Government consultations
Scholz and Meloni agree to closer cooperation
“Action plan” for more cooperation: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin. photo
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
There has recently been a political crunch between Rome and Berlin. A meeting between the two governments should brighten the mood. The result: more cooperation.
Germany and Italy want to work more closely together in various areas in the future. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni signed an “action plan” in Berlin to deepen relations. At a subsequent joint press conference in the Chancellery, Scholz mentioned, among other things, the topics of technology, competition and climate protection.
The action plan will lead to new cooperation projects and create new formats of cooperation, he said, specifically mentioning stronger cooperation in the field of energy for long-term security of supply for gas and hydrogen. Scholz announced the construction of a new pipeline across the Alps.
The German-Italian “action plan” had already been agreed upon with Meloni’s predecessor Mario Draghi in December 2021. Scholz and the Italian head of government as well as several ministers from both sides met in Berlin for so-called government consultations. It was the first German-Italian meeting in this format since 2016.
Meloni and her right-wing nationalist party Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) have been ruling the country since the end of October 2022, together with the conservative party Forza Italia and the right-wing populist Lega.