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ROME, June 7-- Over the last year, Italy has clashed with the European Commission over the country's deficit and spending plans. Soon, the country will discover if those problems will cost it in terms of representation on the commission itself, analysts said. Last month, citizens across the 28-nation European Union voted for 751 members of the new European Parliament. Next, each member state will nominate a representative to the European Commission and then the members of the European Parliament will decide the role each will take. For the past five years, Italian Federica Mogherini has been the commissioner for foreign affairs and vice-president of the commission. According to Lorenzo Castellani, a professor specializing in the history of political institutions at Rome's LUISS University, Italy would probably like to have its representative to the commission appointed to another top role. Most likely, Italy will push for an area where it can promote the government's political priorities, such as a commissioner with a portfolio related to economic policy, European integration, or migration. All three are areas where the Italian government led by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has repeatedly clashed with the European Commission. "Italy could end up with a smaller role than it should be based on the size of the economy and the country's population," Castellani told Xinhua. "If lawmakers vote to put Italy's representative in a second-tier position or one far from the government's main priorities, I think we could see a conflict." | 
