Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has urged European lawmakers to show a united front on migration, with the issue set to dominate the run-up to European elections in May.
Conte's speech mixed pro-bloc rhetoric with some criticism as he faced an often hostile audience at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
"The European project seems to have lost some of its momentum," said Conte, who heads a populist coalition government, regretting what he perceived as passivity in the face of economic crisis.
"Politics, if it is only at the service of the economy, misses its mark," the Italian head of government said in charging that the EU had "lost contact with the people" and was "incapable of understanding (their) true needs."