Draghi convinces (on the train) Scholz,

Before leaving Kievin a room of the Intercontinental hotel, Mario Draghi he said it clearly: those of Russia are lies, the cut in gas supplies to European countries, including Italy, instrumental, but above all allowed by the fact that Moscow continues to collect the same money, if not more, given that the constant increase in prices on international markets. For this reason, the head of the government intends to relaunch as never before the proposal for a price cap on the price of gas at the next European Council, scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

Draghi had the opportunity to talk face to face with Olaf Scholz during the trip to Kiev. By train, at night, they met for over two hours, en route from Poland to the Ukrainian capital. Yesterday morning they had another contact at breakfast time, before the convoy arrived at the station on the Polish border. The significant fact that for the first time Germany has accepted to consider the Italian proposal: even in Berlin they risk being cornered by the strangulation strategy implemented by Gazprom on Putin’s orders. Italy is paying the price, which in the next few hours could go into a state of alert on the energy sector, but the Russian cuts are affecting many countries of the Union.

If not a turning point, that of Sholz, in the conversations we had with the Prime Minister, however, there was an opening, a step forward. Until a few days ago the German government was firmly opposed to the idea of ​​a price cap decided by the EU states, now the scenario is changing very rapidly, hour after hour. The arguments of Berlin, which for Italy has always been the main stumbling block for the take-off of the initiative, are becoming less strong every day: one cannot continue to argue that Russian supplies are necessary for the economy and to consider the price risk as a risk. cap if one day you receive 100 in terms of gas and the next week you receive 50 and pay the same amount. a pincer maneuver, a blackmail, which for Draghi must be broken as soon as possible.

We will see next Thursday if the head of the Italian government, which in Kiev has undoubtedly collected a personal success, bringing both Paris and Berlin on a line of support open to Ukraine’s candidacy in the European Union, succeeding in further strengthening a political posture that insists on historical and breaking decisions, with respect to the past, given that the context that the EU is facing is not only different, but potentially dramatic. A scenario that for our premier, as in the case of Ukraine’s status with the EU, requires a rethinking of the entire functioning of the Union, in terms of geopolitics, efficiency and speed of decisions. A rethinking that also applies to the energy market, to tackle Russian blackmail.

France, on the price cap, would have no problems, if from Berlin green disc arrives. Holland, which hosts the main gas market trades, and which therefore profits from uncertainty, volatility and price increases, probably would not hold a negative position on the dossier if Paris, Berlin and Rome were on the same line. ‘wave. In short, a game that appears destined to open in a true way, given that so far our diplomacy has collected small glimmers or a few lines in the conclusions of the previous EU Councils. A game that will add to that of Kiev’s candidacy to the EU: for the Commission it is fine, but Portugal, Austria and the Netherlands still need to be convinced.

Draghi himself said he explained it to Zelensky: We can promise you that we, Germany and France are united, but we cannot promise you the unanimity of the European Council. Another tab that the European Union will be forced to face in the coming months, putting its hand to the Treaties. Meanwhile, as Sandro Gozi notes, with the decision announced in Kiev by the first three European countries, enlargement becomes a more strategic instrument, a geopolitical instrument used to respond to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, it is an assumption of responsibility very big. The European Union has decided to act as a power, to use its tools in a logic of power. a radical, historical paradigm shift.

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