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Overview

Political system

Italy is a parliamentary republic with a prime minister who is the head of government. The president is the head of state and appoints the prime minister. The Parliament is composed of 2 houses: the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. The country is subdivided into 20 regions. 5 of these have a special autonomous status, enabling them to pass legislation on some local matters.

Trade and economy

Italy’s GDP per capita is €36 600, very close to the EU average (€37 600). It accounts for 12.2% of the EU's total GDP.

(Source: Eurostat - figures for GDP per capita and GDP)

(Source: Eurostat - figures for exports and imports)

Italy and the EU

Budgets and funding

How does Italy benefit from the EU budget?

The EU budget is the tool to ensure that Europe remains a democratic, peaceful, prosperous and competitive force. The EU uses it to finance its priorities and big projects that most individual EU countries could not finance on their own.

The benefits of EU membership significantly exceed the size of the EU budget contributions and the examples are many. All Member States benefit from being part of the Single Market, a shared approach to the common challenges of migration, terrorism and climate change, and concrete gains like better transport infrastructure, modernised and digitalised public services and cutting-edge medical treatment.

How much each EU country pays into the EU budget is calculated fairly. The larger your country's economy, the more it pays – and vice versa.

The EU budget is not about giving and taking – it’s about collectively contributing to making Europe and the world a better place for us all.

EU budget spending and revenue per country and per year

EU-funded projects in Italy

Money from the EU budget helps fund programmes and projects in all EU countries – for example to build roads, subsidise researchers and protect the environment.

Find out more about how Italy benefits from EU funding and recovery funds in your country or region.