After Brexit, it is now Italy that worries about the future of Europe. At least according to the words of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who met yesterday for a bilateral meeting in Paris and had for the first time the opportunity to publicly comment on the Italian elections of last 4 March : “The work ahead of us is important in a European context deeply shaken by Brexit and by the Italian elections, which have seen extremes mount and which have allowed us to touch the consequences of a long economic crisis and the migratory challenges to which we have not been able to respond”. These are Macron's words during the joint press conference with Merkel.
The two leaders, who by meeting for the first time after the long wait for the official appointment of the German government made the Paris-Berlin axis "fully operational" again, also commented on the spy story involving London, reiterating the full solidarity with Great Britain in the Skipral case. “We condemn Russian interference – said Macron -. All indications are that Russia conducted this assassination attempt on British soil. There are many who think that Russia is responsible and it is good that the British government has raised this issue on an international scale. It is an extremely difficult situation, we will study together the most appropriate reaction”.
Specifically, the objective of this first meeting yesterday was to reaffirm the commitment to restart the engine of Europe, to work on the long-promised road map which should be ready by June. A very precise, "clear and ambitious" roadmap: "It is our task by June: on the euro area, on migrants, defense policy, trade, research, education, we will propose a clear, ambitious roadmap march for the re-foundation (of the EU) by June”, said the French president. "It is essential to build this new ambition for Europe," he insisted. Among the priorities indicated by the Elysée there is obviously the immigration front which, as seen with the vote in Italy and even earlier with the success of the AfD in Germany, has become the real fuel of populism and anti-European forces.
Paris and Berlin want to commit themselves to finalizing the reform of the Dublin agreements, i.e. the current rules for asylum seekers, and to re-propose a solidarity mechanism for the distribution of refugees. “Germany and France must lead by setting an example – said Chancellor Merkel instead -. We want to reach an agreement on issues which include the permanent and sustainable stabilization of the Euro, guarantees for competitiveness and a joint plan on asylum”. And you announced a France-Germany meeting to prepare important decisions on migration policy ahead of the European summit in June. “We are finding that if there are different regulations in different member states this is not to our mutual benefit,” said the chancellor. "We will be unbeatable as Europeans if we don't allow ourselves to be divided in our geopolitical relations," she said, underlining the need to protect external borders and have a common strategy for Africa.
