In 2009, Barracciu ran for the European Parliament in the ranks of the PD in the Italian Islands constituency and obtained 116,844 preferences, making her the first of the non-elected, and then taking over from Rosario Crocetta on 17 December 2012, after his resignation for the election as president of Sicily.

On 28 February 2014, Barracciu was appointed Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism led by the minister Dario Franceschini, resigning as MEP, ratified on 11 March 2014.

Her appointment caused serious perplexity as Matteo Renzi himself, at the time new secretary of PD, asked Barracciu to renounce the race as a centre-left coalition candidate for the presidency of Sardinia despite the victory in the primary, two months from the vote, because investigated for the use of regional funds.

In December 2013, Barracciu, who was the then MEP and candidate for governor was heard by the prosecutor Marco Cocco to answer for the failure to report on expenses made by the regional council group between February 2006 and January 2009, for a total of thirty-three thousand euros in mileage reimbursements for fuel.

[4] On 5 December 2017, the Court of Cagliari sentenced Barracciu to 4 years of imprisonment for aggravated embezzlement in the context of the scandal on funds destined for groups of the Regional Council of Sardinia and spent for non-institutional purposes.