Стр. 3 - V

Author : Igor Pellicciari
Professor at the University of Salerno, Russian honorary consul in Bologna, Emilia Romagna (Italy)
THE LECTIO MAGISTRAIIS OF ROMANO
PRODI in Moscow on March 17, 2016, organized by
the journal International Affairs, was one of those
events that will be remembered for a long time to
come by those who attended and had the chance to
meet the former European Commission President and
two-time Italian Prime Minister.
FOR PRODI, the migrant crisis threatens to shake the
very foundations of the European Union, as it is an
emergency that profoundly affects Europe's people rather than just its governments.
Surprisingly strong has been Prodi's statement that by controlling the flow of migrants to Europe
Turkey de facto owns a weapon that is just as potent as a nuclear bomb.
THE STABILIZATION of the Middle East and the defeat of ISIS are possible only with a com-
prehensive global agreement and the development of a common position between Russia and the
United States. This is also the only possible pre-requisite for a full and sustainable peace process in
the region.
Prodi again repeated his assessment that Russia's military intervention in Syria has put a concrete
discussion of a political solution for the region back on the agenda.
WITH RARE FRANKNESS Prodi acknowledged that of the three countries that had a leading
role in influencing EU policies during the time of his EC presidency, it is Germany that is the un-
contested leader of the union today; while France and the UK have been marginalized, mainly as a
result of wrong decisions taken in Paris and London.
He did not criticize Germany for having accepted this position as a consequence of others' weak-
nesses. But Prodi has clearly outlined that a Union dominated by Berlin might, in the long run,
create a position difficult for the union as a whole to sustain.
FOR PRODI, Russia and the EU are obliged to have good and intense political relations. The al-
ternative is an extremely dangerous situation that cannot produce any good for either side in the
long run.
"At that time, we had constant exchange of information with Moscow," he said in what has been
one of the most interesting statements of the whole speech.
He recalled the agreement between Russia and the EU on the four common areas of cooperation
signed in 2003 as a clear example of the fact that good relations already existed and that they should
be used as a model for the future normalization of Russian-European relations.3
According to Prodi, the real problem has never been EU enlargement but rather NATO's eastward
expansion - a short but powerful statement that confirms the difficult and competitive relations
that exist between the EU and NATO,4 particularly on the issue of how to deal with Eastern Eu-
rope.
http://interaffairs.ru
The Third (and Best) Phase of Romano Prodi's Political Life