The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, on the occasion of his meeting today with the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in Rome, gave an exclusive interview to the Milan newspaper “Corriere della Sera”, in which he refers to immigration, fiscal stability and the main challenges of international policy.

With reference to refugees and immigration, the German chancellor emphasized: “First of all, Italy, Greece and the other Mediterranean countries are facing a huge challenge, because the number of refugees arriving at their borders is increasing. We cannot leave Italy and the other countries alone, but we must adopt an approach based on solidarity and a sense of responsibility. Germany, for its part, is particularly affected by secondary immigration.

Last year over a million men and women from Ukraine found protection in our country and, at the same time, another 230,000 refugees from other countries came to Germany, even though we have no external borders of the Union. For this reason, we need a solidarity distribution, with a sense of responsibility and knowledge on the part of the EU member states. We also need respect for the various rules that concern anyone who seeks protection, with reference to the asylum and integration procedures in the countries of the Union ».

Regarding the war in Ukraine, the German chancellor said: “We don’t know when this war will end. One thing is clear: President Putin has the ability to end it immediately by withdrawing his forces and ceasing hostilities. This could be followed by talks on a just peace between Russia and Ukraine, as Kiev has long suggested. But Russia does not budge from its imperialist demands. We must be ready to help Ukraine for a long time to come.”

In relation to the state support of industrial activities, the German chancellor underlined that “the decisions of the German government are part of the initiatives that other countries are also taking for the competitiveness of their industry” and that “there is a consensus that the European legislation on state aid must be made even more flexible and functional”.

Finally, with reference to finances, Olaf Solz told Corriere della Sera that “we need fiscal stability, clear rules that are respected and a common, transparent framework”, but that “we do not want to lead individual countries into a austerity framework’.