Meloni gives 'light and dark' appraisal of EU Summit

(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 15 - Premier Giorgia Meloni on Friday gave a mixed appraisal of the two-day European Council in Brussels.
    "The evaluation of the European Council involves light and dark," she told reporters at the end of the summit.
    "I am very satisfied about the (decisions on) enlargement, with a goal that many of us considered difficult," continued Meloni, referring to Thursday's decision by EU heads of state and of government to open accession talks with Ukraine and move ahead in the enlargement process for Moldova, Georgia and Bosnia Herzegovina.
    "No solution has been found for the budget, even if in my opinion it is within reach," she added in relation to the failure of EU countries to agree on a long-term budget. "For migration nothing was planned and now there are almost 10 billion euro," said Meloni.
    On the negotiations to renew the European Stability and Growth Pact, the budget rules governing all member states, the premier said "the positions are still quite far apart" and that "more work needs to be done".
    Meloni also reiterated her position that "all avenues" including the possibility of using a veto need to be kept open "until we know the landing point".
    "I cannot give the OK to a Pact that I, or any government, cannot respect," she insisted.
    Meloni also said that "several points of convergence" had emerged on the Pact with France during her bilateral with President Emmanuel Macron.
    "I had a bilateral with Macron, then (German Chancellor Olaf) Scholz, who was sitting at the table next to us stopped by," she told reporters.
    Meloni said she and Macron had addressed all the issues "on which we think we can build a convergence", including the stability pact.
    On the pact, there are "several points of common convergence", she added.
    On the decision to hold an extraordinary ECOFIN meeting by videoconference next Wednesday in a bid to finalise the new budget rules before the end of the year, Meloni said "by removing the possibility" of seeing each other physically "it becomes more difficult" to reach an agreement.
    The premier also denied a link between Italy's ratification of the treaty for the new European Stability Mechanism (ESM), or bailout fund, and approval of the European Stability and Growth Pact, other than in the public debate in Italy.
    "Certainly it makes a difference for us to know the details of the pact, but there is no element of blackmail, of saying 'If you don't give me this I won't give you that," she told reporters.
    Italy is the only country not to have ratified the new ESM treaty amid concerns about budget sovereignty and claims the fund should also be used for growth.
    The government has also said on several occasions that it first wants to know what fiscal rules the country will be operating under, based on the outcome of negotiations for the European Stability and Growth Pact underway in Brussels.
    Meloni also told reporters she is "optimistic" about the outcome for the Italy-Albania migrant agreement, after a court in Albania suspended ratification pending its ruling on challenges to the plan to set up to two Italian-run migrant reception centres in the Adriatic country.
    "However, I cannot speak for what happens in a sovereign nation, I respect the decisions of a sovereign nation," she added.
    "We will see what happens in the coming weeks and, if everything goes well, we will do our best in the coming weeks to speed things up even more.
    "For now we do not need a plan B, if we need it we will look for it," she added.
    Under the Memorandum of Understanding signed by premiers Giorgia Meloni and Edi Rama in early November, two centres will be set up to process the asylum applications of migrants and refugees who have been rescued at sea by Italian navy, coast guard and police vessels.
    This will not include the elderly, vulnerable, children or pregnant women or migrants who have been rescued by NGO-run ships or people who land on Italian soil. (ANSA).