Oct 26, 1997 · Find out more about Italy’s political system, economy and trade figures, its representation in the different EU institutions, and EU funding it receives.

In the 1950s, six core states founded the EU's predecessor European Communities (Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany). The remaining states have acceded in subsequent enlargements.

Jan 1, 1995 · The first agreement establishing the European Economic Community was signed in 1957 by six countries: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom joined in 1973, Greece in …

Located in Europe, Italy has been considered a major Western power since its unification in 1860. [1] Its main allies are the NATO countries and the EU states, two entities of which Italy is a founding member.

As a founding country, Italy has accompanied the process of European integration in all its stages, making Rome an essential crossroads in the history of the construction of European unity.

Italy is a founding and leading member of the European Union, and is part of numerous international institutions, including NATO, the G7 and G20, the Latin Union and the Union for the Mediterranean.

9 FEBRUARY 2016 – In Rome, the Foreign Ministers of the EU Founding Member States (Italy, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) reconfirm their commitment to Europe and the European project, inviting all other Member States to join them.

As European integration started again to be a contentious issue in domestic politics, so declined Italy’s influence. In more recent years: despite Italy’s formal status as a “big” member of the EU, Rome became less relevant than Madrid in EU decision making procedures.

Italy has undoubtedly contributed signifi-cantly to the process of European integration, yet the country is also widely known for its passive attitude in the day-to-day negotiations that make up...

The European Union (EU) is a union of 27 countries in Europe, each sharing common obligations and privileges under founding treaties. These agreements bind member states to adhere to laws passed by shared legislative and judicial bodies.