The Italian Prime Minister, and the French President, showed his commitment to “a more sovereign Europe” on Tuesday, in addition to his “unwavering” support for Ukraine, after more than four hours gathered in Rome and after months of marked differences between both leaders.
“Italy and France, faithful to their role as the founding nations of the European project, are intended to strengthen their joint commitment for a more sovereign, stronger and more prosperous Europe, above all towards peace and capable of defending their own interests and protecting their citizens,” indicates in the joint statement issued at the end of the meeting.
The long encounter, which had been qualified in Italy as ‘The Summit of the thaw’, arrives after the disagreements of recent months for issues such as Ukraine or Melon’s closeness to the president of the United States, Donald Trump,.
“More than three years after the start of Russian aggression and, unwavering and without hesitation of France and Italy to Ukraine is even more necessary to achieve a fair and lasting solution,” is indicated on the Ukrainian conflict, without going into details about a possible fire or the guarantees of a possible peace agreement.
They do specify that support for Ukraine “implies, at the same time, an ambitious change of scale in European defense, both in terms of investment and support for the European Defense Industrial and Technological Base.”
In addition to Ukraine, the two European leaders also addressed “other relevant issues for European security, particularly in Y, and coordinating their positions regarding transatlantic relations, as well as on the economic and commercial security of the European Union.”
They condemned to be understood as great powers of the Union and after months of differences that have cooled the bilateral relationship, Meloni and Macron already showed a greater harmony at the beginning of the meeting and exchanged kisses and smiles when the president was received with an honor picket in the Chigi Palace.
The summitthat he had raised great expectations, was intended to “deepen dialogue and coordinate the European mobilization and action efforts to the common challenges that multiply and aggravate, examining at the same time the next deadlines in relations between France and Italy,” according to the note.
“The meeting showed strong coincidences on the European agenda for competitiveness and prosperity, which must be applied in an ambitious and accelerated way”, as well as “in regulatory simplification, in public and private investments, energy and full application of the principle of technological neutrality” to “allow European companies to compete in equal conditions.”
Something that “also applies to the sectors in transition, such as automobile and steel industries, which require a strong European commitment, as well as to the most advanced sectors, such as artificial intelligence, renewable energy sources decarbonized renewables such as nuclear, and space, where bilateral and European interests are interconnected.”
In their review of the European Agenda, Meloni and Macron were “determined to collaborate in the preparation of the next European Council and, in general, in the next multiannual financial framework, in migratory issues, in the extension of the Union and in the reforms.”
The two leaders agreed, finally, to meet again in France in early 2026, “with the aim of evaluating and updating the work program that defines the objectives of bilateral cooperation established in the Quirinal Treaty, which entered into force in 2023, in numerous sector areas, with special attention to youth.”
