ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2021) Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is currently heading the right-wing Forza Italia party, is unlikely to attend the European People's Party leadership meeting in Rome next week on the advice of his doctors, Antonio Tajani, the party's vice president, announced on Friday.
"He really wants to come in person, but doctors have advised him not to come to Rome, as he is recommended to rest now. Today he will have another medical examination. It does not depend on him, if it did, he would have attended all three days of the meeting," Tajani said at a press conference at the Foreign Press Association, adding that it is highly likely that Berlusconi will be prescribed several more days of rest.
Tajani noted that the meeting of the EPP group in the European Parliament, where Berlusconi represents Forza Italia, will focus on the issues of agriculture, migration and employment in Europe in the future. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will attend the event online and is expected to discuss the recent military agreement between the US, the UK and Australia, according to the politician.
"We hope that Europe will get information, that von der Leyen will give us detailed information," Tajani added.
Berlusconi is set to speak at the EPP meeting via videoconference on Tuesday. The event will also be attended by members of the Italian government, Italian Senate President and three vice presidents of the European Commission, including Vice President for economic affairs, Valdis Dombrovskis.
The 84 year old politician has been in and out of hospital since contracting COVID-19 last September. He was hospitalized twice in the past few weeks. Due to health reasons, Berlusconi also could not attend court hearings in his corruption trial, causing repeated delays in the process.
