Resolving old conflicts: what Paris and Rome are aiming for with the friendship treaty

The friendship signal could be seen from afar.

The French and Italian parade squadrons sprayed the national colors of both countries on the sky of Rome.

A short time later, the heads of state and government signed the first friendship treaty since the end of the Second World War in the Villa Madama.

"France and Italy can achieve so much together," said French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday.

The Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi was not quite as exuberant, but called the treaty "historic".

The contract is based on the Aachen Treaty, but is not intended to compete with it, as Draghi and Macron pointed out to the press in Rome.

It encompasses all areas such as culture and foreign and health policy.

Christian Schubert

Economic correspondent for Italy and Greece.

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One of the main goals of the new bilateral cooperation is to have a stronger influence on economic policy in Europe.

Draghi on Friday reiterated his call to relax the Stability and Growth Pact in favor of more fiscal space.

"These rules have shown their ineffectiveness during the pandemic," he said.

They appeared “procyclical” and would have exacerbated the problems of certain countries during the financial crisis, for example.

Strong state support is not only required to fight the pandemic, but also in climate policy, the eco-turnaround and for digitization and new technologies, including "gigantic investments" in the field of semiconductors.

"Experienced difficult moments"

"The countries of the European Union need stronger instruments for these goals," said Draghi.

In a supplementary document to the treaty, both countries are calling for a permanent macroeconomic stabilization mechanism to be introduced in the euro area.

There is such a fund in the EU today to combat the consequences of the pandemic, but the German government has so far spoken out in favor of a time limit.

The new contract stipulates that a member of the government attends the cabinet meeting of the partner country every quarter.

A Franco-Italian government summit is to take place once a year.

A regular exchange of officials is also part of the program, as is a joint strategy committee that assesses the progress made in the cooperation.

Macron admitted in Rome that the two countries "went through difficult moments". The two countries, which are not only culturally close, are now committed to a "discipline of friendship". The Italian side has often felt like a little brother in France over the past few years. Conflicts arose in migration policy, in economic issues and in foreign policy.

Tensions grew in 2018 and 2019, especially under the right-wing populist Interior Minister Matteo Salvini.

The government partner then and now, the left-wing five-star movement, demonstratively made connections to the yellow vests movement in France.

In foreign policy, the main arguments were over Libya, where Rome and Paris supported different parties to the dispute.

In the economic field, among other things, the planned merger of the shipyards of Fincantieri in Italy and STX in France failed.

But since Draghi became Prime Minister, the arguments have quickly subsided.

Close ties have developed with Macron, who, like him, was also an investment banker.

Not directed against Germany

“In addition to the symbolic, there is also a lot of concrete information in the contract. It represents real progress, even if relations between the two countries have not yet reached the level of Franco-German friendship, ”says political scientist Jean-Pierre Darnis. The initiative for the contract came from Macron in September 2017. One day after his Sorbonne speech, he presented the idea of ​​the Quirinal Treaty at the Franco-Italian summit in Lyon.

A working group of six wise men was set up in January 2018, including former Defense Minister Sylvie Goulard on the French side. In an interview with the FAZ, she warns not to misinterpret the model function of the Aachen Treaty, even if there are chapters in the Quirinal contract on cross-border cooperation, for example, which are based on the Aachen Treaty. An Italian-French body for cross-border cooperation is also to be founded. However, the following applies: "The Franco-Italian treaty is not directed against Germany, but is intended to improve cooperation in favor of the EU," says Goulard. The goal was not to replace the Franco-German cooperation,but to lay the foundations for increased cooperation and routine agreements between Rome and Paris.

The President of the Jacques W Institute in Paris, the Italian Social Democrat Enrico Letta, sees the Quirinal Treaty as a "unique opportunity to overcome the paradox of proximity." "France and Italy are too similar and too often have been unable to work together," says Letta der FAZ In the past, many opportunities for cooperation in favor of the EU were wasted due to "too much competition". He also hopes that the renewed Italian-French cooperation will lead to an agreement on a new EU migration pact. Goulard says that “the treaty is due to the new geopolitical context that calls for closer coordination with Italy. It deals with important future issues such as climate protection, energy supply, Libya and North Africa policy and in relation to China ”.It remains to be seen whether the contract is crisis-proof.