The leaders of Germany, Italy, Spain and France, dubbed the ‘Big 4’, met in Paris earlier this week for a summit on immigration as Libya and Italy struggle to keep control of the situation.
Nearly 120,000 people have arrived by sea so far this year, with the crisis severely testing cooperation across the European Union.
And images of Mrs Merkel and Mr Macron smiling and joking together ahead of the summit sparked fury from countries such as Italy which has condemned France for not doing enough to stem the flow of new arrivals.
READ MORE: What happened when the BIG 4 met: France and Germany unite as Italy furious at EU nations
Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, an avid Europhile, was critical of the meeting, demanding the EU’s words are met with equal actions.
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France and Germany vowed to do more to help its struggling allies in the migrant crisis
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The meeting on Monday included the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain
He said: “The migration climate improves and there seems to be a better awareness of our European partners, at least in words.
“Merkel saying ‘Stop the Dublin regulations’ marks a turning point, but I hope her words are followed by actions.
“Today, when the overall strategy of ‘helping them at home’ starts to give some positive results, we can’t believe in people with demagogic and populist recipes.
“We must work steadily and all together.”
Merkel saying ‘Stop the Dublin regulations’ marks a turning point, but I hope her words are followed by actions.
While Five Star Movement politician Luigi Di Maio also attacked the power pair, claiming he does not believe Mrs Merkel and Mr Macron’s assurances that Italy will get the support it needs from Brussels.
Mr Di Maio said: “Rivers of ink dedicated to the Paris Summit on Immigration, with the Government and the PD celebrating a result that does not exist.
“What are they so proud of? Are they proud of the fact that they were invited by Macron after being ignored a month ago by the same French president?
“The only result that has been achieved so far comes from the fight against the non-transparent NGOs, a request that the M5S made in April among insults, to then see it become a Government proposal.
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Fayez Mustafa Al Sarraj, Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya, also attended
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Libya and Italy have had the burnt of the migrant crisis
“From Paris, no concrete actions have been taken immediately.
“They talk about an action plan that we do not know how long it will take before it becomes reality.”
The meeting on Monday included the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain as well as the heads of state of Chad, Niger and Libya – all three of them transit countries for migrants.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also attended the meeting, in which both France and Germany vowed to do more to help its struggling allies.
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Macron and Merkel joked and laughed together before the summit
German Chancellor Mrs Merkel told a news conference: “At the core of it, it’s all about fighting illegal migration.”
She said Berlin was willing to increase its efforts and also called on funds to be provided to tackle the problem.
Mrs Merkel: “If we want to stop human traffickers, then this can only be achieved through development aid.”
French President Mr Macron said: “We must all act together – from the source countries to Europe and passing by the transit countries, especially Libya – to be efficient.
”It’s a challenge as much for the EU as for the African Union.”