The leaders of Italy and France will sign a treaty on Friday (November 26) to strengthen bilateral relations as German Chancellor Angela Merkel resigns to test European diplomacy.
The Quirinale Treaty aims to strengthen cooperation between Paris and Rome in the fields of defense, immigration, economy, culture, and trade.
The signing ceremony was held shortly after Germany reached a new alliance agreement and ended Merkel’s 16-year rule. Merkel is the undisputed leader of Europe and has established a particularly close relationship with previous French leaders.
🇫🇷🇮🇹 French President Macron will travel to Rome to sign the “French-Italian Treaty of Enhanced Cooperation” with Italian Prime Minister Draghi. https://t.co/7C4BYolgmc
-European News (@euronews) November 24, 2021
The new Berlin government is expected to be more introverted, especially at the beginning of its term. Both Paris and Rome are keen on economic uncertainty, pandemics, a more confident Russia, a rising China, and a more isolated United States.
A senior Italian diplomatic source who asked not to be named said: “Macron’s intention is to establish a new axis with Italy, and it is in Italy’s interest to form an alliance with France and Germany.”
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It was originally envisaged that in 2017, negotiations on the basis of the new treaty would cease in 2018, when a populist government took office in Rome and clashed with Macron on immigration issues.
When Macron briefly recalled the French ambassador to Italy, the relationship between the two countries fell to a low point in 2019, but after the former President of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi was appointed to lead the unified government of Italy, the relationship has recovered this year.
A French diplomatic source dismissed any suggestion that the new axis between the EU’s second and third largest economies represents Paris’ diplomatic priorities.
“We have never played a triangle of jealousy with our European partners. These bilateral relationships, when they are strong… complement each other,” the source said.
The Quirinale Treaty, named after the residence of the Italian president and modeled on the 1963 Franco-German agreement, is expected to cause Paris and Rome to seek common ground before the EU summit, just as France has coordinated key European policy initiatives with Germany.
The full details of the agreement have not yet been announced, but the part that involves economic ties and strategic sector cooperation will be of particular interest.
In recent years, French companies have invested heavily in Italy, but Italian politicians have accused Paris of not being so proactive when Italian companies seek cross-border transactions.
Earlier this year, state-owned shipbuilder Fincantieri’s plan to acquire its French counterpart Chantiers de l’Atlantique fell through due to EU competition issues.
Italian officials suspect that Paris is actively trying to sabotage the deal behind the scenes.
