INTERNATIONAL POLICY ANALYSIS The Italian White Paper on Defence Common Ground with Germany? ESTER SABATINO November 2017 n The British referendum decision to exit the EU has breathed new life into the ques­tion of a common European defence. Italy, which will be the third-largest defence spender in the EU after Brexit, has an important role to play in this debate. n Well before the referendum and the relaunch of the European defence agenda, the Italian Ministry of Defence had conducted an in-depth exercise in strategic thinking and planning, culminated in the 2015 white paper on defence. n The document codifies the Italian strategy for the use and development of armed force in the European, transatlantic and Mediterranean frameworks. It also ad­dresses important challenges for the national defence apparatus, ranging from per­sonnel reorganization to changes to internal governance. n The reform agenda has moved ahead slowly, however, with Italy lagging behind its white paper’s transformative ambitions.