Italy and France sign the Quirinale Treaty. The Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, and the head of the Elysée, Emmanuel Macron, signed the agreement for "enhanced bilateral cooperation" on the morning of November 26, in the presence of the head of state Sergio Mattarella. An historic treaty, close to the Franco-German one, destined to change the European political framework, especially after the departure of Angela Merkel as German chancellor.
It is a document that saw the light after four years, blocked by deep crises at the time of Count I and by the pandemic emergency. This treaty intends to further strengthen cooperation between the two republics, touching on various points: from public to foreign, from economic to cultural policies. With particular attention to the mutual growth of the two countries, such as the greater interconnection between Confindustria e Medef e tra Caisse des Depots e Deposit Box. But the agreement also regulates other sectors such as defense policies, migration and justice. Without forgetting culture, education, research, space and, of course, agriculture.
“This enhanced cooperation treaty that we signed this morning marks a historic moment in the relationship between our two countries. France and Italy further consolidate their proximity, their diplomatic, commercial, political and cultural ties. From today we are even closer. This Treaty is the result of a long and intense negotiation”. The prime minister said, Mario Draghi, during the press releases at Villa Madama. “We Italy and France share much more than borders. Our history, our art, our economies and our societies have long been intertwined. The institutions that we have the honor of representing are based on the same republican values. On respect for human and civil rights, on Europeanism. We are full of common memories and references”.
Mario Draghi then recalled how in recent months relations between the two countries have further intensified, from the common commitment against terrorism, past and present, to stability in Libya. “We are allies in the great global challenges: from the management of pandemic to the fight against climate change".
With reference to the contents of the Treaty, the Italian premier said: “Let's strengthen cooperation, create institutional tools to make it more structural, let's make the most of the activities of our citizens and the activities of our businesses. We intervene in crucial sectors: from security to justice, from research to industry. A cooperation agreement on space has been concluded. Then we have a series of concrete initiatives: we set up a joint Italian-French civil service and we create a shared operating unit in support of law enforcement. To promote relations between border regions, we envisage a cross-border cooperation committee. In the migratory field, we recognize a flow management and asylum policy shared by the EU, based on the principles of responsibility and solidarity. We are committed to protecting our agricultural systems, to recognize our uniqueness in this field. Let's kick off new forms of cooperation in the energy and technology fields, in research and innovation”.
Then the news. At least once every quarter, and alternately, an Italian minister will participate in the French Council of Ministers and vice versa. Therefore, an institutional integration at an even higher level, on a similar, albeit lighter, level than what happens with the joint meeting between the French and German governments.
The Treaty is not based only on the consolidation of bilateral relations but intends to favor e accelerate the process of European integration. Draghi underlined "the relaunch of investments, in strategic and innovative areas such as semiconductors, in the energy and digital transition, in the construction of a true European defence".
“We must equip the European Union with tools that are compatible with our ambitions and the expectations of our citizens. The treaty we signed today marks the beginning of this journey. Our goals are those of the EU: fight against climate change, ecological transition done with judgment and speed, digital transition, search for European sovereignty. This treaty equips the Union with tools that make it stronger”. Thus concluded the Italian premier.
“France and Italy must do everything together and we have done it in this recent period, fighting together against the virus and for Libya, said the French president, Emmanuel Macron -. We will create a common geopolitical vision: we share the European and international vision”, we will help build a “stronger common European defense that contributes to NATO, we will have enhanced cooperation in the fight against illegal migration and traffickers, to protect Europe's external borders ”.
While the President of the Republic Serious Mattarella he called it “a wide-ranging text”. “A stronger relationship between Italy and France helps build a stronger European Union, all the more necessary today in the face of challenges that only a more integrated Europe can face, as the pandemic crisis has highlighted”.
An agreement that seals a historic moment that goes beyond the great personal harmony between the head of the Elysée and the Prime Minister. Also in light of the European semester that Paris will preside over in January and which could end without the French president at the Elysée.
