Premier Paolo Gentiloni said
Friday that modest progress had been made at the EU summit.
"I think that, on some of the issues of greatest interest for
the EU and for our country, there were steps forward at the
European Council, albeit limited ones".
Gentiloni said that Italy was now seen as "exemplary" over
its approach to the Mediterranean migrant crisis by its EU
partners.
"I was struck, satisfied and proud of the fact that our
country, which for a period of time had been at the centre of
several challenges, rows and accusations... today is seen as a
country that has given an exemplary response to human
traffickers, which has obtained important responses and must be
supported on the political and financial levels," he said at the
end of the summit.
During the summit European Council President Donald Tusk said
that the bloc is ready to give more help to Italy to cope with
the Mediterranean migrant crisis.
"We have spoken about how to help Italy manage the central
Mediterranean route," Tusk said.
"The leaders agreed to offer Premier Gentiloni stronger
support for the Italian work with the Libyan authorities.
"We have a real opportunity to close the route".
Migrant arrivals from Italy in recent months have fallen
sharply since Italy struck a deal with Tripoli featuring support
for the Libyan coast guard.
Tusk asked the member states to give a total of 100 million
euros for the European Fund for Africa, in particular Libya, by
the end of the year.
Gentiloni said Friday "it is clear that we must change the
Dublin accords, but we must not change them for the worse".
He said the "most important thing" to change was "the concept
that the onus should fall on the countries of first arrival".
Gentiloni also said no to closing the EU's internal borders.
He added that Milan has "good cards to play" in luring the
European Medicines Agency there after Brexit, stressing that
"everyone" including the government and the foreign ministry had
been working on it.
"We are doing a notable diplomatic pressing," he said, adding
that Italy's pharmaceuticals industry "had force".
He said "the Italian pharmaceuticals agency has a quality
that is internationally recognised".
The financial deal between the EU and Britain is the "most
delicate" dossier in Brexit talks, the EU is presenting "an
invoice with all the zeros" but it wants the UK to define the
commitments on the multi-year budget because the "amount of
money must not be a Sword of Damocles" on talks over the "future
relationship"," Gentiloni said.
"This definition by Britain is necessary," he said, calling
Prime Minister Theresa May's recent Florence speech "a step
forward".
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