political agreement between Renzi and Juncker on flexibility and migrants here is all points of the agreement – The Huffington Post

Italian Premier Matteo Renzi, right, and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to attend press conference at Chigi Palace, the premier’s office in Rome, Friday, Feb. 26, 2016. (AP Photo / Gregorio Borgia) | ASSOCIATED PRESS

There was Italian dossier that Jean Claude Juncker not he knew by heart, when it is presented at Palazzo Chigi for a working lunch with Matteo Renzi. Well prepared as you do not see often in institutional meetings. It is true that the spacing between the European Commission president and the Italian prime minister is a face to face prepared for some time, carefully tended by diplomats in Rome and Brussels. To arrive at the result: signing a political agreement and deliver to the past “the awkward misunderstandings on both sides”, says Luxembourgish. And ‘an agreement in the round, “total” immigration, emphasize the narrow circle of the prime minister, “narrow path” instead of public accounts and flexibility but with “good conditions.” And ‘so that Renzi and Juncker closed the era of poisons and inaugurate the collaborative phase.

And here are the main points of the agreement: on the emergency refugees, the Commission will commit itself to regulatory the Schengen suspension , so far confusing exercise of free will by the individual Member States. At the March European Council also Juncker will come with the proposal of the Committee on change the Dublin regulation of repatriation, re-distribution of refugees among EU states, strengthening the borders with European coastguard. On flexibility, the mandate to find a compromise is assigned to Pier Carlo Padoan and the EU Commissioner Pierre Moscovici , which also already have with the Shanghai G20. They will also find a compromise on the budget law 2017, while for this year the reassurance of Brussels, even informal, is that Italy does not risk corrective measures but only of decimal corrections.

the battle fronts opened in Europe are many, better to close one with Italy, he is convinced Juncker. In the meeting with Renzi, the EU president uses the harshest tones against countries that are closing their borders, starting from Austria that is driving in the same game to massacre all the Baltic countries excluding Greece. Hence the agreement with the Italian premier to groped to put a stop to the chaos. Even if this means accepting the temporary suspension of Schengen. The idea is a bit ‘to regulate it to save the Treaty on the free movement of goods and people. The commission will dictate the stakes, both to ensure the movement of goods and to limit damage to the economy of the states, it is not to produce unmanageable situations at borders, sore point for Italy given the concern about spring arrivals from Greece if Athens were the end closed outside Schengen. “The barriers do not solve problems – are the words of Juncker- I wish the good sense find himself Europe. Leaders are chased by common sense but they are faster … “. “Europe can not turn away,” nods Renzi, who trusts in the work of “Jean Claude to convince the leaders less sensitive …”.

At the European Council of 18 March will come the committee’s proposal to revise the Dublin Regulation, namely the obligation to seek asylum in the states of first arrival. And ‘that Rome has long called, the procedure is long but Juncker does not want to “give up on migrants shifts.” So says Renzi. And at a press conference praises of Italy: “Italy has had an exemplary behavior on migrants since at least 2011: can be a model for other European countries. If everyone had done as Italy the problems would be less severe. “

Mass secure the agreement on emergency refugees, Renzi and Juncker pass on the second dossier: one on flexibility and on the relations between Italy and the European commission. Here the differences do not dissolve in one working lunch, if only for the fact that Juncker will mediate with the ‘hawks’ of the Committee. But also here the signals are not adverse to Rome. Because, as well as the migrants chaos led Juncker to reason together with Italy to exit out of the swamp, so the public accounts situation of general crisis of European and world leading President EU more merciful to the Italian demands.

“We have to pay attention to the macroeconomic parameters that worsen in general”, it is the reasoning that made him Renzi. To say that the Commission should “take back the spirit of the document on flexibility published in January last year, do not abandon it indeed reinvigorate otherwise we will find ourselves in pursuit of a slowdown in growth and we’ll always after.”

Juncker nods. In press conference will take only ‘luxury’ to remember with a hint of annoyance that “the commission is not a place of bureaucrats and technocrats but is made by politicians, some even former prime minister …”, Matthew take note. But he does say that “it is not a committee in favor of silly and blind austerity.” He adds: “The rules need to interpret them in the best possible way, but you also can not lose sight of the absolute necessity that exists in Europe to find the way to a more intense and lasting growth. a Europe that accepts as fact, as a fatality such a high number of unemployed is certainly not the Europe that dream and in which i want to work. So we have to apply the texts with wisdom, but without forgetting the future of the young generation

. “

Practically completely different music than just a month ago. All this translates into the assurance that Rome is not likely a corrective action for this year. At most the Commission will require an adjustment of decimal, is the belief of Palazzo Chigi at the end of the meeting with Juncker, involving also the new ambassador to the EU Carlo Calenda, the adviser to the EU Marco Piantini, the Under Secretary for European Affairs Sandro Gozi. But in order to have the certainty we have to wait the “deliberations” of the Committee in May, he pushed Juncker. But it grants the award to Padoan Moscovici and the mandate to seek a compromise already on the 2017 operation: a good sign for Roma. You will find the middle ground between the deficit reduction requirements laid down in the Treaties and the need to pass a law of stability that does not throttle the country. The Minister for the Economy and the Commissioner for Economic Affairs will begin to work immediately.

“We do not want to reduce the debt for Juncker, but for Italy. We need to do some serious work to reduce the debt “, is committed Renzi. “We respect the rules.” The prime minister is not concerned about the report of the Commission on Italy in terms of the EU’s macroeconomic imbalances, which also is published when Juncker is already at the Quirinale by Sergio Mattarella (where it remains “optimistic” about Italy), So after the breakfast meeting at Palazzo Chigi, to avoid any embarrassment in the rediscovered harmony. Rather the head of the government goes back with an article “Sole24ore” analysis of a German foundation ultra-liberal and penalty taker, the ‘Stiftung Marktwirschaft’, that strangely the Italian debt is the most sustainable EU, even more than the Germany. Why mention him in a press conference with Juncker listening in translation.

In the official visit to Rome, Juncker also met the presidents of Laura Boldrini and Pietro Grasso Rooms. It also has a conversation with an old Italian knowledge, Giorgio Napolitano, who also welcomes with relief the newfound understanding between Rome and Brussels. Concordia to last. The EU president fact granting Renzi maximum effort to extinguish any fire outbreak between the Italian Government and Europe. Even the duty to monitor and act quickly when a new clutch will be his chief of staff: none other than Martin Selmayr, the man with a statement in anonymity to the press on the “lack of an interlocutor in Rome” has sparked the ‘ wrath of Renzi, the government and the Dem MEPs. in Strasbourg the Dem Nicola Danti the ‘dedicated’ also a parliamentary question to the poison.

Now, by a strange retaliation, will Selmayr, sitting in the front row today at the press conference of Renzi and Juncker, to guarantee the rule of good relations with Rome. President EU is keen. And Renzi for his part collects the maximum possible for now and will not put cages to the Commission’s work. Even the cutting of EU funds for countries that do not accept the migrants: “Solidarity can not be one-way,” merely says in a press conference. Juncker listen through headphones and nods.