“Many thought Europe was finished after Brexit – it wasn’t”, Renzi said at a joint news conference aboard the Giuseppe Garibaldi.
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“Renzi hoped to restart the so-called Project Europe, which is his brainchild as the Italian leader”.
Matteo Renzi (R) met with Francois Holland and Angela Merkel in Italy on Monday.
They then held talks on an Italian aircraft carrier that co-ordinates the European Union naval mission against migrant traffickers from the North African coast.
Importantly, the German chancellor Angela Merkel, whose government published a white paper advocating new pan-European military command structures after Brexit, has agreed that Europe must do “more for our internal and external security”.
Merkel said that the European Union is now facing “enormous challenges” and needed to work together especially on the security front at home and overseas.
Britain has always blocked plans for a so-called “EU Army”, arguing that it would undermine North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as the cornerstone of European defence and (we don’t say out loud) our influence in Washington and at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation conference table.
“To have security we need frontiers that are controlled so that is why we are working to reinforce coastguards and border guards”, said Hollande, adding that “we want more coordination in the fight against terrorism'”.
“We want there to be even more coordination, even though important steps have been taken, in the fight against terrorism”, said Hollande, whose country has faced a series of terror attacks since past year. France, for its part, wants greater EU integration and Hollande is a strong proponent of joining European defense efforts as Italy wants. On the economic plane, the trilateral meeting underscored Merkel ” s dominant position in the EU, above all in economic issues, even though she referred the matter to the European Commission and once again called Turkey a partner.
Disagreements over how to handle the migrant situation has laid bare divisions between member states.
The three leaders are hoping to forge a common position on the way forward post-Brexit ahead of a summit of the 27 remaining European Union states in Bratislava next month. It follows an initial three-way huddle by Renzi, Merkel and Holland in Berlin in the days immediately following the June 23 British referendum.
There, the three leaders pledged their commitment to European unity and plotted a common proposal to relaunch the European project focusing on three key areas: improving security, boosting economic growth and strengthening options and programs for young people.
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Charting a course is hard until Britain formally begins the exit process, probably next year, and lays out proposals for its future relationship with the EU.
