ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates which branches of the Italian Government have actually assumed a relevant role in the coordination of European Union (EU) policies and whether their importance depends on the contextual factors of crisis or on domestic reasons. Regarding the coordination of EU policies, this Government brought about several novelties both in practice and in legal terms. EU membership has strengthened the executives because they participate directly in the decision-making process at the European level, as political scientists have demonstrated. The Department for European Policies is the leading actor in all the phases of EU decision-making and implementation processes. The most relevant functions are performed by the Office for the Coordination of EU Policies. Italy is one of the founding members of the European Communities and is generally considered Europe-friendly. In Italy, since the adoption of law 86/1989, the implementation of directives has been based on the so-called 'European law'.
