I have not once heard anyone describe the European Union as populist despite its wildly protectionist policies and its penchant for massive spending on popular

I have not once heard anyone describe the European Union as populist despite its wildly protectionist policies and its penchant for massive spending on popular social programs. European elites are quite fond of populism then. As long as they can pretend they have a free market inside their special economic zone. Actual self-identified populists like Steve Bannon and Nigel Farage rail against the EU but would never call it populist, for obvious reasons. I imagine the same for the leader of Italy.