Italy’s first official European candidates are emerging. With some party leaders on the front line

Brussels – With less than 50 days to go before the opening of the polls in Italy for the European elections (on June 8 and 9),  the candidates seeking reconfirmation, a comeback, or a first time in the European Parliament are starting to emerge. It will be a hectic week for the Italian parties ahead of the May 1 deadline to submit the lists in the five constituencies, ushered in not only by the Democratic Party’s announcement of its choices (not yet complete) but also by the confirmations of the leaders of several parties – PD included – to place themselves at the head of their respective political forces to set the pace for a month of intense campaigning in May.

As announced yesterday (April 21) at the end, of the Democratic Party leadership meeting, in the end Secretary Elly Schlein will be the leading candidate in the Center and Islands constituency, accompanied by the governor of the Emilia-Romagna Region, Stefano Bonaccini (Northeast), Cecilia Strada (Northwest) and Lucia Annunziata (South). Among the outgoing MEPs seeking reappointment in the June European elections are the current head of the PD delegation to the European Parliament, Brando Benifei, and Irene Tinagli (Northwest), Elisabetta Gualmini and Alessandra Moretti (Northeast), Camilla Laureti, Beatrice Covassi, and Daniela Rondinelli (Center), Pina Picierno (South), and Pietro Bartolo (Islands). As sources inside the Italian delegation, part of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group, say “there are still a few pieces missing” that will be defined in the coming days.

The picture is less defined for the other parties, but the first indications about the leading candidates are already beginning to emerge. In particular, standing out is the candidate for the 2024 European elections of Forza Italia, secretary Antonio Tajani, former MEP from 1994 to 2008 and from 2014 to 2022 (President of the EU Parliament between 2017 and 2019) and since autumn 2022, deputy prime minister and Foreign Minister in the Meloni government. Tajani’s presence at the head of the party in all constituencies (except for the Islands, where the leader is the former PD MEP who in 2023 switched to Forza Italia, Caterina Chinnici) is not so much linked to a desire to return to Brussels, but more to the need to present a strong name on which to converge, and then leave the seat to the first of the excluded in each constituency. Sources inside the Italian delegation of the European People’s Party group say that something more certain will be known about the composition of the lists close to the May 1 deadline.

A similar situation should be noted for the other parties running in the 2024 European elections. The United States of Europe coalition (which brings together +Europa and Italia Viva and will merge into the liberal Renew Europe group) at the moment has released the leading candidates, among whom appears the leader of +Europa, Emma Bonino, in the North West constituency, as well as former British MEP with Italian citizenship Graham Watson (Northeast), Giandomenico Caiazza (Center), the Secretary of the Italian Socialist Party, Enzo Maraio (South) and Rita Bernardini (Islands). The League and Five-Star Movement have not yet released their lists of candidates and leading candidates. However, their respective leaders – Matteo Salvini and Giuseppe Conte – have anticipated that they will not lead the lists in any constituency. For the Green Left Alliance, names are being finalized that will run with Ilaria Salis, an Italian citizen detained in Hungary (in conditions unacceptable for an EU member country) and who, in case of election, would benefit from parliamentary immunity. Finally, a decision is awaited from Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, on her possible candidacy at the head of Fratelli d’Italia to push the party’s expected rise to the polls even further. “I think that measuring oneself against the consensus of citizens would be useful and interesting,” said the FdI leader and president of the Party of European Conservatives and Reformists during a press conference at the start of the year.

The (partial) lists of the PD at the European 2024

Northwest – Cecilia Strada (leader), Brando Benifei, Irene Tinagli, Alessandro Zan, Antonella Parigi, Giorgio Gori, Eleonora Evi, Pierfrancesco Maran, Elena Accossato, Davide Mattiello, Monica Romano, Emanuele Fiano, Lucia Artusi, Fulvio Centoz, Donatella Alfonso, Fabio Pizzul;

Northeast – Stefano Bonaccini (leader), Annalisa Corrado, Ivan Petretti, Elisabetta Gualmini, Alessandro Zan, Alessandra Moretti, Giuditta Pini, Silvia Panini, Antonio Mumolo, Sara Vito, Marcello Saltarelli, Andrea Zanoni;

Center – Elly Schlein (leader), Nicola Zingaretti, Camilla Laureti, Marco Tarquinio, Beatrice Covassi, Dario Nardella, Daniela Rondinelli, Matteo Ricci, Umberto Insolera, Alessia Morani, Marco Paciotti, Antonio Mazzeo;

South – Lucia Annunziata (lead), Antonio Decaro, Pina Picierno, Sandro Ruotolo, Jasmine Cristallo, Shadi Alizadeh, Giuseppina Paterna, Annamaria Becci, Francesco Forte, Luigi Tassone, Lello Topo, Francesco Todisco;

Islands – Elly Schlein (lead), Antonio Nicita, Nidia Tilotta, Pietro Bartolo, Angela Quaquero, Peppino Lupo.