Bettino Craxi e la Comunità europea negli anni Ottanta

The article examines Bettino Craxi’s stance towards European integration. After becoming secretary of the Italian Socialist Party in 1976, Craxi advocated for a “social Europe”, where the European Community would address unemploy-ment and promote the equal distribution of wealth. However, while serving as Italy’s Prime Minister (1983-1987), Craxi set these goals aside. His engagement with the Community’s affairs was largely influenced by circumstances such as the British rebate, the defence of Italian agricultural interests within the CAP, and the Single European Act. It was only after his time at Palazzo Chigi that he returned to the subject of the social dimension of the EEC. This led him to express many reservations about the “neo-liberal” character of the internal market and the European Union created by the Maastricht Treaty.