Premier Matteo Renzi had a
heated exchange with German Chancellor Angela Merkel over
banking union and asylum seekers during the European summit in
Brussels, sources said on Friday.
"You cannot tell us that you are Europe's blood donor, dear
Angela," Renzi reportedly said.
The exchange took place at the start of the second day of
the summit, when Renzi confronted Merkel about Germany's
opposition to rapid completion of the process towards a banking
union in the eurozone, the sources said.
Merkel is said to have admitted that there have too many
delays over this issue due to a series of emergencies that the
Union has had to face.
Renzi's stance was backed by several other leaders,
including French President Francois Hollande, Portuguese Prime
Minister António Costa and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
The Italian premier later denied he had attacked Germany.
"It was anything but," he told reporters at the close of the EU
summit. "I asked Chancellor Merkel some questions. My friendship
and respect for her does not preclude my asking some questions,"
Renzi explained.
Berlin is not "Europe's blood donor", he added.
Earlier on Friday, Merkel's spokesperson denied speculation
of a rift between Rome and Berlin over migrants after Renzi said
he was against the EU being led solely by Germany.
"I don't see any conflict between the German government and
the Italian one," Merkel's spokesperson Christiane Wirtz said.
"There are intense discussions about refugees at the European
level".
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said later that Germany
and Italy will always find common ground in spite of
disagreements. "It's not the first time we have different
opinions, but we always find an agreement in the end," she said.
Renzi said that Italy does not see eye to eye with Germany
on repatriating Afghan migrants and asylum seekers. "It's a
mistake to think Afghanistan is stable," he said. "In this case
our opinion differs from that of Germany - if Italy and Germany
intervene to restore peace in the country, and Afghan brothers
and sisters keep arriving...it means that (Afghanistan) has some
stability issues".
Renzi on Friday said that the EU is at fault for failing to
respect its commitments on asylum seekers, not Italy. He also
described the European Commission's decision to open an
infringement procedure against Italy over registering the finger
prints of asylum seekers as "extravagant".
"It's not Italy that's behind on migrants, but the EU," the
Italian premier said.
Renzi's government has repeatedly warned that the European
system to tackle the asylum seeker crisis risks breaking down if
the EU does not keep its pledge to relocate thousands of
refugees in front-line countries like Italy and Greece, whose
outlying islands are the first landfall for people taking to the
Mediterranean in a bid to flee war, persecution, and Islamist
terrorists in Africa and the Middle East.
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