Meloni meets Macron today: common ground on Lebanon, agreements on defence and energy
The Italia-France intergovernmental summit is taking place in Antibes. The aim: to resolve differences and break the deadlock over the Treaty of the Quirinale
Key points
Giorgia Meloni and Emmanuel Macron are attempting to put their differences behind them and unblock the Quirinale Treaty. Today at Villa Eilenroc in Antibes, the 36th Italy-France intergovernmental summit will take place, and the first official one since the Italian Prime Minister took office, attended by no fewer than nine ministers from each side. Discussions focused on coordination on key European and international issues, starting with Ukraine and the Middle East.
Lebanon: consensus on post-UNIFIL mission
It is on Lebanon and the shared need for a post-UNIFIL mission that the first true harmony between the two leaders will be put to the test. However, following the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, there is also a desire to revitalise bilateral cooperation and take stock of the main projects in the many sectors where Rome and Paris are already joining forces.
Defence and space will take centre stage, having now become key to both national and European security. Leonardo and Airbus are also banking on a boost for ‘Bromo’, their satellite partnership with Thales, for which an application for EU authorisation is imminent. But alliances are also being sought in the fields of infrastructure and transport, energy, research, culture and agriculture.
Trading volume at 112.3 billion
The summit also aims to strengthen trade and economic relations that are already extremely strong: in 2025, trade between the two countries reached 112.3 billion. France is Italia’s second-largest trading partner, after Germany, and the second-largest destination market for Italian exports, at 64.9 billion (+5.3 per cent on 2024). Imports stood at 47.3 billion, up 7.3 per cent.
The Business Forum
The alliance will be formalised by a joint declaration and the signing of memoranda of understanding between the ministerial delegations. Running in parallel will be a Business Forum, opened by the Minister for Enterprise, Adolfo Urso, and closed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, with the signing of several agreements. These will include an agreement between Bpifrance and CDP on investments in deep tech, an agreement between Business France and ICE to promote cross-border investment, a declaration of interest regarding modular mini nuclear reactors, and a cooperation programme in the fashion sector.
