This article examines the administrative reform proposals of the European Commission by analyzing the Country Specific Recommendations – CSRs addressed to Italy within the framework of the European Semester. Over the years reform proposals have been treated differently within the CSRs, potentially weakening their effectiveness and credibility. Furthermore, a review of the secondary literature on budget reforms in Italy shows that implementation has been assessed by the European Commission with reference to the mere adoption of laws, while overlooking context and process of reforms. In a nutshell, the article shows that the European Semester did not provide support to the Italian government that still lacks the capacity to maintain coherence between strategic ideas for administrative modernization and reform measures.