Italy and Europe are heading for greater friction

Bologna

ITALIANS have been showing signs of losing confidence in European integration for a long time. Eurobarometer polling data from October and November 2017 revealed that only 45 per cent of Italians believe participation in the euro is good for their country. Though an improvement over previous results, that was worse than in any euro area country except Latvia. Polling done later in the year showed only 34 per cent of Italians trust European institutions, while 64 per cent believe their voices do not count and 43 per cent do not feel like European citizens.

In the general election on March 4, around 32.5 per cent voted for the Five Star Movement (M5S) and another 17.5 per cent voted for the League. When one adds in the 4.5 per cent who voted for the Brothers of Italy, more than half the electorate supported openly eurosceptic groups.