Italy – Relaunching the "spirit of Helsinki"

Active participation in the Euroatlantic and global institutions has been a central pillar of Italy’s foreign policy since the end of World War II. The belief that multilateral diplomacy can be an effective means to advance national interests in a wide spectrum of policy sectors has been widely shared both among policy leaders and public opinion. Despite the recent rise of nationalist tendencies, mostly linked to social and economic populism, there remains solid support for a foreign policy stance characterized by a high level of commitment to the promotion of the co-operation agendas of multilateral organizations.