Steps forward at EU summit-Gentilon (3)

(ANSA) - Brussels, October 20 - 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".