Italy’s Foreign Policy and Its (Un)successful Attempts at EU Reform

This article analyzes the attempts by Giorgia Meloni’s government (2022–2024) to implement the “Europe of Fatherlands” (Europa delle Patrie) concept – a project aimed at strengthening national sovereignty and promot-ing an intergovernmental approach in Italy’s relations with the EU. Based on annual reports from the Institute of International Affairs (IAI), it examines key initiatives and their outcomes: reform of the Stability and Growth Pact, ratification of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the 2024 conflict over EU leadership appointments, and migration policy. The analysis reveals a systemic failure of ambitions to reform the EU. The government’s tangible successes (management of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan/PNRR, fiscal discipline) were achieved through pragmatic cooperation with EU institutions, not defiance of them. Primary reasons for failure include intra-coalition contradictions, Italy’s economic fragility, misunderstanding of EU mechanisms, and the inevitable prioritization of national interests requiring engagement with Brussels. The result is a shift from ide-ology to “Euro-pragmatism”, where survival within the EU system takes precedence over its radical restructur-ing.