ABSTRACT
For all the received wisdom and numerous expert analyses invariably depicting Italy as one of the member states most devoted to the European cause, this paper will argue that Italy’s relationship with Europe and its institutions is actually not only more complex, but significantly less reassuring than usually granted. If one raises the question of the extent to which the EU has shaped Italian foreign policy and the extent to which Italy has shaped EU foreign policy, as this book does, one is confronted with conflicting evidence.
