On Thursday, Italy’s hard-right League party announced its intention to amend the law to remove the European Union flag from public offices, aiming to reinforce its eurosceptic stance ahead of the upcoming European parliamentary elections next month.
League leader Matteo Salvini, whose political influence has diminished in recent years, is reviving a radical agenda to attract eurosceptic voters and bolster his party’s support within Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition government.
Senator Claudio Borghi, a committed eurosceptic and a candidate in the European elections, stated that only the Italian national flag and regional banners should be displayed in front of public offices.
He plans to introduce legislation to repeal a 1998 law that mandates the display of the EU flag at Italy’s public offices, describing the requirement as nonsensical.
The League is part of the radical right Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament, which includes France’s Rassemblement National (RN), Austria’s Freedom Party (FPO), and Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Although ID is currently the sixth largest group in the EU assembly, recent polls suggest it could rise to fourth place, just behind the liberals, with the RN expected to gain significant ground in France.
In the 2019 EU elections, the League secured 34% of the vote, but it is now polling at around 9%.
In contrast, Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party has emerged as the leading force on the Italian right, commanding 27% support.
As part of his strategy to revive the League’s popularity, Salvini has nominated Roberto Vannacci, an army general who caused controversy last year by publishing a book that disparaged the LGBTQ community, migrants, minorities, and feminists, as a candidate.
Salvini’s move to remove the EU flag and his endorsement of controversial figures reflect his attempt to rekindle the League’s eurosceptic base and regain political traction ahead of the European elections.
