Novak meets Meloni in Rome

Novak and Meloni agreed that illegal migration should be curbed. Meloni said she wanted to initiate a debate on the issue at the upcoming EU summit in Stockholm. While secondary migration is an important issue, migrants seeking to enter EU territory should be stopped at the borders, she said. The EU needs measures to stop the physical entry of illegal migrants into the EU, she said.

Novak and Meloni discussed EU enlargement on the Western Balkans and they were in agreement that the enlargement served the bloc’s interests as well as the six candidate countries.

Regarding EU funding, Meloni said she was proposing a “more flexible disbursement practice more in line with modern challenges.” Novak said member states should receive the funding they are entitled to.