European elections were held, now it’s time for the European Parliament to be constituted. The 73 MEPs coming from the Italian peninsula are now known. The League will have the biggest delegation with 28 members (+23 compared to the outgoing legislature), followed by the Democratic Party (PD) with 19 elected candidates (-12) and the Five Star Movement (M5S) with 14 members (-3). Then follow Forza Italia with 6 MEPs (-5), including the only representative of the German speaking minority, Herbert Dorfmann, whose party, SVP, is in coalition with Forza Italia. Finally Brothers of Italy (FdI) will count on 5 MEPs. It is the first time the post-fascist party brings people to Brussels and Strasbourg.
This composition will change when Brexit happens. The day the United Kingdom leaves once and for all the European Union, three additional Italian MEPs will join the European Parliament. The League, Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia and Brothers of Italy will get one additional seat each.
The European Parliament, together with the EU Council, well long before of the European elections decided to review the seats allocation among the member states because of Brexit. Once the British delegation will say goodbye to Europe (we hope it is not a farewell, honestly) the European Parliament switch from 751 to 705 seats.
Here all the names of the elected candidates by party.
The League (affiliation: ENF)
Matteo Salvini, Mara Bizotto, Gianantonio Da Re, Paolo Borchia, Alessandra Basso, Elena Lizzi, Angelo Ciocca, Silvia Sardone, Isabella Tovaglieri, Danilo Oscar Lancini, Gianna Calderoli, Stefania Zambelli, Alessandro Panza, Marco Zanni, Matteo Salvini, Susanna Ceccardi, Antonio Maria Rinaldi, Anna “Cinzia” Bonfrisco, Simona Renata Baldassarre, Luisa Regimenti, Massimo Casanova, Andrea Caroppo, Lucia Vuolo, Valentino Grant, Annalista Tardino.
It seems that Matteo Salvini has no intention to leave Italy, so it is very likely he will give up his MEP seat. If he will do so, he will make available all the five places taken in Italy. Salvini was the head of the list in all the five constituencies, so by remaining at home the first non-elected will come to the European Parliament. These are Marco Dreosto (North-west), Marco Campomenosi (North-east), Matteo Adinolfi (Centre), Vincenzo Sofo (South), Francesca Donalto (Islands).
Democratic Party (affiliation: S&D)
Carlo Calenda, Elisabetta Gualmini, Paolo De Castro, Alessandra Moretti, Giuliano Pisapia, Irene Tinagli, Pierfrancesco Majorino, Patrizia Toia, Brando Benifei, Simona Bonafè, Pietro Bartolo, David Maria Sassoli, Massimiliano Smeriglio, Roberto Gualtieri, Franco Roberti, Giuseppe Ferrandino, Andrea Cozzolino, Giuseppina “Pina” Picierno, Caterina Chinnici.
Gualtieri, the outgoing president of the Committee for Economic Affairs, was re-elected thanks to Pietro Bartolo. The latter was elected both in the Centre and in the Island constituency, and he renounced to the place won in the center, giving Gualtieri the possibility to come back to the EP. As a consequence of such a decision, for the first time the Democratic Party will have no representative of the Sardinia region in Europe.
Five Star Movement (affiliation: EFDD)
Marco Zullo, Sabrina Pignedoli, Eleonora Evi, Tiziana Beghin, Fabio Massimo Castaldo, Daniela Rondinelli, Chiara Maria Gemma, Laura Ferrara, Piernicola Pedicini, Rosa D’Amato, Isabella Adinolfi, Mario Furore, Dino Giarrusso, Ignazio Corrao.
M5S were able to confirm their outgoing vice president of the European Parliament, Castaldo. Their current head of delegation, Laura Agea, didn’t succeed and she will be out of the Parliament. In its bad electoral performance, the Movement was the preferred party both in Sicily and Sardinia.
Forza Italia (affiliation: EPP)
Silvio Berlusconi, Massimiliano Salini, Antonio Tajani, Salvatore De Meo, Aldo Patriciello, Herbert Dorfmann (SVP, in coalition with Forza Italia).
Silvio Berlusconi will take his EP seat. Apparently he didn’t act like the leader of the League, Matteo Salvini. On the contrary, the 82-old man will come to the European Parliament 18 years later (he served as MEP between 1999 and 2001, before becoming prime minister). In that case he will have to decide whom to sacrifice among Lara Comi, Fulvio Martusciello and Giuseppe Milazzo, the first non-elected candidates in the constituencies where Berlusconi was elected.
Brothers of Italy – FdI (affiliation: ECR):
Giorgia Meloni and Carlo Fidanza.
All the other members will depend on Giorgia Meloni’s decisions. She was head of the list in all the five constituencies, and in case she will decide to remain in Italy and not take her MEP seat, she automatically will make MEPs five men. They are Pietro Fiocchi, Sergio Berlato, Nicola Procaccini, Raffaele Fitto, Raffaele Stanchelli.
Raffaele Fitto will seat in the next European Parliament with any doubt. Between Meloni and him a political pact was subscribed before the elections, according to which Meloni will renounce to his place won in the South, allowing Fitto to be elected.
