Economy Minister Pier Carlo
Padoan said Wednesday Italy is entitled by basic European Union
rules to the budget flexibility it is demanding for the cost of
coping with the Mediterranean refugee crisis.
And, as Italy stressed the calculation of those costs
should be backdated to the start of the exodus from Libya,
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker welcomed
Italy's OK to contributing to a three-billion-euro aid package
for Turkey's assistance to Syria refugees.
Italy emerged as the fourth-biggest contributor to that
fund Wednesday, behind Germany, Britain and France.
Juncker also said there would be an end to what he called
"stupid austerity".
Padoan said that Italy was only asking for European
Union norms to be respected by requesting flexibility in the
application of budget rules.
"Italy is requesting a more flexible management of fiscal
policy on the basis of rules that Europe set, not ones that we
are inventing," Padoan said during a meeting with British
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne at an Aspen Institute
forum in Rome.
Padoan voiced the hope that an EU response on Italy's
request for budget flexibility for the refugee emergency
should be given "soon so as to avoid having uncertainty that
does not help growth".
Padoan stressed, however, that the government's budget
plans would not change and were based on "structural reforms and
public investment" to accelerate a sluggish recovery from one of
Italy's longest postwar slumps.
Juncker, for his part, hailed the fact that Italy was
willing to make its contribution to three billion euros in EU
aid to Turkey in exchange for cooperation on the refugee crisis.
"The three billion for Turkey must be made available,"
Juncker told the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
"We all have to respect our commitments. Even the Italian
government has said it is willing (to contribute). This is
positive and I welcome it".
The Commission had criticised Italian Premier Matteo
Renzi's executive for allegedly holding up the aid package.
There has been tension between the Commission and the
Renzi government in recent weeks over several issues.
The Commission is set to say in the spring whether it has
granted Italy's request for flexibility in the application of
the EU's budget laws for spending related to asylum seekers.
Juncker said Wednesday that the EU executive will not
pursue "stupid austerity policies" when it assesses member
States' budgets.
"It's right for the Commission to examine the State
budgets as stipulated by the treaties," Juncker said.
"It will conduct its role without following stupid
austerity policies. There is plenty of flexibility to permit
balances that respect the rules".
Italy expects the European Commission to respect rules on
budget flexibility for spending related to the immigration
crisis, EU Affairs Undersecretary Sando Gozi on Wednesday told
the Lower House's political commissions, presenting the
country's 2016 European agenda.
"Italy, once it confirmed its OK to the fund for refugees
in Turkey, clarified that the exceptional event cannot only
concern a part of the Mediterranean", Gozi said.
"Expenses in managing the migration flow" from North Africa
- specifically the upsurge i arrivals from Libya since the start
of the crisis there following the 2011 war - "need to be
evaluated according to the same rules and the same
interpretation", he added.
A deal reached Wednesday by the EU's 28 ambassadors on the
three billion euros of aid for Syrian refugees in Turkey
envisages a billion euros coming from the EU budget and the
other two from member states according to their GDP.
Italy's contribution will be 224.9 million euros, the
fourth highest after Germany with 427.5 million, the UK with
327.6 million and France with 309.2 million. Spain is fifth with
152.8 million.
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