Italian ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (86) reports a birthday present. The sender: Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin (70). As an EU Commission spokeswoman confirmed when asked by the German news agency, it was decided in April 2022 to extend the import ban on goods from Russia to the EU to include spirits, including vodka.
The corresponding legal basis does not provide for an exception for gifts. Member States are responsible for implementing EU sanctions. Authorities in Italy must determine who is responsible for the alleged violation of sanctions. Berlusconi said Putin sent him 20 bottles of vodka for his birthday.
What Berlusconi says about Putin
With his statements about Putin published Tuesday evening, he once again fueled doubts about the determination of the future government to act against Moscow. In a recording of a secretly recorded speech by Berlusconi, the politician, who turned 86 on September 29, said he had reconnected with the Kremlin boss and had described him as one of his five closest friends.
In the audio recording, the former head of government, whose Forza Italia wants to form the future government as a small partner in a right-wing coalition, said: “I have resumed relations with President Putin a bit, a bit much, so he sent me 20 bottles of vodka for my birthday and a very sweet letter.”
EU does not investigate individual cases
The European Commission is not investigating individual cases of how sanctions would be applied, the spokeswoman said. Violations of the sanctions can be reported to the competent national authorities of the Member States or anonymously through the EU Whistleblower Tool.
(SDA)