At the meeting in Berlin, Chancellor Scholz and Italy’s Prime Minister Meloni agreed on closer cooperation. They already have one specific project in mind – the hydrogen pipeline across the Alps.
Germany and Italy want to work more closely together in various areas in the future. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni signed a so-called 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 agreement will lead to new cooperation projects and create new formats of cooperation, he said. One of the projects: The hydrogen pipeline across the Alps. Germany and Italy want to cooperate more closely in the energy sector in order to ensure long-term supplies of gas and hydrogen.
The two heads of government also plan to sign a bilateral agreement on gas supply.
Hydrogen pipeline from North Africa to Bavaria
Both Rome and Berlin want to expand their energy supplies. According to a report by the Reuters news agency, the projects between the two countries include the construction of a hydrogen pipeline between North Africa and Bavaria. The cross-border pipeline infrastructure is to be expanded for the so-called South Central Hydrogen Corridor (SCHC) from southern Germany via Italy to North Africa and the import of ten million tonnes of hydrogen will be made possible by 2030.
The import of renewable energies from North Africa should also connect Italy and Germany with Austria and Switzerland and contribute to the creation of a larger European hydrogen network. To achieve this, Germany and Italy also want to promote the production of renewable energies, natural gas and hydrogen in North Africa.
Cabinet meeting for signature
The closer cooperation between Germany and Italy – sealed by an action plan – is not a new project. This had already been arranged with Meloni’s predecessor Mario Draghi in December 2021.
According to Italian media, the model is the Aachen Treaty between France and Germany concluded in 2019. However, the German-Italian agreement does not go nearly as far. However, according to the German-Italian Chamber of Commerce, Germany was by far the most important trading partner for the country in 2022.
The plan was signed as part of German-Italian government consultations, for which Meloni and her cabinet traveled to the German capital.
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.
Asylum policy was a cause for controversy
Political relations between Rome and Berlin have recently been tense. Differences between the ultra-right Meloni government and the traffic light coalition emerged in migration policy, among other things.
The Prime Minister came to government with the promise of getting irregular immigration under control. In fact, according to forecasts, more boat refugees are expected to cross the Mediterranean to Italy by the end of the year than ever before.
Italy had repeatedly criticized Germany for providing financial aid to non-governmental organizations that rescue boat migrants from the Mediterranean in order to then bring them ashore in Italy. Meloni complained about this in a letter to Scholz in September.
At the beginning of October, after a long dispute, the EU states agreed on a common position on the so-called crisis regulation in the planned European asylum reform. Afterwards there were more conciliatory tones between Germany and Italy.
Lufthansa wants to join ITA
There should also be movement in Lufthansa’s entry into the Italian airline ITA Airways. Scholz and Meloni called for quick approval from the EU Commission. The government in Rome will submit the application to Brussels next week, said Meloni. “We will emphasize once again that she should work quickly to complete this dossier,” she emphasized.
Scholz pointed out that both companies took part in the German-Italian economic forum in Berlin. “We would of course like to see fair, orderly and speedy treatment in Brussels,” added the Chancellor. Lufthansa itself does not expect approval from the EU Commission until the beginning of next year. Lufthansa wants to acquire a 41 percent stake in the state-owned airline, which has been loss-making for a long time, and if possible take over the whole of it later.
Kai Clement, ARD Berlin, tagesschau, November 22nd, 2023 8:25 p.m