MOSCOW, November 3 (RIA Novosti) — Italian politician and member of the European Parliament Matteo Salvini has said it is time to follow Hungary’s example and threaten to leave the European Union, RIA Novosti’s Russian language service reported.
Speaking via his Twitter account, Salvini, a member of the conservative Lega Nord, stated Monday that “Hungary has found the courage to rebel against Brussels and is now developing. Why shouldn’t we do it too?”
Late last month, the Speaker of Hungary’s National Assembly Laszlo Köver threatened that the country would withdraw from the European Union if Brussels continues to interfere in the country’s domestic affairs with what he called “oppressive measures”. Köver noted that the EU’s continued interference may lead to Hungary’s “slow and careful” withdrawal from the Union, whose future he said would be “unbearably bureaucratic”.
Last month, Salvini and fellow Lega Nord parliamentarian Paolo Grimoldi visited Moscow, where they spoke out against sanctions and called for increased cooperation between Italy and Russia in economics, sports, culture and the fight against global terror. Lega Nord representatives were the only ones in Brussels to vote against sanctions aimed at Russia over the events in Ukraine, and have faced a backlash of criticism in the Italian media as a result. Party representatives have noted that sanctions and countersanctions have meant lost exports and lost jobs for Italians. The Eurosceptical party formed a “Friends of Putin” group in Italy’s parliament, stating that the Russian president is “respected by representatives of different political forces.”
