The President of the Republic was scathing in his comments on the debate sparked by the jeweller’s case: “Adapting the law to individual behaviour amounts to the state abdicating its responsibilities.” He then took a swipe at the left: “Let us not hesitate to condemn the unacceptable violence in Val di Susa”

During the traditional press briefing at the Quirinale, the President of the Republic cautioned: the establishment of “an effective common European defence does not pose a threat to anyone, nor is it aimed at war: on the contrary, it is a means of ensuring peace”