>>>ANSA/Meloni patches things up with Scholz in Granada

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 6 - Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz patched things up at a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the informal European Council meeting in Granada on Friday after relations between Rome and Berlin came under major strain due to the issue of migrants.
    The meeting came after a spat over Germany's decision to fund NGOs that carry out search-and-rescue operations in the central Mediterranean and disembark rescued the migrants and refugees in Italy.
    There had also been differences between the two States over the key crisis management section of the new EU pact on migration and asylum, but agreement was reached on this on Wednesday after Germany dropped an amendment.
    The leaders expressed "satisfaction" at the agreement reached on the Pact during the bilateral that lasted around 45 minutes, the premier's office at Palazzo Chigi said on Friday.
    The leaders reportedly "discussed the main European issues at the heart of the Council, with a particular focus on the migration issue, expressing satisfaction at the agreement reached in Brussels on the regulation of crises".
    Palazzo Chigi added that Meloni and Scholz, noting the excellent level of cooperation between Rome and Berlin, agreed to meet at the Italian-German intergovernmental summit in Germany at the end of November.
    Speaking after the summit, Meloni said Scholz agrees with the policy Italy is promoting of boosting cooperation with Tunisia and other African countries in order to stop the illegal arrival of migrants to the EU.
    The EU recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tunisia that Meloni was instrumental in bringing about.
    "Chancellor Scholz is aware that the Italian strategy is the only one that can be effective," Meloni said.
    "He told me that we must keep going with this work in Tunisia.
    "Everyone tells us that the work with Tunis must be replicated with other countries in North Africa and beyond".
    Scholz said that he has reached a good level of understanding with Meloni.
    "We have spoken frequently," Scholz told a news conference.
    "We have found a very pragmatic understanding in these highly intense conversations.
    "We are both happy to have manage to find the last fundamental element for European law on asylum.
    "The reform has become possible".
    He added that the funding to NGOs running migrant-rescue operations was approved by the Bundestag and not by the federal government.
    Although the tension has eased between Berlin and Rome, there is still considerable friction at the EU level.
    Indeed, Poland and Hungary's opposition to the new Pact led to there being no chapter on migration in the final declaration of the Granada summit.
    Under the pact, EU countries will be obliged to take a share of the migrants that arrive in 'frontline' States like Italy or Greece or pay for each migrant they refuse to receive.
    Meloni, who has repeatedly said it is more important to stop migrants arriving in the EU in the first place rather than focusing on how to redistribute those that do arrive, said she understands Budapest and Warsaw.
    "We voted for the pact because the new rules are better than the previous ones," Meloni said.
    "But I did not make this a priority.
    "It is the debate based on an old perception (of the migration issue).
    "Our position is different from that of Poland and Hungary because of geographical issues.
    "They understand the Italian position, I understand their position perfectly and it does not compromise how we work together". (ANSA).