"France intends to work in close collaboration with Italy and Germany and with all the countries with which we share values to advance and improve Europe". This was stated yesterday in Paris by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, who received the Italian Prime Minister, Paolo Gentiloni at the Elysée Palace.
Italy and France intend to work together "on a European monetary policy that goes in the direction of a fiscal and monetary union - Gentiloni said - on common rules that Italy intends to respect and which must always encourage convergence and not differences between countries Europeans. Italy and France are countries so close and friends that not only will we work together but it will be a joy to work together”.
Macron, for his part, said he was aware of the "challenges that Italy has had to face in terms of migration. After all – he pointed out – I think we didn't hear Italy's cry for help soon enough. My hope is that we can move forward for a real reform of the asylum law and of the common rules to better protect the states that are most exposed to this migratory pressure".
But the French President also wants “that together we can make progress on an agenda to better protect our workers”, starting with the EU directive on posted workers. More generally, we need to "study together ways and means to improve the EU by establishing a road map".
According to Gentiloni, Macron's election to the Elysée "was an injection of confidence and hope for Europe", which "now must be invested in a common direction", above all "to integrate actions in terms of defense and security" , for "a common policy on migrants" and for "further development" of community integration "towards banking and fiscal union".
It is necessary "to go in the right direction on common rules that Italy intends to respect - said Gentiloni - I am sure that Italy and France will work together for a stronger European Union that is closer to the citizens".
