Italy's hardline new premier today threatened to block a joint EU statement on migration at a summit that embattled German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned could decide the bloc's fate.
Rome has recently refused to let several migrant rescue boats dock at Italian ports, reviving fresh tensions despite the fact that numbers of arrivals have dipped sharply since the height of Europe's migration crisis in 2015.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who heads Italy's month-old populist and anti-immigration government, said he would refuse to endorse the conclusions of the meeting in Brussels if fellow leaders fail to do more to help Italy.
"Italy does not need more words, but concrete actions," Conte told reporters as he arrived at the summit. "It's a possibility I hope not to consider, but if we reach that point, on my behalf we will not have shared conclusions."
The bloc can decide to "overcome the challenge in a way that people in Africa or elsewhere believe that we are guided by our values," she said. Or, she added, in a manner where "no one will believe in our value system that has made us so strong."
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