'These elections are a giant opinion poll in Italy'

Angelo Panebianco teaches political science at the University of Bologna and writes commentary for the Corriere della Sera.

In the run-up to the European elections, what issues are being debated in Italy?

"The elections are all about national politics, as always. It is about the government response to the economic crisis, about illegal immigrants and how to deal with them, and about integration problems. Europe has been relegated to the background. Maybe only in the eighties the Italians really discussed European problems. But now European issues do not get much attention from the electorate. Italy traditionally is a country with a high voter turnout, but there is little interest for the current campaign. The vote for the European parliament is still a country by country affair. In reality, European parties only exist in the parliament in Brussels. Our national parties do not even bother to put the European party symbols next to their own symbols on the ballot.

"Very few voters truly understand what the European parliament stands for. The division of power between the parliament, the European Council and the European Commission is different from the normal division of power between parliament and government, and hardly anybody understands what the balance of power is. So these elections are in fact a giant opinion poll which the national parties use to determine their relative strength. You will see the winning party cry victory not because it will have more power in Europe, but because it has been strengthened in national politics.

"The fact that prime minister Berlusconi himself leads his party's European ticket may have some impact on his followers. He is very popular, and people may be more inclined to go to the voting booth. Berlusconi put himself on the list because his Forza Italy party is facing heavy competition in the north from the Northern League – an ally at the national level whose role in his ruling coalition Berlusconi hopes to limit."

A key issue in European politics is market ideology, especially with the financial crisis. In Italy, is there debate about whether the market ideology of Brussels needs to be amended?

"You'll find this debate no more and no less than in other European countries. But Italy is in a peculiar situation. It never experienced the Reagan-Thatcher revolution. There is still a very strong state presence in our economy, and there has been no substantial deregulation and liberalisation. Yet even Giulio Tremonti, the finance minister in the ruling center-right coalition, is arguing that privatisation has gone too far.

"Among economic experts - not in the public debate - you'll find an intense debate about the ways to solve this crisis. Tremonti is pushing for an interventionist approach. He supports the idea of a new international financial architecture. But this debate is not waged within a European context."

Another key issue is euroscepticism. What is the general attitude in Italy towards Europe? Is there a populist protest against Europe?

"On the contrary. A large majority feels very positively towards Europe. Fifteen years ago, the - short-lived - first Berlusconi government was sceptical. At the time, he considered the European rhetoric part of 'the old political system'. Now Berlusconi is far more positive. European activism fits his political ambitions. Within his coalition, the Northern League remains critical and often eurosceptic, but it is not strongly attacking Berlusconi on the issue. And overall, the Italians see Europe as an element of continuity and stability in their country's development during the last few decades."

How would voters in Italy like the EU to develop? Would they support a joint foreign policy?

"I think that if a referendum would be held about a joint foreign policy, a majority would be in favour. Some complain about the bureaucracy, but the general perception is that it is in Italy's interest to remain within Europe. Some twenty years ago, Europe was seen as a kind of insurance, a positive force to balance a national political system many voters were unhappy with. That feeling has diminished and the Italian government has become far less passive towards the European Union, which has become a negotiating table. Power relations have become more dynamic with the dwindled power of the French-German diarchy. That leaves more room for Italy."

Any anecdotes in the campaign for the European elections in Italy?

"I could refer to a tongue-in-cheek commentary I wrote, proposing that we cancel the European elections and let the national parliament vote on who should go to Brussels. That was of course a provocation. Turnout and interest would be a lot higher if the winner of these elections would be able to form a government. The European elections are probably the only elections where you don’t vote for a government, and that is something voters understand all too well."