Premier Giuseppe Conte created an
Italy-led front of 11 countries against a take-it-or-leave-it
Franco-German "two-country Europe" package including giving
Frans Timmermans the European Commission presidency, premier's
office sources explained Monday.
Conte arrived at the EU summit "convinced that a veto was not
needed" on Timmermans but then "found himself faced with a
Franco German wall, compact in wanting to impose a take it or
leave it package", they said.
This is when it became a question of principle and method for
Conte, they said, and of respect for Italy and the European
Council, because "Europe is 28 and not just two".
Conte managed to bring the other countries contrary to
Timmermans onto this position too, "creating a front of 11," the
sources said.
Conte told Corriere.it Monday that he had opposed a deal
between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President
Emmanuel Macron for a package of EU job appointments including
giving Timmermans the presidency of the European Commission
because the accord risked "blowing on anti-Europeanism".
He said "dear colleagues, I make a heartfelt plea to you, you
are committing a glaring mistake.
"If you insist on this package of appointments without taking
into account our requests, you do not fail to respect me but all
the millions of citizens I represent" and the millions of
citizens of countries outside the accord," Conte told the
European Council.
Merkel said earlier that voting against Italy would lead
to tensions, after the EU summit put off debate on appointments
for another day amid opposition from Italy, the Visegrad Group,
and other countries to some of the proposed new occupants of the
top jobs.
"Voting against the entire Visegrad Group and a country like
Italy would be very difficult" because "it would lead to
tensions" in the future," the chancellor said.
She said the EU leaders want to reach "the highest consensus
possible".
Merkel said "I'm aware that we are giving a bad image to the
citizens, but we are working to find a compromise".
Earlier Conte said the "prefabricated Osaka package"
including Timmermans as new European Commission President had
left him and 10-11 other countries "perplexed" and he had thus
voted against it.
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