German Chancellor Angela Merkel is facing renewed pressure within her own coalition government over the EU’s lack of action on migrant agreements.
Mrs Merkel has struck bilateral agreements with Greece and Spain, and is said to be in discussions with Italy on handling migrant border crossings.
However, there is still no Europe-wide agreement on an approach towards the crisis.
The Chancellor’s interior minister Horst Seehofer ripped into the incompetence of the European Union for failing to reach a bloc-wide deal.
During a press conference open to citizens on Saturday, Mr Seehofer voiced his frustration with the leadership in Brussels and among EU member-states.
He was questioned about the current standoff between Italy and the European Union over the Mediterrean migrant crisis.
On Sunday, 137 migrants were allowed to disembark at a Sicilian port after Italy had previously refused to let them dock.
A war of words had ensued earlier in the week, during which the deputy prime minister Luigi Di Maio threatened to withhold EU funds.
Following a breakthrough on Saturday, Mr Seehofer appeared to back Italy, claiming that the standoff was a “tragedy” which was the fault of the EU.
He said that Europe cannot keep asking every week which country will take in migrants and refugees.
Mr Seehofer added: “It is a tragedy that we are not moving forward in Europe.
“We cannot have ships spread all over the place or even drowning people every other week.
“A European Union needs to be capable of solving that problem.”
He also voiced his optimism for an agreement between Italy and Germany, in place of a European deal.
The German minister said that the deal would see Italy taking back previous aslyum applicants, while Germany would take a similar number rescued at sea.
Mr Seehofer said the chances of this agreement was “very, very, very high”.
But, he added that bilateral agreements are not enough, and a EU-wide deal is still necessary.
Earlier this year, Mr Seehofer became embroiled in a public war of words with Chancellor Angela Merkel over Germany’s border regime.
This spat threatened to topple the long-serving European leader but was averted with a last-minute deal.
Mrs Merkel, whose own press conference followed Mr Seehofer’s, poured cold water on fears that another coalition battle could erupt over the border.
She rejected chances of a new coalition dispute, and said talks on pension reforms were “going very well” and agreement would follow “very soon”.
The Chanceller added that the potential for conflict was “zero”.