Italian Parliament's Vote on Anti-Russia Sanctions to Affect Public Opinion

A vote in the lower house of the Italian Parliament on the anti-Russia sanctions, as suggested by the opposition movement, could solidify public opinion, with the majority of Italians already favorable to the restrictive measures being abolished, members of the Italian Five Star Movement (M5S) party told Sputnik on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, a group of Italian lawmakers from the M5S suggested holding a parliamentary vote on the anti-Russia sanctions before July 31, ahead of the EU summit that is due to decide on the matter following the recent unanimous decision by the EU ambassadors to extend the measures until January 2017.

"We believe it would be a great message that would resound very strongly, making a great impact on public opinion… If Italians could say today what they think about the sanctions on Russia, the vast majority of them would vote in favor of abolishing these sanctions," the M5S members of Chamber of Deputies’ Foreign Affairs Committee said in a collective response.

Last week, a Pew Research Center poll revealed that 52 percent of Italians are unhappy with the European Union's policy toward Russia.

Italy has suffered greatly from the sanctions, losing some 3.6 billion euro ($4 billion) with Italian exports to Russia decreasing by 34 percent last year.

In June, speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Russia, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi stated that he would oppose the automatic renewal of sanctions.

“We all listened to his words, while speaking directly to [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin… If the Italian Parliament will not schedule this vote, despite our strong pressure, we will remember Renzi's speech as one of the uncountable lies from the prime minister,” the lawmakers said.

They also expressed doubt that the Italian government would respect the results of the parliamentary vote, while also casting doubt on whether French President Francois Hollande would take account of the outcome of votes on the anti-Russia sanctions held recently in both chambers of the French parliament.

Earlier in June, the French Senate passed, by an overwhelming majority, a resolution calling on the government to abolish the sanctions against Russia. The National Assembly, France's lower house of parliament, adopted a similar resolution in April.

In Italy, a vote on the issue was held by the Veneto regional council in early May with deputies passing a resolution that urged the national government to work to lift the sanctions against Russia. In the coming weeks, two more Italian regions — Liguria and Lombardy — plan to adopt similar resolutions in local councils with votes scheduled for June 29 and July 4 respectively.

Since 2014, relations between Russia and the European Union deteriorated amid the crisis in Ukraine. Brussels, Washington and their allies have introduced several rounds of anti-Russia sanctions since the reunification of Crimea with Russia in 2014, accusing Moscow of meddling in the Ukrainian conflict.

Russia has repeatedly refuted the allegations, warning that the Western sanctions are counterproductive and undermine global stability.