France and Italy have agreed to step up defence cooperation and continue their support for Ukraine
Following the intergovernmental summit in Antibes, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced a strengthening of bilateral cooperation in strategic areas, particularly in defence, energy and space, reports Euractive.
During a joint press conference, Macron stated that continued support for Ukraine remains one of the main areas of cooperation.
“This summit serves, first and foremost, to strengthen our defence cooperation. Our ministers discussed shared priorities: continued support for Ukraine, joint participation in peacekeeping operations, a common security and defence policy, as well as armaments programmes, notably the Aster missiles and the new-generation SAMP/T system,” said Macron.
The French President emphasised that Paris and Rome remain natural partners and intend to develop their cooperation in the long term. According to him, the adopted roadmap and the new bilateral committee on defence and industrial strategy are intended to strengthen coordination in the field of defence capabilities and support for the European defence and industrial base.
At the summit, the parties signed seven agreements, as well as separate agreements between companies and key economic players from both countries.
In addition to defence, France and Italy discussed cooperation in the fields of energy, the civil nuclear sector, space technology, transport infrastructure, security, and the fight against cross-border crime and illegal migration.
Macron also stated that France and Italy support the creation of a multinational coalition which could, in the future, replace the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
“We want to launch a coalition for a post-UNIFIL framework, in coordination with the European Union and the United Nations, to strengthen Lebanon’s sovereignty and that of its armed forces,” said the French leader.
The parties paid particular attention to the space sector. France and Italy reaffirmed their support for a European satellite project designed to compete with Starlink.
Macron also emphasised the importance of maintaining close relations between Europe and the US. According to him, both sides are keen to preserve their strategic partnership, despite possible changes in relations with Washington.
Despite a convergence of positions on a number of issues, Paris and Rome remain at odds on certain topics. In particular, Giorgia Meloni, unlike Emmanuel Macron, opposes sending Italian troops to Ukraine, even in a post-war capacity to provide security guarantees.
