Italy's recent handling of a migrant rescue ship was unbecoming of an EU founding state, Germany has said, prompting a backlash by Rome.
"It's possible that there are laws about when a ship can approach a port, but Italy is not just one state: It is at the centre of the EU and it is a founding state. Such a case must be dealt with in a different way," German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the ZDF broadcaster on Sunday (30 June).
"Those who save lives cannot be considered...
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Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.