Approaching the signing of Treaty of the Quirinal between France and Italy. After four years of postponements and several ups and downs, the signing of the treaty finally arrives, a symbol of rapprochement between the two countries. Friday 26 November, in Rome, the Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi he will put his signature on the historic agreement with the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, in order to favor "the convergence of French and Italian positions, as well as coordination between the two countries for European and foreign policy, for security and defence, for migration and economic policy, but also for the sectors of education, research, culture and for cross-border cooperation”, they explain from the Elysium. A treaty, therefore, very important for bilateral relations between the two countries and towards the EU. And it happens just as the game is open on the Tim control, of which the French group Vivendi is the reference shareholder. Just the day before November 26, when Draghi and Macron will sign at the Quirinale, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti - Tim's public shareholder with a 10% stake - will present its new business plan.
The Treaty of the Quirinale is the transalpine equivalent of the Treaty of the Elysium signed in 1963 and updated in 2019 with the Treaty of Aachen. The document consists of a premise on the common values and objectives of the two countries and 11 thematic chapters. It will also be accompanied by a work program of around thirty pages, which identifies more concretely how the two governments will pursue the objectives set. The first chapter of the parliamentary collaboration envisaged by the document will materialize on Monday 29 November: the Speaker of the Chamber, Roberto Fico, and his French peer, Richard Ferrand, will sign a cooperation agreement between the two Parliaments. The first appointment is scheduled for 8 and 9 December, on the occasion of the meeting in Paris between the two foreign commissions. Furthermore, the attached work program refers to joint meetings of the Councils of Ministers, a bilateral summit every year and the constant search for a common position not only in the EU but also in international institutions, such as the UN or the World Bank.
The treaty takes its name from the XNUMXth-century palace on Rome's highest hill where the President of the Republic sits, a form of homage to the work of Sergio Mattarella to facilitate this agreement. After the signature, it will be up to the Parliament to authorize its ratification which will bear the signature of the President of the Republic.
But let's take a step back. The idea of a bilateral treaty was first born at the Franco-Italian summit in Lyon in September 2017 by the French President and then Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, on the occasion of the Sorbonne speech on the relaunch of EU integration. Then it was put on standby during the first Conte government due to the strong political opposition of its members (Lega and M5S) and then resumed in early 2020 during the meeting between the former prime minister and Macron in Naples, which marked the resumption of diplomatic work. But it was Mario Draghi's arrival in government that further improved relations with Paris. Succeeding Conte on 13 February 2021, four days later, the Prime Minister declared before the Senate that he wanted to better structure relations between his country and France, with reference to the Treaty that would be signed by the end of the year . Emmanuel Macron did the same on July 5, 2021, on the occasion of the visit to the Elysium by the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella.
In Italy there has obviously been concern about a possible fall of our country under "French influence". In reality, the Franco-Italian economy is based on a strong interdependence, both industrial and financial. The number of Italian companies operating in France is equal to that of French companies in the Italian market, this economic ecosystem is made up of over 4 companies on both sides of the Alps, with over 300 employees in various sectors: from banking to automotive , from the chemical to the aerospace, from the energy to construction and shipping, from fashion to the food industry and transport.
As far as international politics are concerned, there is a common strategic vision starting with the Libya issue, in which both France and Italy support the new government and the interest in putting an end to Russian and Turkish interference in this area of the Mediterranean. Also, both countries share the same vision regarding safety and security fight against terrorism in Africa and Middle East, as in the European Task Force Takuba mission: here too, Italian and French interests are shared in the stabilization of Africa to counter criminal and terrorist networks and migrant traffickers on the one hand, and the expansion of Turkish influence on the other, Russian and Chinese in the region.
On the topic defenseon the other hand, the collaboration of the military industry is deepened, from defense systems to intelligence. While for young people, the facilitated recognition of qualifications and an exchange program are envisaged, a sort of bilateral Erasmus between Italy and France.
France and Italy have one cultural proximity, higher than in Germany. The two states have similar political models, and their economic sizes are comparable. Both countries have gone through and are going through great social and economic upheavals such as the weakening of the national policy in front of Brussels, the loss of competitiveness and unemployment.
If the parties decide to replicate the Quirinal treaty on the model of the Elysée treaty – an agreement that started the Franco-German pact and the obligation of prior consultations between the two countries – it is expected that this agreement could have a great political influence within the EU, especially on the issue of rules on public spending (3% deficit-GDP, 60% debt-GDP), which will have to be reviewed within the nextth year.
An opportunity for our country to assume a position at the forefront of the world chessboard, effectively excluded from the privileged relationship between France and Germany after the Second World War. And with the departure of Angela Merkel, one might hope for a new axis of political and economic management with a rebalancing of forces in Europe. On the other hand, there is an Italian-French-German trilateral scenario that has emerged several times in recent years.
