Valdai Club

The narrow and composite feature of the majority that elected the new president of the European commission suggests that the political reality of the European Union has evolved. In fact, the new president was chosen thanks to the decisive support of French President Emmanuel Macron and of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

The adoption by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Committee on Rules of Procedure of a proposed resolution to return of the Russian delegation to full participation in the next June session is a signal of evolution of the attitude of most members of the council; only seven countries opposed it.

Italy has paid a high price for the sanctions placed on Russia, especially as the Italian economy has had a prolonged period of little or no growth. The general sense in Italy is that we need to find a way to work with Russia, not just on energy questions but on security, regional tensions and how to manage a changing international order. Italy cannot come out and be a strong advocate for Russia in the EU but it will not be one of the hawks.