Valdai Club

Climate change has become one of the most pressing challenges in the world. The IPCC-6 report released in August 2021 indicated that a minimum of 2 degrees of warming is inevitable. As a result, the COP-26 conference in Glasgow in November 2021 generated immense public interest.

Environmental protection is a global problem, which affects all of humanity, but ecology as a value divides the world even more and deepens stratification. It is not enough to adopt a declaration; behind the green perestroika there are colossal financial investments, which most countries throughout the world couldn’t even consider, writes Valdai Club expert Elena Maslova.

Europe has become a rallying point for both the right and the left in the new government, including the Eurosceptics. Both flanks say they want a stronger voice in Europe and European institutions. With the arrival of the Mario Draghi cabinet, the two pillars of Italian foreign policy — Europeanism and Atlanticism — can be expected to receive strong support, writes Valdai Club expert Elena Maslova.

The only positive outcome of the coronavirus pandemic was the rapid self-cleansing of the environment. Emissions from factories ceased as they were shut down and there was lighter traffi c, resulting in better air quality. This has been corroborated by satellite images and meteorological monitoring data in many countries. Then, river water got cleaner.


The EU is becoming the trendsetter for the global environmental agenda. It sees itself not only as a competitive economy but also as the leader of the green revolution.

The main dilemma that Europe is facing is how to combine the security risks allegedly emanating from Huawei, Euro-Atlantic solidarity and a desire to introduce new advanced technology that is of decisive importance for the development of its own economy and society, writes Valdai Club expert Elena Maslova.

The new yellow and red cabinet results by and large from an artificial coalition. As we know, artificial coalitions of this kind seldom take root or at least find it very challenging. It can be argued that the Italian authorities have simply postponed a snap general election, which means that new colors and undertones will soon appear in Italy.

On July 4, 2019, Vladimir Putin paid an official visit to Italy. This visit once again confirmed that the Moscow-Rome dialogue is active and developing, and the parties have something to discuss. At the same time, it is extremely important for Russia not to overestimate the role of Italy in the European Union and its intentions towards Russia. In this regard, an understanding of the national interests of Italy and its domestic political situation is essential for Russia to understand.

Politically, Franco-Italian rivalry in the Mediterranean is a major problem. The Mediterranean is a foreign policy priority for both states, but Italy has been recently losing this battle to France. The latest example is Libya, where Italy was against a military operation up to the last possible moment. Rome’s interests have been seriously affected by instability in the region, in particular in Libya.

The yellow-green coalition of Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Salvini continues to earn citizens’ support in the Rome-Brussels confrontation (the migration issue is also very acute). If the Italian version of the budget is adopted, Brussels will lose face, showing that it cannot keep the EU discipline. However, in this case the EU Commission has the right to impose sanctions against Italy.