Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with French President Emmanuel Macron at Palazzo Chigi for a bilateral meeting that lasted nearly three hours, followed by a working dinner.
The two countries’ joint statement emphasized both their commitment to a stronger EU and to Ukraine.
“Remaining faithful to their role as founding nations in the building of Europe, Italy and France intend to strengthen their common commitment to a more sovereign, stronger and more prosperous Europe,” it reads.
“France and Italy’s unwavering and unhesitating support for Ukraine is even more necessary in order to reach a just and lasting solution, presupposing at the same time an ambitious scaling-up of European defense, in terms of both investments and support for the European defense industrial and technological base,” the release added.
Posting on social media, Meloni reiterated the progress made with her fellow leader. “We found strong convergences on the European agenda on competitiveness, on regulatory simplification, on the issue of public and private investments, on the energy transition with full technological neutrality, and on the support for strategic sectors such as automotive, steel, artificial intelligence, decarbonized renewable energies, as well as nuclear and space.
“We also reiterated our strong support for Ukraine to reach a fair and lasting solution, while promoting a strengthening of European defense.”
Tensions between the two countries have been seen as an obstacle to the Union’s current challenges, including strengthening the economy and pursuing peace in Ukraine. Meloni took heat for not being at the May 10 meeting in Kyiv attended by Macron as well as heads of state from Germany, the U.K., and Poland, writes Le Monde. She has also harbored strong reservations about sending any troops to Ukraine, while Macron has been a vocal supporter of such a move.
The Italian premier has also made a name for herself for not wanting to upset relations with America, specifically President Trump. However, with no peace in sight and much work to be done, Brussels is looking for a unified Union-wide commitment.
Perhaps less well known, or forgotten, are a few incidents highlighted by Le Monde: The migrant rescue ship in 2022 that Paris had to allow to port after Rome sent it away; former Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin saying Meloni was “unable to solve migration problems,” resulting in the Italian FM canceling his trip to Paris; and just this May Macron “accused Meloni of spreading false information about French actions in Ukraine.”
Then there is the supposed “persistent suspicion in Rome of supposed French economic imperialism targeting Italian infrastructure and strategic assets.”
This meeting is seen as a step in the right direction for the two allies to work towards common goals.
France and Italy also announced they will hold a bilateral summit at the start of next year. Specifically, they will discuss their goals outlined in the Quirinale Treaty, signed in 2021 to help strengthen cooperation between the two countries and which entered into force in 2023.
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