During a visit to Ghana, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi attacked what he described as an erosion of the founding principles of the European Union.
According to Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, Renzi said:
"We are at a time when Europe seems to be so far away from the values of our ancestors, of the founding fathers 60 years ago that signed a treaty to give birth to the European Community."
Up until now, Italy had blocked the money for Turkey but according to media reports, Renzi earlier told reporters in Nigeria that:
"At this point, we will give our contribution to Turkey to save human lives."
The change in stance from the Italian premier comes after a decision by the EU's executive on February 1 to exempt EU members' contributions to the Turkey fund from their budget deficit calculations.
#MoneyMoneyMoney! Turkey wants additional $2bln from EU for #MigrantCrisis managementhttps://t.co/LvqAzDgAxY pic.twitter.com/rvPOE7QW6X
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) January 30, 2016
Under EU rules, members must stick to the spending rules set out in the Growth and Stability Pact. If they fail to adhere to the rules, they face disciplinary action from Brussels.
EU leaders have agreed to send US$3.3 billion in aid to the Turkish government to help provide humanitarian assistance and tackle the refugee crisis in the country.
While Italy's economy continues to struggle, the country remains at the forefront of the crisis for being one of the first countries migrants enter when they reach Europe. Renzi told the Ghanaian parliament that the only way to solve the refugee crisis "is to stop the trafficking of human beings".
