EU 'cannot allow' France-Italy tensions

The EU is urgently trying to find a way to resolve an escalating feud over asylum seekers rescued at sea that has pitted France against Italy, a top official in Brussels has revealed.

European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas has told the media that Brussels is looking to convene an extraordinary ministerial meeting in the hope that the two member states will patch things up.

In an interview with Politico published on Friday, Schinas said that the EU “cannot allow two member states fighting each other in public and creating yet another mega political crisis over migration.”

In order to diffuse the situation, the European Commission is “taking the initiative” and calling for a meeting of home affairs ministers in the coming weeks, the official added.

According to Schinas, a comprehensive solution dealing with the whole of the central Mediterranean migrant route would be preferable. That should include “development aid and neighborhood aid to countries of origin and transit,” an area where there is still room for improvement, the European Commission vice president pointed out.