Italy-France, for Mattarella implementing the Quirinal Treaty is a priority. Here is where we are

In a message sent to the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, on the occasion of France's national holiday on 14 July, the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella emphasised the Quirinal Treaty and, in particular, the need to implement the agreement. According to the Head of State, "the Quirinal Treaty remains a privileged instrument of bilateral cooperation, the implementation of which is a priority for both Paris and Rome. A structured collaboration between trusted partners,' he stressed, 'is indispensable to address the current international context, marked by complex challenges and growing tensions'.

The Bilateral Treaty on Enhanced Cooperation between Italy and France, also known as the 'Treaty of the Quirinal', was signed at the Quirinal on 26 November 2021 by the then President of the Council, Mario Draghi, and the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron. The treaty is structured around three objectives: to work together at the European level for an increasingly compact, democratic and sovereign Europe, inscribing the cooperation between the two countries in this perspective; to foster the rapprochement and integration of civil societies, in particular by promoting the mobility of young people; to structure the bilateral relationship by giving it strategic guidelines and formalising certain consultation frameworks. The agreement came into force on 1 February 2023, following its approval the previous year by the parliaments of Italy and France (Chamber of Deputies on 25 May, Senate on 5 July; the green light from the French Senate came on 27 September, from the National Assembly on 31 October). The objectives will be updated by the next bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Macron, already set for early 2026 in Paris.

The frictions between Meloni and Macron, from the European elections to the G7 in Apulia over the paragraph of the conclusions on abortion, to the position to be taken on the Ukrainian crisis (the Franco-British-led coalition of the 'willing') have slowed down the implementation of the Quirinal Treaty, which in any case is not considered a priority by Meloni. So far, many operational instruments have been activated (sectoral forums, steering cabins, cross-border coordination, youth, defence and public administration). At the same time, delays were highlighted in the start-up of some technical groups, particularly in the industrial and space sectors. According to the information provided by the French Embassy in Italy, on the foreign affairs front, in October 2024, young diplomats from the two countries' diplomatic institutes took part in a joint session in Rome, on the occasion of the opening of the third bilateral training programme for young Italian and French diplomats. On the justice side, a meeting was held in September 2024 in the context of the fight against maritime drug trafficking. This meeting represented a new opportunity to confirm and strengthen the close judicial and police cooperation between France and Italy, particularly in the fight against drug trafficking. In particular, the following were mentioned: the state of the threat linked to international drug trafficking in France and Italy; means of combating international drug trafficking in France and Italy; and investigative techniques relating to organised crime. On the economic and industrial cooperation front, consultations between business forums were further strengthened, with the 6th MEDEF and Confindustria Joint Economic Forum held in Paris in June 2024. In a joint declaration, the presidents of Confindustria and MEDEF reaffirmed their desire to strengthen their collaboration in the wake of the Quirinal Treaty, calling for a stronger and more competitive European industrial policy. The France-Mezzogiorno club, set up following the Treaty, has expanded to include some 20 French and Italian companies based in southern Italy. In October 2024, the 4th France-Mezzogiorno Economic Forum was held in Naples.

The Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, will be in Paris on 24 July where he will speak at the third Consultation Forum between Italy and France on industrial policy, in implementation of the Quirinal Treaty. Urso will meet the French Ministers of Economy and Industry, Eric Lombard and Marc Ferracci, to discuss the main topics dealt with by the working groups set up between the two administrations, including an exchange on the Alliance for the Future of Energy-Intensive Industries. These meetings," explains Mimit, "will be aimed at outlining a common path to strengthen the competitiveness of the Member States and the European Union as a whole, at a crucial time when it is necessary to define a shared industrial strategy capable of tackling the major transitions currently underway.