Hungary and the V4 support the EU’s plans to provide help for Italy, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wrote to leader of Lega Nord Matteo Salvini according to press reports. Bertalan Havasi, the Prime Minister’s press chief confirmed to the Hungarian news agency MTI that the Hungarian Prime Minister sent a message to Mr Salvini by telephone in connection with the internal political disputes that erupted in Italy at the weekend.

In his SMS message, Mr Orbán asked the leader of Lega Nord to relay the Hungarian position to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and to request the Italian Prime Minister to support in return the aspirations of the Visegrád countries.

On the opening day of a week-long series of talks between leaders of the European Union and representatives of the Italian economy and society, Giuseppe Conte appealed to opposition parties which stayed away from the talks.

Mr Conte called upon opposition right-wing parties “with close ties to the Visegrád political forces and governments” – which in his view stayed away from the talks without a sound reason – to join the rescue effort.

In his appeal to them he pointed out that, driven by Italy’s national interests, they should speak up in Member States of the European Union led by right-wing parties, in particular, in the Visegrád countries which are opposed to the line suggested by the European Commission.

(The Prime Minister/MTI)