Premier Matteo Renzi told
German daily Die Welt in an interview Wednesday that Italy is
"back on track".
"Two years ago Italy was stalled and impotent," he said. "I
entered into the game with the aim of not ending up like Greece
but to do better than Germany. Today Italy is back and is on the
right track".
Asked what is the role at present of ex-premier Silvio
Berlusconi, leader of the center-right opposition Forza Italia
(FI) party, Renzi answered that "Berlusconi is the past, I deal
with the future".
Asked about his disagreements with German Chancellor Angela
Merkel on EU economic policy, he said "betting on austerity
rather than growth was a mistake".
"I have a lot of respect for Angela," he added. "We have a
good relationship".
The center-left premier went on to say the ongoing asylum
seeker crisis requires "a long-term strategy".
"Those who believe the refugee problem can be solved in a
week put the ball in the court of Marine Le Pen or other
rightwing demagogues," said Renzi, under whose leadership Italy
pressed for an EU-wide response to the waves of people fleeing
war and destitution in Africa and the Middle East.
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