BRUSSELS — Rome is again aligning with Berlin by saying that it’s not the time to discuss European joint debt as proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron — even though it’s an idea Italy has pushed for years.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Wednesday said while the government broadly agrees on the need for shared borrowing to fund investments in strategic sectors it isn’t worth contemplating while France and Germany were at odds over the matter.
“I prefer to find solutions on issues that various countries already agree on, rather than opening debates on issues where there is no agreement,” Tajani told Sky TV on Wednesday. “If there is no agreement, there is no point in getting bogged down in a debate, even on issues that we consider positive.”
Ahead of Thursday’s meeting of EU leaders, Macron on Tuesday called for a joint borrowing scheme to fund investments in strategic sectors. Germany was quick to shoot down the idea, stressing that it is more pressing to discuss the bloc’s productivity problems.