Europe at Stake: European Union in Italian Politics and Society

For a long time, Italy has been traditionally described as one of the strongest pro-European countries. Italians' general discontent for domestic politicians and institutions seemed initially to amplify these sentiments, indicating in the European Union (EU) the solution to the atavist deficiencies of the Italian political system. Since the beginning of the 2000s, support for Europe, especially at the mass level, started to decrease. This situation became more evident when the effects of the world financial and economic crisis invaded the political debate. The first aim of this special issue is to understand and explain the new counter-trend in Italian sceptic sentiments towards the EU. In particular, this issue presents six different papers focusing on: Italian public support for the EU, the image of Europe in the national press, the Euroscepticism of radical right parties and movements, the relationship between attitudes towards Europe and voting turnout, and the effects of two crucial issues – corruption and immigration – on attitudes towards European institutions. The studies presented confirm the importance of considering the context of each member-state and each national s