrence measures vis- address security challenges from the à-vis Russia,7 while also arguing for southern neighbourhood. Notable a sustained and meaningful dialogue examples include the naval missions with Moscow to find a diplomatic EUNAVFORMED Sophia and Sea solution for the crisis in Ukraine. Guardian, and the establishment of a NATO “hub for the South” in Naples that The new executive therefore seems will become fully operational in July.5 to be largely in line with traditional Italian approaches to foreign and defence policy. During a speech at the senate just prior to the confidence 3 Italian Ministry of Defence, Nato: Minister vote, Conte noted his government’s Trenta Meets with Secretary General Jens support for a revision of the existing Stoltenberg, 11 June 2018, https://www.difesa.it/ EN/Primo_Piano/Pagine/parcb.aspx; and NATO Defence Ministerial, 7 June 2018, https://www. difesa.it/EN/Primo_Piano/Pagine/trab.aspx. 6 NATO, Press conference by NATO Secretary 4 M5S and Lega, Contract for the government of General Jens Stoltenberg and Prime Minister change, 18 May 2018, https://m5s.international/ Giuseppe Conte of Italy (Audio), 11 June contract-government-change#foreign. 2018, https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/ Original version: Contratto per il Governo di opinions_155816.htm. cambiamento, p. 18, http://download.repubblica. 7 Francesca Bitondo, Alessandro Marrone and it/pdf/2018/politica/contratto_governo.pdf. Paola Sartori, “Challenges to NATO and Italy’s 5 Carolina Polito and Paola Sartori, “Italy, the North Role: Trump, Brexit, Collective Defence and Atlantic Alliance and the 2018 NATO Summit”, in Neighborhood Stability”, in Documenti IAI, IAI Commentaries, No. 17|33 (December 2017), p. No. 16|18E (January 2017), http://www.iai.it/en/ 2, http://www.iai.it/en/node/8643. node/7060. IAI COMMENTARIES 18 | 33 - JUNE 2018 IAI COMMENTARIES 3 The Conte Government: Radical Change or Pragmatic Continuity in Italian Foreign and Defence Policy? sanctions against Russia.8 At the G7 recent visit – the first since assuming meeting, the prime minister added the role of Minister of Economic that these sanctions are linked to the Development – to a major Italian full implementation of the Minsk defence manufacturer, Leonardo, may agreement and that Italy will