Acting at the margins – Italian mnemonic activism in the European Parliament

This article contributes to the analysis of the complex dynamics behind the construction of EU memory politics in the European Parliament by focusing on an understudied group of actors: Italian Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). Italian MEPs so far have remained on the margins of most of the main European Parliament initiatives regarding memory politics. The only exception to this rule could be observed during the accession process of Slovenia and Croatia. This article contextualises all instances of mnemonic activism of the Italian MEPs in the period 1999-2019. It investigates the specific narratives put forward by Italian actors and their embedding in the wider European memory framework by studying debate protocols, motions for resolutions, parliamentary questions and minutes of working group meetings in the EP.