Premier Paolo Gentiloni said at a
Berlin press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Wednesday that there is often talk of "a two-speed Europe, but I
would say there is a two-rigidities Europe, too rigid on some
things, too flexible on others," referring to the migrant
emergency.
"I hope a common bet of all Europe can be made on the migrant
question," he said, adding that Italy and Germany were among the
countries bearing the burden and saying "it can't be just four
countries carrying the weight of the migratory problem".
Gentiloni complained that the European Union was too strict
in implementing its budget rules while too lax on making member
States do their bit for the asylum-seeker crisis.
"We cannot give the sensation in the stormy sea the EU is
moving in that there is a sort of on-off flexibility - very
rigid with budget decimal points and very lax on fundamental
issues like the migrant question," he said.
Italy and Germany mean to work together to "relaunch the EU
thinking of the challenges it is faced with on growth, jobs,
investments, migrants and the defence of our principles,"
Gentiloni said.
He said "with Chancellor Merkel we spoke about Europe's
destiny: we know that it is going through a difficult phase.
Italy and Germany are among the countries convinced of the
extraordinary importance of the European future".
Gentiloni went on to tell a German-Italian business forum in
Berlin that "we believe that the phase of austerity has ended".
He said "we believe that the phase of austerity for its own
sake is over and we urge an open and constructive discussion on
the issue.
"Sometimes the disproportion between the challenges awaiting
us and the discussion on commas and cavils is glaring," he told
his audience.
Gentiloni told the forum that "Italy will never go back to
being a fiscally irresponsible country, that time is now
finished, although we're still paying the price".
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) must respect emissions rules
and it is up to "national authorities" to carry out necessary
testing, Gentiloni said.
"We'll decide for our part and we're sure the Germans will do
the same," he said at the press conference with Merkel.
Gentiloni said "the collaboration with Trump is fundamental,
but our principles are just as much so".
Wishing the incoming president well, Gentiloni said the best
response to renew Europe's confidence must come from Europe
itself, which must resolve the issues facing it and reinforce,
in particular, common defence.
Gentiloni told the German-Italian business forum that "faced
with challenges we work 'zusammen', together".
He said "the crisis of confidence" affecting society is one
of the main challenges facing European leaders.
"Responding to this challenge will be the task of the
leadership classes of our democracies," he said.
Gentiloni told the businessmen that "we have entered an era
of accelerations, in which the speed of change will be higher
than the past".
He said "uncertainty stems from economic factors but also
from politics, geopolitics, relations between states and
peoples".
Italy's presidency of the G7 and Germany's of the G20 "is an
opportunity for Italy and Germany to have a shared agenda,"
Gentiloni said.
In other remarks, he said that with the government's bank
decree "we have unblocked the situation" and "we will continue
to follow the situation in coordination with competent European
authorities".
He also said he appreciated the Juncker plan and agreed it
should be extended "but it is not sufficient" to meet current
challenges.
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