OREANDA-NEWS. The leader of Italy’s most popular political party Lega Nord, former Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini criticized the European Union for being slow in taking measures to deal with the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and threatened the country’s exit from the EU.

“This is madness. Europe takes 15 days to decide what to do and to whom and how to help, if to help at all. In extreme conditions, when today people die from pneumonia, and tomorrow they will probably die from poverty,” the politician said to the online edition Affaritaliani.it. Answering a question about serious contradictions that have arisen within the EU regarding measures to overcome the consequences of the pandemic, Salvini said: “This is not a “union,” it is a nest of snakes and jackals. First we will defeat the virus, and then think about Europe. And, if necessary, we will say goodbye. Even without thanking.”