Lombardy considers recognizing Crimea and lifting sanctions

05.07.2016

The region of Lombardy in the north of Italy has become the third Italian region whose local legislature has raised the issue of recognizing Crimea. The resolution also demands that the anti-Russian sanctions be abolished.

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If the document is approved, the chairman of the council and head of the region will have the authority to negotiate with the government and Italian Parliament on revision of EU policy with regard to these issues. The regions of northern Italy have suffered more than others from the counter-sanctions that Moscow was forced to impose after the start of the anti-Russian campaign in the West.

A competent Europe

Lombardy is not the only region that stands for normalizing relations with Russia. Previously, such a resolution was supported by the Veneto and Liguria regions. On Wednesday, the same document will be considered by the Parliament of Tuscany.

Northern League

The initiator of such resolutions’ consideration in local parliaments is the influential Northern League. The party’s supporters hold positions of Euroscepticism and traditional values. Conservative political forces in Europe as a whole sympathize with Russia as a state that defends Christian ideals and a healthy international agenda.