They also urged more cooperation on security and job creation and help for young Europeans in an effort to lay the groundwork for an informal summit on the future of the EU without the United Kingdom, on 16 September in Bratislava.
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Imprisoned on the island by the fascist government during World War II, Spinelli and fellow captive Ernesto Rossi co-wrote the “Ventotene manifesto” calling for a federation of European states.
Renzi greeted Hollande and Merkel at Naples military airport from where the trio flew by helicopter to the small island of Ventotene, where they visited the grave of Altiero Spinelli, considered one of the founding fathers of the ideal of European unity.
The leaders of the EU have met on the island Ventotene, this mini-summit tried to find a solution in complex political and economic situation in the European Union after Brexit.
Italy, the main entry point for Africans but rarely their planned destination, is struggling to house migrants turned back from neighboring countries including France, and disagrees with Germany over how to finance the response.
After a series of deadly attacks by the Islamic State group, the three leaders were also expected to explore greater co-operation on counter-terrorism and an integrated European security and defence policy – a long-cherished objective that could be easier to achieve after sceptical Britain departs. Italy’s economy stagnated in the second quarter, pushing off budget forecasts, and Renzi is pressing for greater flexibility by the European Commission. The chancellor’s approval rating has declined since she welcomed about 1 million refugees to Germany previous year, while European officials are concerned the EU’s deal with Turkey to stem migrant flows through Greece may be in jeopardy following the failed coup attempt last month.
Renzi’s popularity has been undermined by his austerity measures, and he also faces a political challenge from the anti-euro and anti-EU Five-Star Movement (M5S), which has called for a referendum on exit from the euro.
Hollande mentioned “known challenges” at Europe’s borders such as “the tragedy in Aleppo, a humanitarian catastrophe which one day will be a shame for the global community if we do nothing about it”, and called for European Union unity against national “selfishness”.
Italy’s general elections will be held in 2018 whatever the result of referendum on constitutional reform in November is, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was quoted as saying on Sunday. “But that is not the case”, he reportedly said at a press conference.
She said: “We feel that faced with Islamist terrorism and in light of the civil war in Syria that we need to do more for our internal and external security”.
“She wants to have as broad a discussion as possible with as numerous actors involved”, Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Friday. We need to better protect European borders and share more intelligence information.
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The three then head to another symbolic location for the summit: the Italian aircraft carrier Garibaldi, which is coordinating the EU’s migrant rescue operation.
