
Giuseppe Conte addresses journalists after a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella in Rome on May 27, four days before becoming prime minister. Italy's new government will demand change on issues such as migration and Russian sanctions in its dealings with Brussels.
The new government in Italy has promised a break with the past. But while the administration in Rome has explained its program to overhaul the economy in some detail, its plans for foreign policy remain comparatively vague. Nonetheless, from Russia to trade to migration — one of the country's biggest issues — Italy's new leaders have demands that could ruffle some feathers, both on the Continent and across the Atlantic. Putting the Financial House in Order Italy's government coalition, which consists of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the right-wing League party, will focus predominantly on the economy in the hopes of boosting growth and lowering unemployment after a decade of crisis. At home, the new administration will seek to cut taxes, increase public spending and abolish the controversial austerity measures of its predecessors, such as a recent pension reform.