Italy's populist premier Giuseppe Conte met Germanys' Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the European Union leaders' summit in Brussels on Thursday, Italy's diplomatic representation at the EU tweeted.
Conte and Merkel meet earlier this month to discuss the controversial issue of migration to the 28-member bloc which is expected to top the EU summit taking place through Friday.
Merkel’s political survival may depend on Italy’s new anti-establishment government, whose demands are at odds with Germany’s on immigration.
Merkel's coalition partner, Bavaria’s Christian Social Union (CSU), wants migrants trying to get into Germany to be sent back to Italy and other southern European countries where they entered the EU - a plan strongly opposed by Italy, which is the main arrival state for migrants.
Italy does not want to handle alone the influx of migrants reaching its shores and wants changes to EU rules that currently make it responsible for registering migrants that arrive there and for processing their asylum claims.
