We have visited thus far, it is the hard right that lead the polls. There are other systemic issues. Its public finances are still in a precarious condition. And italy needs more workers for its various industries. But as mark lowen has been discovering, that drive to grow the workforce, is likely to be held back because of the growing hard right influence. The big beasts of italian politics are lining up for their european battle. And at this farm south of rome, which rears 1800 buffaloes, the question is whether change is afloat. Its a very italian family business, churning out exceptional mozzarella and ricotta. The grandson of the founder says the problems are many from european farmers being undercut by non eu countries to another Long Standing italian issue. Its not that easy to find workers. The median salary in italy is not growing up from a long time, and this is very sad because many times Younger University students prefer to not work instead of working just because of this. It means they employ Migrant Workers to fill the gap, and theres no shortage there, with new arrivals soaring by 50 last year despite the government promising to crack down. So at the centre for young unaccompanied migrants, more keep coming and the town is feeling the strain. Its ok for now. The numbers that we are receiving now, but i dont know in the future if they will, they could increase more. If it would be ok, it would be a little difficult. Youre at your maximum point, do you think . Maybe. Yes, i think so. They put together pieces of broken lives in a country theyll now call home. This man paid smugglers 2,000 euros to get here from burkina faso this month. Translation lots of africans think europe is a paradise, but its not true. Now i tell people back home to stay there, but i know they will keep trying. And even if italy wants to stop the boats, its impossible. So the to do list is long for Giorgia Meloni, elected Prime Minister 18 months ago and still leading the polls. The main city here, latina, mirrors italy, with the same issues and the first woman in charge. Translation the meloni | government is working well. We have problems of a falling birth rate, for example, which affects all of europe. We used to passively accept migrants, but now we have a big say in managing flows. Its important that our party wins this election so we can put forward our ideas at a european level. Behind italys blustery beauty lie its age old problems. But what has changed here in the past 18 months is whos trying to solve them. With Giorgia Melni dominating italian politics and hoping to further entrench her position after these European Elections. But well beyond these shores, europes other right wing leaders are also looking at her as a sort of figurehead, an example of what they, too, will hope to achieve. And so a key moment for italy and for europe, a vote on how to navigate these rough times. Mark lowen, bbc news in latina. Mark lowen rome correspondent joins us tonight from lisbon. Nathalie tocci director for the institute of International Affairs in rome. Fabrizio pagani, Senior Adviser at vitale and co and former Chief Of Staff for the italian finance minister. All very welcome to the programme. Let me start with you, mark, its interesting that Giorgia Meloni is putting a focus on the elections and plans to run as a candidate in all of the five countries of europe in constituencies, and her party looks at to win the vote as well, so the question is what is she tried to do . What does she want to do in europe . She wants to ensure that the right wing is in charge in the key institutions, European Commission, that they have a dominant say in the European Parliament, that there are significant number of mps from her grouping, which encompasses lots of different countries, which is how european politics work, and countries, mvps belong to a larger groupings. She wants to ensure that her country and the political ideals her country and the political ideals her party espouses are brought forward in the European Parliament. I should explain what you mentioned, she is running, but that is quite an italian thing, Silvio Berlusconi did it as well, and former Prime Ministers that it is well, they run as candidates for European Election to give it a bit of Name Recognition to give it a bit of Name Recognition to try to encourage italians to vote in the European Elections, but then they do not take up their seats because the italian Prime Minister cannot relinquish their position to become an mvp, so shes running for her party, and a bit of a tactic, if you like, and she would be elected, of course, shes top of the list, then she would link which that and give it to one of her deputies to become an mep. Give it to one of her deputies to become an mep. What interests me Nathalie Tocci, become an mep. What interests me Nathalie Tocci, on become an mep. What interests me Nathalie Tocci, on migration become an mep. What interests me Nathalie Tocci, On Migration SheNathalie Tocci, On Migration She stands close to the likes of marion le pen, but Marine Le Pen sits in another group, and identity and democracy to see group within the European Parliament, and she does not want to belong to that, she sees her self in different terms, why . She is the leader however on group, so georgia she is the leader however on group, so Georgia Monona is the leader of the ecr so Georgia Monona is the leader of the ecr group, european conservatives, and i would say that in terms conservatives, and i would say that in terms of conservatives, and i would say that in terms of political ideology, you could in terms of political ideology, you could say in terms of political ideology, you could say that today id is closer and further to the right than the ecr, and further to the right than the ecr. But and further to the right than the ecr, but the way in the evolution of these ecr, but the way in the evolution of these two ecr, but the way in the evolution of these two groups took place doesnt have much these two groups took place doesnt have much to do with political ideology, it has to do with the sympathies between some of these parties sympathies between some of these parties and it has to be said that there parties and it has to be said that there isnt parties and it has to be said that there isnt a great relationship at there isnt a great relationship at the moments. Lets see what happens at the the moments. Lets see what happens at the moment between Marine Le Pen and georgia at the moment between Marine Le Pen and georgia maloney, because in marine and georgia maloney, because in marine le and georgia maloney, because in Marine Le Pen group, her group, there Marine Le Pen group, her group, there is Marine Le Pen group, her group, there isthe Marine Le Pen group, her group, there is the other italian hard right there is the other italian hard right party, italian party. And this competition within a right in which giorgia competition within a right in which Giorgia Meloni, because of her role as prime Giorgia Meloni, because of her role as Prime Minister, she has had to, i wouldnt as Prime Minister, she has had to, i wouldnt say as Prime Minister, she has had to, i wouldnt say moderate, but at least try to wouldnt say moderate, but at least try to portray herself as more of an institutional figure. Try to portray herself as more of an institutionalfigure. She try to portray herself as more of an institutional figure. She has basically been receiving the