Renzi to meet top EU official after criticizing Brussels for months

Rome (dpa) - Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was due Friday to meet the man leading an institution he has repeatedly mocked and derided in recent months: European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.Expectations were high that the two leaders would seek a conciliation, at least in public. Juncker‘s spokesman Margaritis Schinas tweeted a picture of central Rome, saying it offered a "sunny welcome" and "better views" than Brussels.The meeting comes after months of tension between Brussels and Rome. The Italian government has chided the European Union‘s executive arm for being too bureaucratic and focusing on austerity instead of jobs and growth.The commission also holds double standards that favour Germany, Renzi says, and has proven itself inept in responding to the bloc‘s migration crisis. The Italian leader recently called on the EU to withhold funds from Central and Eastern European countries that refuse to take in asylum seekers.On the financial front, Renzi has also threatened to veto proposals to penalize banks that hold too many sovereign bonds - a proposal made by German and French central bank chiefs earlier this month that would be bad news for Italy.Italian banks own a large share of the national debt and have already come under market scrutiny for having too many bad loans in their books.In January, Juncker said the "mood between Italy and the rest of the EU, and the commission in particular is not the best ever" and scolded Renzi for "vilifying and criticizing the commission on every street corner."Italy‘s premier, who is battling against a slowing economy and the populist opposition Five Star Movement, insists he is driven by a sincere desire to reform the EU, not personal animosity against Juncker or ploys to court eurosceptic public opinion.On Monday, his government unveiled a 9-page paper on long-term EU reforms, including calls to set up a eurozone unemployment benefits scheme, as well as a common euro area budget and finance minister. The paper also criticized Germany‘s large trade surplus.During his Rome visit, Juncker was due to have talks with Senate President Pietro Grasso, President Sergio Mattarella and former head of state Giorgio Napolitano, who remains an influential figure in Italian politics.