Italy, Germany agree on immigration policy, but not on financing
Italy and Germany agree on how Europe should tackle the migrant crisis and oppose any move to fence off borders, but they are at odds over how to fund proposed initiatives, the leaders of the two countries said on May 5.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi warned that unless the European Union found a common migration stance, old nationalist ghosts would reawaken.
"Either we defend our external borders and we do it together or we risk falling back into nationalism," Merkel said. "This is not a challenge for Greece, Germany or Italy, but these are challenges that have to do with the future of Europe."
Immigration issues dominated talks between the two leaders, with both agreeing that more needed to be done to help African states stem migrant flows across the Mediterranean Sea.
Almost 29,000 migrants have reached Italy by boat so far this year, roughly 1,000 more than in the same period last year.
Humanitarian organizations say this is now the main route for asylum seekers coming to Europe after an EU deal with Turkey dramatically slowed the flow of people reaching Greece.
