Not pro-Russia or pro-U.S. says Di Maio

(ANSA) - Rome, November 21 - Deputy House Speaker Luigi Di Maio from the populist, euroskept 5-Star Movement (M5S) told an ANSA forum Monday his movement is distant from both Russia and the United States, but scrapping sanctions against Russia would benefit Italian exports and agriculture. "However, right now we don't need to be either pro-Russia or pro-America," Di Maio said. "All we need is to be pro-Italy, and to have good relationships with the majority of foreign countries".
    The MP added the European Union has failed to protect the common market from foreign competition.
    "The EU's biggest failure was it created a single market in order to protect it, and instead of protecting it, it opened to markets that did not and absolutely could not compete with us - such as the Chinese market, which does not have the same standards and regulations as ours," Di Maio said.
    "(The EU) allowed Moroccans and Tunisians to produce the same product...without respecting the same standards of quality as our products do," he said, citing what he said was another example of the EU's failed trade policies.