The Italian Five-Year Plan 

As usual, on the first big weekend of September, politicians and businessmen gather on the shores of Lake Como to discuss "Intelligence on the world, Europe, and Italy". This time the whole government of Italy was updated.

At the parliamentary elections in March, the parties "5 stars" and "League" won, as result they formed the government. The leaders of the parties, Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Salvini became vice-premiers and ministers of economic development and internal affairs, respectively, lawyer Giuseppe Conte was appointed Premier.

Giuseppe Conte, photo © Evgeny Utkin

It seemed that two incompatible parties had unified, which will quarell during the first months of the reign. But Matteo Salvini, the leader of the League (his party, according to recent polls, is leading with about 33% of the vote, against "5 stars", lagging behind by 3-4%), said at the Forum that he does not have ambitions to become prime minister, and he wants to do everything possible to ensure that the government is able to withhold the entire planned period, i.e. the whole five-year plan.

In addition to him, many Italian ministers came to the Forum, including the Minister of Economy and Finance Giovanni Tria. He also assured businessmen and European commissioners that Italy will try not to get out of the European parameters of 3% of the budget deficit, and at the same time to keep pre-election promises to the Italians. As it will be done by the Italian government, he did not explain, therefore we will see in the autumn.

Matteo Salvini (right), photo © Evgeny Utkin

This year the Forum was first visited by the Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia Denis Manturov and the regular participant Arkady Dvorkovich, this time as co-chairman of the Skolkovo Foundation. The minister spoke at the opening of the forum, and Dvorkovich at the end of the day, finishing the session on innovation. Denis Manturov stressed that "Russia will remain open with all countries and will continue to cooperate".

Despite the sanctions, "in the first half of 2018 the trade between the Russian Federation and the European Union increased by more than 20%, and with the United States - by more than 11%". He also talked about the creation of Russian industrial zones abroad, in particular, in Egypt, and invited foreign companies there.

Evgeny Utkin (left) and Arkady Dvorkovich (right), photo © Evgeny Utkin

After the plenary session, Denis Manturov, together with the Russian ambassador to Rome, Sergei Razov, left for closed talks with Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi (along with him, the Italian Ambassador to Moscow Pasquale Terracchiano), and then flew to Moscow. We managed to ask Manturov how goes work with the new "pro-Russian" government, to which the minister replied that "it is too early to judge, because they started working quite recently. But the atmosphere of the talks was very warm".

The Italian Foreign Minister told us that they, among other issues, also discussed the upcoming visit to Russia in October of the Premiere of Italy, Giuseppe Conti. By the way, Russian participants did not meet either with Conti or with Salvini. They performed on the first day, and Salvini and Conti appeared in the second, when neither Manturov nor Dvorkovich was there.

Denis Manturov, photo © Evgeny Utkin

In addition to Russian, there were other ministers, French, Spanish, Turkish, many businessmen from all over the world. And even the first participant-humanoid HI5, together with its creator, a professor from Osaka, Hiroshi Ishiguro. He created it an incomplete copy of himself. It was like a living illustration of Alexander Belyaev's novel "The Head of Professor Dowell".

Hiroshi Ishiguro, photo © Evgeny Utkin

This "humanoid" speaks in the same voice and can replace the professor during the lectures. Perhaps, it was curious, but still it was more curious to look and listen to members of the new Italian government, because they will determine the policy of the 60 millionth country for the near future.

Evgeny Utkin, Cernobbio, Italy

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