French Minister Gerald Darmanin said Meloni was a far-right leader, like France’s Marine Le Pen, who was “unable to solve the migrant problems for which she had been elected, amidst an extremely serious migrant crisis”.
It was a fresh migrant spat between the two countries after a clash over an NGO run migrant boat that ended up in France last November.
“I will not go to Paris for the planned meeting with [France's Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs] Colonna,” Tajani tweeted.
“The insults to the government and Italy uttered by Minister Darmanin are unacceptable.
“This is not the spirit in which common European challenges should be addressed,” the Italian minister, who is also No.2 in three-time ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right Forza Italia party.
The French foreign ministry later attempted to walk back Darmanino’s comments, saying Paris was keen to work with Rome in migrant issues.
Meloni, who styles herself as a conservative rather than a hard rightist, drafted a decree after a disaster killed 94 migrants in Calabria in February which reduces protections for asylum seekers, cracks down on traffickers and boost legal channels for arrivals.
It was passed into law on Thursday.
ANSA
