The Atlantic is not enough: The Italian government’s difficult relations in Europe
Giorgia Meloni’s foreign policy is a hit across the Atlantic – but things do not seem to be going quite as well in Europe
Experts & Staff
Arturo Varvelli
Head, ECFR Rome
Senior Policy Fellow
Areas of expertise
Geopolitics and International Relations; MENA Region; Libya; EU-MENA relations; Italian-Libyan relations; Italian foreign policy
Languages
Italian, English, basic French
Biography
Arturo Varvelli is the Head of the Rome Office and a Senior Policy Fellow for the European Council on Foreign Relations. His research interests include geopolitics and international affairs, international relations of the MENA region, EU-MENA relations, Italian foreign policy towards the MENA, and transnational terrorism movements affecting the area. His main focus is Libya, a country he has extensively worked on, unpacking its domestic and foreign politics, and Italian-Libyan relations in particular.
Previously, Varvelli worked as the Co-Head of the MENA Center and Head of the Terrorism Programme at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI). In ISPI, he provided scientific coordination of the “Rome MED – Mediterranean Dialogues” organized by ISPI and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Furthermore, he was also a lecturer of History and Institutions of the Middle East at IULM University in Milan and a Visiting Fellow at the European Foundation for Democracy (EFD).
Varvelli holds a PhD in International History from the University of Milan, and a post-PhD from the CRT Foundation of Turin. He also took part in research projects funded by the Italian Chamber of Representatives and Senate, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Parliament and Commission. In 2015, he was chosen by the US State Department to take part in the International Visitor Leadership Program.
He has extensively published on Libya. His first book, “Italy and the rise of Ghaddafi” (“L’Italia e l’ascesa di Gheddafi”, 2009) focused on Italian-Libyan relations, while later books, published in collaboration with The Atlantic Council and Brookings Institutions, rather delved into Libya’s and the MENA’s foreign projections. In 2018, he took part in a Brooking Institution’s working group on the Libyan crisis.
He is also a regular speaker and commentator on Libyan and MENA issues in the main Italian media. His comments have also appeared in international newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Economist.
The future of European politics
Mark Leonard welcomes the heads of ECFR’s national offices to discuss key players outside the traditional halls of European power
Opening the Global Gateway: Why the EU should invest more in the southern neighbourhood
The EU should invest more Global Gateway funding in the southern neighbourhood, helping it achieve strategic nearshoring, clean energy, and regional connectivity goals
6 Mar
United West, divided from the rest? Come europei, cinesi, indiani, russi ed americani guardano alla guerra
Nell’attuale contesto internazionale, le relazioni dell’Europa con le potenze globali stanno cambiando rapidamente, e la loro evoluzione rappresenta un elemento di analisi ineludibile nel delineare la strategia di politica estera dell’UE
Gassy ambitions: The obstacles to Italy’s planned gas hub for Europe
Italy has revived its ambitions to become a gas hub for Europe. But the plan is destined for the same pitfalls as past plans if it is not part of a broader European strategy
Giorgia on my mind: The Italian election and European foreign policy
Mark Leonard and his guests discuss the implications of the new government in Rome and its foreign policy agenda, including Russia and China
The Draghi effect: Italy’s new-old national interest
The prospect of a Brothers of Italy-led government is causing worry in capitals across Europe. But the party is having to devise a foreign policy approach within the bounds of Europeanism and transatlanticism.
Whatever it breaks: Draghi’s downfall and the future of Italy
Draghi always knew that he could not depend on some members of his ruling coalition. Yet his legacy of leadership in the EU could survive his departure.
European solidarity and the Russia-Ukraine war
How sustainable is European unity? And what scenarios of solidarity or division can be expected in the next few months?
Burn time: The case for a new European energy union
Almost all EU member states are exposed to the fallout for the energy market of Western sanctions on Russia. To protect their energy security and support the green transition, they should form a new energy union.
Publications
Opening the Global Gateway: Why the EU should invest more in the southern neighbourhood
The EU should invest more Global Gateway funding in the southern neighbourhood, helping it achieve strategic nearshoring, clean energy, and regional connectivity goals
Rome’s moment: Draghi, multilateralism, and Italy’s new strategy
Italy has an opportunity to position itself closer to the Franco-German engine and to help construct a multilateral system in which the EU and the US are equal partners
Network effects: Europe’s digital sovereignty in the Mediterranean
The EU has the ambition and potential to become a sovereign digital power, but it lacks an all-encompassing strategy for the sector, in which individual governments are still the key players
Health sovereignty: How to build a resilient European response to pandemics
Europe must improve its early warning systems, supply chain resilience, medical R&D, and cyber security and technology, to act decisively in future emergencies
Articles
The Atlantic is not enough: The Italian government’s difficult relations in Europe
Giorgia Meloni’s foreign policy is a hit across the Atlantic – but things do not seem to be going quite as well in Europe
Gassy ambitions: The obstacles to Italy’s planned gas hub for Europe
Italy has revived its ambitions to become a gas hub for Europe. But the plan is destined for the same pitfalls as past plans if it is not part of a broader European strategy
The Draghi effect: Italy’s new-old national interest
The prospect of a Brothers of Italy-led government is causing worry in capitals across Europe. But the party is having to devise a foreign policy approach within the bounds of Europeanism and transatlanticism.