competition from the rights by her opposition, in cohorts with marine le peh~ opposition, in cohorts with Marine Le Pen. ,. ,. ,. ,. , le pen. Fabrizio pagani, i was lookin le pen. Fabrizio pagani, i was looking at le pen. Fabrizio pagani, i was looking at the le pen. Fabrizio pagani, i was looking at the age le pen. Fabrizio pagani, i was looking at the age and le pen. Fabrizio pagani, i wasi looking at the age and publish problem in italy and it is stark. Years ago, there was one person over 65 for every child aged six or under, and now the ratio is five to one. So its really needs migration. It seems that they do not want the kind of migration that they have. I kind of migration that they have. I would make a distinction between irregular would make a distinction between Irregular Migration would make a distinction between Irregular Migration and would make a distinction between Irregular Migration and those would make a distinction between Irregular Migration and those are i Irregular Migration and those are coming Irregular Migration and those are coming into Irregular Migration and those are coming into the Irregular Migration and those are coming into the country Irregular Migration and those are coming into the country with Irregular Migration and those are coming into the country with a i Irregular Migration and those are. Coming into the country with a work permit coming into the country with a work permit in coming into the country with a work permit in that coming into the country with a work permit. In that sense, coming into the country with a work permit. In that sense, i coming into the country with a work permit. In that sense, ithink coming into the country with a work permit. In that sense, i think the i permit. In that sense, i think the policy permit. In that sense, i think the policy of permit. In that sense, i think the policy of this permit. In that sense, i think the policy of this government permit. In that sense, i think the policy of this government has permit. In that sense, i think the l policy of this government has been quite policy of this government has been quite different policy of this government has been quite different because policy of this government has been quite different because their quite different because their rhetoric quite different because their rhetoric in quite different because their rhetoric in all quite different because their rhetoric in all the quite different because their rhetoric in all the public quite different because their rhetoric in all the Public Discourse has been rhetoric in all the Public Discourse has been very rhetoric in all the Public Discourse has been very harsh rhetoric in all the Public Discourse has been very harsh against has been very harsh against irregular has been very harsh against Irregular Migration, has been very harsh against Irregular Migration, but has been very harsh against Irregular Migration, but in. Has been very harsh against Irregular Migration, but in terms of regular Irregular Migration, but in terms of regular migration, Irregular Migration, but in terms of regular migration, and Irregular Migration, but in terms of regular migration, and opening Irregular Migration, but in terms of regular migration, and opening upl Irregular Migration, but in terms of. Regular migration, and opening up to the regular regular migration, and opening up to the regular flows, regular migration, and opening up to the regular flows, this regular migration, and opening up to the regular flows, this government. The regular flows, this government has been the regular flows, this government has been quite the regular flows, this government has been quite generous, the regular flows, this governmentl has been quite generous, definitely more has been quite generous, definitely more generous has been quite generous, definitely more generous than has been quite generous, definitely more generous than previous more generous than previous governments more generous than previous governments. There more generous than previous governments. There are more generous than previous. Governments. There are around 500,000 governments. There are around 500,000 people governments. There are around 500,000 people who governments. There are around 500,000 people who would governments. There are around 500,000 people who would be| governments. There are around i 500,000 people who would be let governments. There are around 500,000 people who would be let into the country 500,000 people who would be let into the country in 500,000 people who would be let into the country in the 500,000 people who would be let into the country in the next 500,000 people who would be let into the country in the next three 500,000 people who would be let into the country in the next three years,. The country in the next three years, which the country in the next three years, which is the country in the next three years, which is definitely the country in the next three years, which is definitely much the country in the next three years, which is definitely much more the country in the next three years, which is definitely much more thanl which is definitely much more than it was which is definitely much more than it was with which is definitely much more than it was with previous which is definitely much more than it was with previous governments, | it was with previous governments, includinq it was with previous governments, including left wing it was with previous governments, including left wing governments. I including left wing governments. That is including left wing governments. That is familiar, including left wing governments. That is familiar, because including left wing governments. That is familiar, because we including left wing governments. That is familiar, because we a that is familiar, because we a problem with net migration in this country, well above where the Conservative Party would like it to be, not well publicised, they dont talk about it, its almost as if illegal migration is the cover for what is going on behind the scenes. Giorgia meloni, when she was running to become Prime Minister, before the elections in october 2022, she advocated a naval blockade of libya, and was taken a much harder line on migration and she has in office. She is still quite hard on this issue, and she has, for example, it struck and she has, for example, it struck a deal with albania that italy will build a couple of Migration Reception Centres to take i sent them seekers trying to get to italy, and then they will be processed in albania under italian law and if they get asylum, there will be up to come quickly. That has drawn the ire of human Rights Groups but interestingly, she was backed by figures such as Ursula Von Der Leyen, as another approach migration. Giorgia meloni and it was alluded to earlier, she, started off in politics in the post fsh Youth Movement in the Second World War that was allowed to rebuild, the fascist party, but she is now, even we used to call her far right, to some extent, there are parts of the Us Republican Party and the British Conservative Party might that are much further to the right than her, and as Nathalie Tocci alluded to, her opposition is farther to the right, so she rejects the label far right, so she rejects the label far right, and would call yourself a right Wing NationalConservative Party, and that is more the kind of politics we get from her in office. I talked about in realignments Fabrizio Pagani, and to the extent that