Italy brings German, French heads to EU symbolic birthplace

Italy brings German, French heads to EU symbolic birthplace | iNFOnews.ca
FILE - In this Monday, June 27, 2016 file photo, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, the Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Renzi, right, and the President of France Francois Hollande, left, leave a news conference during a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin. Italian Premier Matteo Renzi has invited his German and French counterparts to pay their respects at the tomb of one of the founding fathers of European unity in a symbolic bid to relaunch the bloc after Britain's clamorous decision to leave the EU. The location for Monday's summit carries particular resonance as Europe confronts Islamic extremist violence, economic stagnation and continued anxiety over the implications of the Brexit vote. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

VENTOTENE, Italy – The leaders of Italy, France and Germany are heading to one of the symbolic birthplaces of European unity to chart the path forward following Britain’s decision to leave the EU.

Economic growth, improved security and new job options for European young people are among the topics expected to be discussed.

Italian Premier Matteo Renzi, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Holland start their meeting by paying respects at the tomb of Altiero Spinelli, who in 1941 began co-writing the “Ventotene Manifesto.” The document, which called for a federation of European states to counter the nationalism that had led Europe to war, inspired European federalism.

The three then head to another symbolic location for the summit: the Italian aircraft carrier Garibaldi, which is co-ordinating the EU’s migrant rescue operation.

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