PMs of Spain, Italy focus on areas of agreement

common policy on migration a priority.

“It is a step forward that illegal migration has been recognized as a European problem and not just one for Italy or Spain.”

“Italy and Spain are in sync on the fact that Europe has the necessity to deal with certain delicate topics that need an immediate and effective solution ... which, particularly for Italy but also for Spain, is the topic of migration,” Meloni said. Spain and Italy already collaborate on energy supply under the leadership of Meloni’s predecessor, Mario Draghi.

Ukraine needs $14.1 bn for reconstruction this year

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her visiting Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez met here for talks that covered migration, energy supply and the European Union’s (EU) rules on public debt.

Sanchez stopped over in Italy’s capital on the last leg of his multi-nation tour that took him to China, Cyprus and Malta, reports Xinhua news agency. Spain is preparing to take over the rotating six-month Presidency of the Council of the

EU on July 1. Sanchez’s talks with Meloni at Rome’s Palazzo Chigi on Wednesday are notable because the two leaders come from opposite sides of the political spectrum. However, the two leaders found common ground as their countries are two of the EU’s most common landing spots for asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East.

Talking to journalists, Sanchez praised the EU’s recent decision to make the development of a

On Wednesday, Sanchez and Meloni called for reforming Europe’s energy markets to cushion the blow from supply problems, such as the one caused by the cut-off of Russian natural gas and petroleum. The leaders also called for EU policy on financial stability to be reformed. Sanchez said Spain will focus on the “reindustrialization” of Europe’s economies during its EU Council Presidency in order to make the bloc more competitive globally.

Kiev, April 6 (IANS) Amid Russia’s full scale invasion of Kiev, Ukraine needs about $14.1 billion this year to implement rapid recovery in war-affected areas, the Finance Ministry said. Out of the amount, some $3.3 billion has been allocated from the state budget, and the government hopes to raise the remaining funds from donors and the private sector, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying in a statement. According to the statement, Ukraine plans to collect part of the money through the MultiAgency Donor Coordination Platform.

This year, the government will focus on rapid recovery in such areas as energy infrastructure, humanitarian demining, and restoration of damaged housing. The reconstruction of critical and social infrastructure, and support for small and medium-sized businesses are also among government priorities. Launched on January 26, the Multi-Agency Donor Coordination Platform is aimed at coordinating existing and new mechanisms to support Ukraine’s budget, as well as rapid recovery and reconstruction, according to the statement.