This is a first since the election of Giorgia Meloni. Emmanuel Macron will receive the head of the Italian government this Tuesday, June 20, while tensions with Paris are still high. For her first visit to France, the far-right leader intends to defend Rome’s candidacy for the 2030 World Expo. She is in competition with Busan (South Korea), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and Odessa (Ukraine) .
But this is not the only objective of his trip. Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni should take the opportunity to address a number of key themes. On the program: the implementation of the Quirinal Treaty, signed in 2021, which organizes the Franco-Italian relationship. Will also be discussed “European issues”, “the preparation of the European Council” of June 29 and 30 and “the NATO summit” of July 11 and 12, according to the Elysée. “Their exchanges will also be an opportunity to reaffirm their common support for Ukraine,” continues the presidential palace.
Since coming to power in the fall of 2022, Giorgia Meloni has already met Emmanuel Macron informally in Rome. They also exchanged during bilateral meetings on the sidelines of international events. But this first visit to Paris is eagerly awaited, because relations between France and Italy have deteriorated since the election of the populist leader. A specific subject crystallizes the tensions: immigration.
Immigration, the main source of tension
The first cold snap took place in November 2022, with the Ocean Viking affair. This ship carrying more than 200 migrants wandered at sea for days before docking in Toulon. The episode greatly annoyed Paris, which was pressuring Rome to accommodate the boat. Italy has “taken the side of not behaving like a responsible European state”, had then castigated the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin.
In May, the tenant of Place Beauvau again set fire to the powder by believing that Italy was “incapable” of solving migration problems. Remarks deemed “unacceptable” by Rome, which then canceled the visit of its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani. Three months earlier, the French presidency had already angered Italy by organizing a dinner at the Elysée in honor of the Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelensky. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had been invited, but not Giorgia Meloni.
Now is the time for reconciliation. The scheduled meeting between Antonio Tajani and his French counterpart Catherine Colonna has finally taken place. The Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, meanwhile traveled to France in early June to inaugurate the “Naples in Paris” exhibition. Because despite the tensions, Paris and Rome have common interests. Beyond economic issues, they have the same position on the war in Ukraine and on the increase in energy prices.
However, it is likely that other diplomatic crises will arise. “Emmanuel Macron needs to oppose Giorgia Meloni”, analyzed in May the professor emeritus of history and political sociology Marc Lazar for L’Express. “He clashed, and still clashes with Marine Le Pen. He cannot have a different attitude with these two far-right leaders.” Especially since the European elections are fast approaching.