This is Giorgia Meloni’s first visit to France since his election as head of government in the fall of 2022. Emmanuel Macron will receive the ultra-conservative Italian Prime Minister in Paris on Tuesday, in a still turbulent context between the two countries. . This meeting will make it possible to discuss “bilateral relations” and “the implementation of the Quirinal Treaty”, signed in 2021 and which structures the Franco-Italian relationship.
Giorgia Meloni travels to Paris to defend Rome’s candidacy for the 2030 Universal Exhibition before the Bureau International des Expositions. The Italian capital is in competition with Busan (South Korea), Ryad (Saudi Arabia) and Odessa (Ukraine). Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman and President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol are also present in France for the same reason.
Tensions to ease
Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni “will discuss European issues and take advantage of this meeting to prepare for the European Council to be held in Brussels on Thursday 29 and Friday 30 June,” according to the Elysée. “There will also be talk of the NATO summit to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Tuesday July 11 and Wednesday July 12, 2023. Their discussions will be an opportunity to reaffirm their common support for Ukraine”, indicates the French presidency. . The two leaders had seen each other informally, in Rome, just after the appointment of Giorgia Meloni, then in bilateral meetings on the sidelines of international events.
Franco-Italian relations have gone through some turbulence, particularly around the thorny issue of immigration, since the government led by Giorgia Meloni came to power in the fall. The reactions were particularly strong in the peninsula after the remarks on May 4 by the French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, judging Giorgia Meloni “unable to resolve the migratory problems on which she was elected”. Since then, the two capitals have been trying to ease tensions.