Italy PM slams EU summit's conclusions on growth and immigration

Bratislava: Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Friday he was not happy with the conclusions of a European Union summit and for this reason did not join his French and German counterparts at a joint news conference.

"I`m not satisfied with the (summit`s) conclusions on growth or on immigration," Renzi told reporters after the summit, which was aimed at rebuilding public trust and finding a way forward after Britain`s decision to leave the EU. 

When asked why he had not been part of a joint news conference held by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, he replied: "I can`t do a news conference with Merkel and Hollande without sharing their positions."

It was unclear whether Renzi has been invited to take part in the news conference.

The Italian leader took aim at the EU`s fiscal rules and said the summit had made no significant progress in solving the EU's migrant crisis.
"To define as a step forward today`s document on migrants would require a form of fantasy, a verbal high-wire act," he said.