German Finance Minister
Wolfgang Schaeuble has selective memory on EU rules, European
Affairs Undersecretary Sandro Gozi told an ANSA Forum Thursday.
Schaeuble this week chided the European Commission for
allegedly not checking individual EU member countries' budgets
closely and rigorously enough, prompting Italian Premier Matteo
Renzi to suggest the EC start by checking Germany's huge trade
surplus.
"(Schaeuble) often remembers the rules he likes, and often
forgets the ones he dislikes," Gozi said.
"But when rules exist they must all be applied, including
those on trade imbalances.
"We want a more loyal Europe and more loyal ministers, who
also apply the rules they don't like as much".
Gozi also said that EU member States that do not respect
their obligations on sharing the burden of the asylum-seeker
crisis should have European funding cut.
Premier Matteo Renzi's government has previously threatened
to wield the EU budget veto unless countries like Hungary take
in their fair share.
"Punish the European States that break the rules on
solidarity, the rule of law and the right to asylum by reducing
development funds," Gozi said.
"You cannot have the Europe of (the summit in) Bratislava,
when the word Africa did not even appear and the logic of
closure prevailed".
Gozi also told the forum that Italy would not vote for the EU
fiscal compact to be included in treaties.
"We think that some rules do not work", he said, since they
would not help the priorities of growth and job creation.
"We will open a debate on this" next year, he added, noting
that the fiscal compact foresees an assessment on its
performance five years after it came into force, and thus in
2017.
"Beginning in March, we would like to open a wide-ranging
political debate" on the issue, he said.
Gozi also spoke about next month's Constitutional
referendum, saying that a Yes vote to the overhaul of the
nation's political machinery on December 4 would show that Italy
wants change.
"(A Yes win) would confirm to the world that the Italians
have changed and they want to keep doing so," he said.
"A No (win), on the other hand, would confirm the image of
the usual little Italy that falls under the thumb of
conservation.
"It would be awful news for our partners".
He blasted the No campaign's threat to take legal action if
the Yes vote wins by a narrow margin thanks to people voting
from outside Italy.
"I thought what Alessandro Pace said was astounding - the
head of the No committee had the courage to say that if Yes wins
he'll appeal, if No wins he won't.
"Hats off. I hope these strange conceptions of legality and
correctness are swept away too".
Gozi said that the centre-right European People's Party (EPP)
must not be allowed to hold all of the EU's top positions when
Social Democrat Martin Schulz steps down as the president of the
European Parliament.
"Our position is clear," Gozi said, when asked what would
happen if the EPP obtains the EP presidency.
"(Then) the question of Donald Tusk's presidency of the
European Council would open up. It's not possible for the
presidents of the Commission, the Council and the EP to all be
EPP representatives".
Schulz has announced he is leaving EU politics to seek a seat
in the German Bundestag.
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