A flash summit, which ended in stalemate. On Fincantieri and the agreement on Stx France, the positions between Italy and France are still distant and all that remains is to postpone.
The meeting in Via XX Settembre in Rome between the French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire and the Italian hosts Pier Carlo Padoan and Carlo Calenda ended early, with relaxed but distant statements.
“I am convinced that we must strengthen cooperation between Italy and France, we are two great peoples, we are like brothers. We have a difficulty and different opinions on Stx but we will find an adequate solution" commented the French minister who on Tuesday morning had entrusted the Corriere della Sera with his proposal for Italian friends for the Sain Nazaire shipyards: 50-50 agreement on capital, chairman of the Board chosen by Fincantieri and preponderant vote of the chairman in the event of equality. Too little, Minister Padoan had said in an interview with Agence France Presse to the soothing gesture of the French, judging it insufficient.
“It is not possible to accept” a 50/50 split, “as we have said up to now”. "This position remains and we will remain firm on this" Padoan reiterated at the end of the conversation with the French minister. "In the conversation with Minister Le Maire - added Padoan - we first of all noted that there are still unresolved differences between Italy and France".
"To create a large group, mutual trust is needed and the premise is to reach a conclusion that respects the agreements on Stx", noted Calenda - reports Ansa - adding: "For now, the positions are still distant".
In the meeting with his Italian colleagues, Le Maire therefore indicated France's objective: to build a naval Airbus with Italy. A "cooperation to build a great European industrial champion in the naval, civil and military fields": in essence "a naval Airbus between Italy and France". This is the objective that Paris indicated, with Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, in the meeting with Ministers Pier Carlo Padoan and Carlo Calenda on the Fincantieri-Stx affair. It would be, added Le Maire, the "first world champion in the sector", so "it is normal that it takes some time".
On Wednesday, Minister Calenda will report to the Chamber on the situation of the complex affair in the early afternoon. However, the impression is that today a process has started that could end on September 27, at the bilateral Italy-France summit between Emmanuel Macron and the Italian premier Paolo Gentiloni who will have to deal with the many open dossiers. It is in the mutual interest of the two countries to find an agreement on shipbuilding but judging by the initial attempts it will not be easy.
Updated 20:00 Tuesday, August 1, 2017.
