The League party is set to increase its base by using the growing disillusionment towards the EU in Italy as its main platform for the elections.

The party is projected to be the second biggest party in the European parliament after the May election. According to polls, Salvini's League would win 27 seats putting it just behind Germany's ruling centre-right CDU/CSU party, which is expected to have 29 MEPs.

Matteo Salvini likes to project an image as standing up to the EU establishment.

"Salvini is good at two things," said Alexander Clarkson. "He knows how to bargain and how to be the boss. He wants to be one of the top people at the table who gets things done. He's a very ambitious guy, much like Macron in France, but from the opposite direction," said Clarkson.

Salvini is expected to team-up with Poland's Law and Justice party and France's Marine Le Pen in the parliament. He's hoping to attract newcomers including Spain's far-right Vox party and the Dutch Forum for Democracy.

The declining fortunes of the European parliament's largest groupings mean that the socialists and conservatives could dip below 50% of seats. However, with support from liberal and Green groups they could still form an alliance.

As radicals and populists continue their ascent, many are asking what has happened the mainstream centre-left? Social Democratic parties in Germany, France, the Netherlands and Austria have steadily been losing popular support for years.

Europe's Greens have recently seen strong showings in Belgium, Luxembourg and Bavaria challenging the traditional dominance of the socialist parties.

With the next parliament forecast to be more fragmented than ever before, the Greens hope disillusioned centre-left voters will opt for their candidates.

At the other end of the spectrum, Matteo Salvini is betting that a strong showing in the European elections will play well back home, turning the League into the dominant political force on the Italian right.

