Thesis title: Costruire mentre tutto crolla. L'Italia e la nascita dell'Unione europea: 1989-1992
The Maastricht Treaty represented a central turning point in the process of European integration, establishing the European Union (EU) and launching Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).
In an international context marked by the collapse of the bipolar order and widespread uncertainty, Italy sought to steer European integration beyond the economic dimension towards a broader political integration, particularly in the fields of foreign and security policy and in the strengthening of the democratic legitimacy of Community institutions.
This dissertation examines Italy’s role in the debate and in the subsequent negotiations on Political Union that led to the signing of the Treaty on European Union. It focuses on the period 1989–1992, from the formation of the sixth Andreotti government to the signing of the Treaty, and offers answers to the following research questions: (i) How can the opening of the negotiations on Political Union, and the subsequent creation of the EU, be explained? (ii) What role did Italy play in this process? (iii) How did the Italian government conduct the negotiations, and what were the outcomes from its perspective? (iv) What relations did Italy develop with the main actors involved (states, organisations, and international institutions)? (v) What role did Italian pro-European orientations play in these dynamics? (vi) To what extent were Italian political actors aware of the implications that the EU would have for Italy?
Beyond the existing literature, the research is based on largely unpublished archival sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as on semi-structured interviews with officials and diplomats involved at the time.