Here's what a Meloni government in Italy could mean for the EU

The far-right victory in Italy's elections is likely to translate into Rome joining Poland and Hungary by adopting a eurosceptic stance on European Union affairs, experts have told Euronews.

"There will be definitely a shift in the positioning of the Italian government compared to the past two Mario Draghi governments," Luca Tomini, a political scientist from Free Brussels University, told Euronews.

"I think what we need to expect is a more Eurosceptic position of the Italian government on several issues. There will be probably a realignment of Italy along with the government of Poland especially," he added.

The far-right Brothers of Italy party, led by Giorgia Meloni, and its coalition partners — Matteo Salvini's populist Northern League and Silvio Berlusconi's Go Italy (Forza Italia) — gathered more than 43% of the vote.

They came well ahead of a centre-left coalition led by Enrico Letta's Democratic Party (26.2%) and whose platform was seen as a continuation of the policies undertaken over the past year and a half by outgoing technocratic Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

Meloni, who is likely to become the country's first female leader, is now expected to helm the most right-wing and eurosceptic government Italy has had since World War II.

Draghi, who had successfully shepherded the eurozone through the turbulent euro crisis, was well-respected both at home and also across EU capitals. His short tenure at the Chigi Palace saw Italy take centre stage in EU discussions over the bloc's post-COVID economic recovery but also over the best response to the Russian war in Ukraine and its negative consequences on energy prices and inflation.

A Meloni premiership may bring this approach to an end.

"Giorgia Meloni has always claimed that