Policies of Silvio Berlusconi period because during the Cold War Italy had the strongest communist party in western Europe. Vladimir Putin has many times expressed his appreciation for the respect shown by the Italian Prime Minister towards the leadership of the Russian Federation. Silvio Berlusconi is among the most vocal supporters of closer ties between Russia and the European Union. In an article published to Italian media on 26 May 2002, he said that the next step in Russia's growing integration with the West should be EU membership. On 17 November 2005 he commented in regards to the prospect of such a membership that
Droit du seigneur Droit du seigneur Droit du seigneur (; , 'lord's right'), also known as jus primae noctis (; , 'right of the first night'), refers to a supposed legal right in medieval Europe, allowing feudal lords to have sexual relations with subordinate women, in particular, on their wedding nights. Some scholars believe the "right" might have existed in medieval Europe. Others say that it is a myth, and that all references to it are from later periods. Similar customs have been recorded elsewhere. The French expression "droit du seigneur" translates as "right of the lord", but native French prefer the terms