Whatever it breaks: Draghi’s downfall and the future of Italy
Draghi always knew that he could not depend on some members of his ruling coalition. Yet his legacy of leadership in the EU could survive his departure.
Burn time: The case for a new European energy union
Almost all EU member states are exposed to the fallout for the energy market of Western sanctions on Russia. To protect their energy security and support the green transition, they should form a new energy union.
Armed for innovation: How to drive German-Italian defence industrial cooperation
Defence industrial cooperation between Italy and Germany could boost the EU’s geopolitical credibility and capacity for technological innovation. There is no strategic autonomy without a strong defence industry.
Views from the capitals: Russia’s war on Ukraine
The conflict in Ukraine will change Europe forever. Experts from across ECFR’s network of offices describe the view of the war from Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Sofia, and Warsaw.
Rome advantage: The Draghi government and Europe’s balance of power
With Mario Draghi staying on as prime minister, Italy has an opportunity to help lead an economic and political recovery from the pandemic that secures Europe’s future
Structured approach: How the EU can prepare itself for the next wave of migration
Migration is first and foremost a structural problem, yet the EU persists in responding to it as an emergency. Now is the time to change course.
Italy and defence under Draghi: A to-do list
Italy can play an active role in shaping European defence policy – if it avoids getting distracted by its internal political tribulations
Podcasts
The future of European politics
Mark Leonard welcomes the heads of ECFR’s national offices to discuss key players outside the traditional halls of European power
Giorgia on my mind: The Italian election and European foreign policy
Mark Leonard and his guests discuss the implications of the new government in Rome and its foreign policy agenda, including Russia and China
European solidarity and the Russia-Ukraine war
How sustainable is European unity? And what scenarios of solidarity or division can be expected in the next few months?
Super Mario to the rescue
What are the first challenges Draghi will face in his country and in Brussels?
Europe’s way out of the coronavirus crisis: from self-interest to solidarity?
The coronavirus crisis brought about financial hardship for the European Union, and many agree that a recovery fund would be needed to overcome it. In…
A Gulf apart: How Europe can gain influence with the Gulf Cooperation Council
The ECFR Rome office organized a virtual gathering, moderated by the Head of ECFR Rome Arturo Varvelli, to present the ECFR publication “A Gulf…
Corona Angst – How the virus puts the European Project and globalisation at risk
Recently declared a global pandemic, it is undeniable that the coronavirus will be a global political, social, financial and economic crisis – requiring actions that…
The Berlin Libya Conference: a moment to shine for European foreign policy?
Anthony Dworkin stands in for our usual host, Mark Leonard, to de-brief the Berlin Conference on Libya. Together with the ECFR’s experts Asli Aydıntaşbaş, Tarek…
Events
6 Mar
United West, divided from the rest? Come europei, cinesi, indiani, russi ed americani guardano alla guerra
Nell’attuale contesto internazionale, le relazioni dell’Europa con le potenze globali stanno cambiando rapidamente, e la loro evoluzione rappresenta un elemento di analisi ineludibile nel delineare la strategia di politica estera dell’UE
25 Jan
Africa-Europe Relations in 2021
The roundtable will focus on the state of the Africa-Europe relationship with its challenges and opportunities, and the role that Southern Europe could play in the process
15 Dec
Strategic sovereignty: how can Europe survive Biden’s presidency
The event will convene a high-level group of Italian decision-makers and opinion shapers across government, business, media and the expert community as well as member of ECFR Council
In the media
For Italy, for long a middle power working as a bridge in the Wider Mediterranean, this is about retrieving that connecting capability and use it towards the Global South
In light of ECFR’s new polling, Arturo Varvelli assesses the role Italy can play in the Global South
We cannot think that Italy can compete in Africa with China, Russia, or the Gulf. Rome’s strategy in the continent must be integrated with Europe’s, and this seems to be Tajani’s idea as well.
Arturo Varvelli on the Italian role in Africa and the Mattei Plan for Africa launched by the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
The release of videos of attacks on civilians has made massive retaliation inevitable, which is precisely what Hamas wants in order to inflame Arab public opinion
Arturo Varvelli comments on Hamas mediatic strategy in the conflict with Israel
Radicalization processes often involve prison-time, which doesn’t facilitate redemption but rather favors a negative spiraling, then amplified by online or in-person propaganda
Arturo Varvelli comments on the terrorist attack in Brussels, radicalization in Europe, and tensions in Israel and Gaza
Qatar has developed in the past twenty years its own international projection, but I’m afraid it’s not going to be able to untangle the situation. Perhaps Egypt could play a decisive role.
Arturo Varvelli comments on Qatar’s posture in the current Middle Eastern crisis