Publication

This paper analyzes Italy’s referendum on constitutional reforms and its possible impact on the EU. While advocates of the reforms stress that they would cut costs and accelerate the country’s slow legislative processes, others argue that they would lead to conflicts between the two legislative chambers, primarily because the new Senate’s loosely-defined powers. Ultimately, and despite the fragility of the Italian banking sector and Prime Minister Renzi’s continued clashes with the European Commission, the text’s author believes the referendum won’t significantly impact Italy’s EU and common currency membership.