This European Policy Centre Elections Monitor assessed the outcome of the legislative elections in Italy on 4 March and the SPD referendum on the coalition agreement from a European perspective.

Europe’s political climate improved considerably in the course of 2017 but remains unstable. The Italian legislative elections on 4 March took place in a fragmented political context marked by the lingering fall-out from the economic and the migration crises. With polls suggesting that populist forces are on the rise, the result and its impact on the positioning of Italy on the European agenda have been closely watched. The outcome of the SPD referendum on the coalition agreement in Germany was also recently announced, with key implications for European affairs.

This Elections Monitor addressed various questions: What are the main trends shaping Italian politics and how are they reflected in the election results? What does that tell us about possible new governing coalitions in Rome and their priorities? What are the overall implications of the SPD’s decision to greenlight the coalition government in Berlin, and what are the consequences for political cohesion, stability and the future direction of Europe?

Speakers included: Giovanni Grevi, Senior Fellow, European Policy Centre, Adriana Cerretelli, Chief EU Correspondent for Il Sole24Ore, Janis A. Emmanouilidis, Director of Studies of the European Policy Centre.