An hour and a half meeting at Palazzo Chigi during which the Italian Premier Matteo Renzi and the president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker seem to have buried the hatchet after weeks of "clumsy misunderstandings", as they were defined by the chief of the community executive.
At the center of the conversation the most important issues of the European political landscape: from growth to flexibility, passing through immigration.
On the issue of flexibility, Juncker and Renzi have found a common ground: compliance with the rules established by the EU Commission itself in January 2015: "The government is on the side of the rules, it believes in respecting the rules and does everything to be avant-garde” Renzi said in the press conference after the meeting with Juncker. And he added: "We share the line of the EU Commission on flexibility". The controversies of recent weeks, according to the Premier, are part of the "normal" political dialectic between two forces, not hiding however that "we had elements of different views on banks and state aid".
The Prime Minister recalled the reforms carried out over the last two years, “many laughed. Yet two years later these structural reforms are a fact. Why do I say this? Because if politics makes sense, we must recognize that the problem is no longer Italy. Two years ago it was.” Confirming the Premier's words came today an OECD study in which the organization gives Italy and Spain the pink jersey in Europe of reforms.
Our country has demonstrated all its concreteness, it no longer represents a danger to anyone and will use the flexibility granted, respecting the rules. Renzi reiterated that “those who rely on austerity policies make a mistake. I agree with what Juncker said: austerity is stupid”. However, this does not mean, underlined the Premier, to remain idle over the public debt. “The debt must go down not because Juncker asks us to, but because a country that thinks of its children must reduce its debt. Debt to GDP has begun to fall since 2016, serious budget policies are serious policies, not austerity policies".
Words shared by Jean-Claude Juncjer who stated that “even in the financial sphere the points of view of the Italian government and the EU commission are not so distant. It is therefore possible to launch a bridge between two positions that are not antinomian". The EU leader assured that the EU Commission "will apply the rules of the Stability Pact wisely" and will not push for "stupid and blind austerity" because the executive is not made up of "cold technocrats".
“Since 2011, Italy has maintained exemplary conduct. – added Juncker – If everyone had done like you, today the problems would be fewer. Just as if everyone applied the Commission's decisions, but I'm not giving up on this issue. You will certainly have my full support on the issue of immigration, but I will also do the same on the financial issue. I am also thinking of the fact that Italy is the second beneficiary of the investment plans. Let's hope that it can now be extended beyond its deadline."
As for the delicate issue of immigration, Renzi claimed the role played by our country, throwing a jab at the others: “We have done our part on the hotspots, but the other countries have not done theirs on repatriations and relocation. I hope there can be a common commitment» added Renzi, with the hope that the president of the European Commission will finally be able to reach an agreement "with those heads of state and government who have shown less sensitivity towards these issues up to now". because "either you are always in solidarity or you are never in solidarity".
