Italy is a sovereign state.
The Big Four , also known as G4 or EU4 , refers to France , Germany , Italy and the United Kingdom . These countries are considered major European powers and they are the Western European countries individually represented as full members of the G7 , the G8 and the G20 . The Human Development Index ( HDI ) is a composite statistic of life expectancy , education , and per capita income indicators , which are used to rank countries into four tiers of human development . Italy . Italy is a founding and leading member of the European Union and the member of numerous international institutions , including the UN , NATO , the OECD , the OSCE , the WTO , the G7/G8 , G20 , the Union for the Mediterranean , the Council of Europe , Uniting for Consensus and many more .