The EU's granting budget
flexibility for the migrant and refugee emergency "is a
disgrace", Northern League leader Matteo Salvini said Tuesday.
"It's an example of a world turned upside down and I'm
sorry (Premier Matteo) Renzi is an accomplice of this world
turned upside down," said the leader of the anti-immigrant,
anti-euro party.
"We for years have been asking for flexibility to sustain
employment and pensions and face the climate disasters in Italy.
"They always told us 'No'.
"And now they invent flexibility just to maintain spending
for immigrants.
"Therefore it's a Europe that is very attentive and spends
a lot on immigration.
"(But) when it's about other people who live and pay
(taxes) in Europe, they couldn't care less".
Earlier Tuesday European Commission President Jean-Claude
Juncker said that it will be possible to "apply flexibility" in
the EU budget regulations due to the cost member States are
facing in dealing with the refugee crisis.
The head of the EU executive stressed that this was
necessary because "we are faced with an exceptional situation".
But he added that whether to grant flexibility will be
considered on a "country-by-country" basis as it had to be shown
that "exception efforts" in spending have been made.
Renzi's government has said Italy intends to use any
additional budget flexibility allowed due to the refugee crisis
and let the deficit-to-GDP ration rise 0.2 of a percentage point
higher than it would have been otherwise, to 2.4% - a provision
that would raise the 2016 budget from 27 to 30 billion euros.
Italy, along with Greece, has been bearing the brunt to
the Mediterranean migrant crisis.
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