Foreign ministry sources on
Tuesday denied Italy was criticising Spain over its vote for
Amsterdam over Milan as future site of the European Medicines
Agency.
"There is no criticism on Italy's part towards the Spanish
government," they said, stressing that "the choices of each
country were all, obviously, legitimate".
Earlier Lombardy Governor Roberto Maroni claimed that
Premier Paolo Gentiloni was "very angry" with Spain after
Amsterdam was awarded the EMA instead of Milan.
The Dutch capital got the agency, which is leaving London due
to Brexit, after lots were drawn, as the final vote ended in a
13-13 tie.
"He said Spain voted for Amsterdam as rivalry, spite
prevailed over strategy," Maroni said, stressing that he had
spoken to Gentiloni on the telephone.
"It'll mean that we will support Catalonia more strongly in
its request for autonomy and independence".
Maroni went on to say that the presence of Gentiloni or
Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano in Brussels might have made the
difference before the vote came down to a tie-break.
"Between the second and third vote, when someone needed to be
there and we just needed two (more) votes, if the premier or the
foreign minister had been there it might have gone differently,"
he said.
"Perhaps a more authoritative presence would have made the
difference".
Spanish Foreign Minister Alfredo Dastis on Tuesday denied
there had been a deal that Madrid allegedly welched on.
"We spoke with Italy on the possibility of an accord, but we
didn't reach any deal," he said.
"So we went ahead in respecting our commitments", he said.
After Dasti's denial, Maroni said he would like to know "what
requests from Madrid Italy said no to".
He said this would be "out of curiosity, without
recriminations".
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