The rough relationship that France and Italy had had for months was not normal. Emmanuel Macron and Georgia Meloni met yesterday at the Élysée to put an end to the acrimony and harsh tone between their leaders, and to return to seeking consensus between two neighbors who are not only neighbors but founding partners of the EU, NATO allies and members of the exclusive G-7 club.
Aware of the environmental tension, that they ran the risk of falling into a trap and making an inappropriate comment, the French president and the Italian prime minister limited themselves to making statements –17 minutes in total–, without accepting questions from the press. That allowed them to stick to the script, to the common decompression strategy.
Macron took the opportunity to express his condolences for the recent death of Silvio Berlusconi – of whom Meloni was a young minister – but he was brief on that point and immediately launched into praising his guest “for his very clear commitment to Ukraine ”. In France, the firm Atlanticist position and support for Kyiv of the Italian head of the Executive does not go unnoticed, an absolute contrast with the attitude of the leader of the autochthonous extreme right, Marine Le Pen, who is still lukewarm with Vladimir Putin today. supporter of negotiations now and skeptical of the massive shipment of Western weapons. In fact, Le Pen has always been much better in tune with Matteo Salvini, the head of the League, another pro-Russian, than with Meloni.
The host knew what his guest wanted to hear. That is why he spoke of “organizing immigration and asylum policy more effectively” in the EU and expressed interest in the stabilization of Tunisia, a country that has caused very serious migration crises for Italy in the past.
It is difficult that Macron’s words have made it possible to reverse a very deep Italian mistrust. Rome has felt for years abandoned by its partners, France in particular, which did not lend a hand (while Spain, Germany and even Norway, which sent rescue ships) did when Italy was overwhelmed by the arrival of thousands of people in boats every day. That is why the words of the French Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, in May, when he said that the Italian government had been chosen to solve the migration problem and proved to be “incapable” of doing so, were hurtful. The outburst caused the cancellation of a trip to Paris by the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, and forced his French counterpart, Catherine Colonna, to fly to Paris weeks later to undo the wrong.
Macron, who is in love with Naples, stressed that France and Italy, their economies, societies and artists, are united by “a unique relationship”. “It is this friendship that matters to me in the first place,” he insisted. The president of the Council knows it (she had previously used the familiar name) ”. “It is what allows controversies, disagreements to live sometimes, but in a context that is always respectful because it is part of a history that is bigger than us, deeper, that has fed our imaginaries, our artists, our collective adventures”.
In her turn, Meloni, who was visiting Paris for the first time in her new position, emphasized that “Italy and France are two linked nations, central and protagonists in the EU that need to dialogue, especially at a time like this, because our interests common are many and convergent”. The Italian premier mentioned the close collaboration of both defense industries, one of the results of which is a joint anti-aircraft system that has been deployed in Ukraine. Meloni guaranteed that French and Italian support for Ukraine will remain solid, without any cracks. She used the expression “360 degrees”.
On immigration, Meloni reiterated what she thinks. “We cannot continue consenting to this slavery of the third millennium,” he affirmed, alluding to the traffickers’ mafias. “We must collaborate to find alternatives for legal migration and guarantee the right not to emigrate,” he added.
On European economic policy, the Italian leader was in favor of a new Stability and Growth Pact that gives priority to investment in future policies. That is why she warned rigorous countries that “we must not return to parameters that would be unacceptable.”
Macron and Meloni discussed the issues to be addressed at the European Council at the end of the month in Brussels and at the NATO summit in Vilnius in mid-June.
Neither one nor the other mentioned Rome’s candidacy to organize Expo 2030, one of the reasons for Meloni’s presence in the French capital. The support offered by Macron to Riyadh – during his meeting last week at the Elysée with the Saudi crown prince, Mohamed bin Salman – was another final reason for Franco-Italian friction. In Rome they do not digest that a partner and ally country does not support them, that Paris gives a shameless priority to the great economic benefits of pampering the relationship with the Saudis. They consider it a betrayal.
Before going to the Élysée, Meloni, who always boasts of being a Roman through and through, was promoting her city’s candidacy at the International Bureau of Exhibitions (BIE), whose general assembly will make the final decision, by vote, in November. In addition to Rome, Busan (South Korea) and Riyadh are in the running. Prince Bin Salman has already passed through the Élysée and so has the South Korean president, Yoon Suk-Yeol. Meloni was the last to seek Macron’s complicity. An obligatory step but, except for surprise, probably useless. The Franco-Italian melodrama will continue.
