Two of Europe's most prominent — and most ideologically opposed — leaders sat down together on the French Riviera on Wednesday, as France and Italy sought to put a frosty relationship to one side in the name of shared interests.
A long-delayed meeting
The summit between President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, held in the southern French town of Antibes, was billed as their first full bilateral meeting under the 2021 Quirinal Treaty — an agreement meant to deepen Franco-Italian cooperation in the way the decades-old Élysée Treaty binds France and Germany, France 24 reported. Each leader brought a large delegation of ministers, a sign both governments wanted substance rather than symbolism.
The relationship has long been cool. Macron casts himself as a champion of liberal, pro-EU centrism; Meloni leads a nationalist, right-wing coalition. Their governments have clashed before, and aides have privately described ties as difficult — making the warmth on display in Antibes notable in itself.
What was on the table
French officials said the talks focused on defense, nuclear energy and space, with agreements expected in those areas, RTÉ reported. Among the items: cooperation on the SAMP/T air-defense system, which both countries have supplied to Ukraine; a nuclear-energy framework; and a planned European satellite project pitched as an alternative to private networks such as Starlink.
The two leaders also share some positions in Brussels — both have resisted the EU's trade deal with the South American Mercosur bloc, citing concerns for their farmers and industries, and both back a more assertive European industrial policy. They differ sharply on others: Macron has pushed for stronger European security guarantees for Ukraine, including the possibility of European troops, which Meloni has ruled out for Italy, and the two governments diverge on migration, where Rome favors processing centers outside the EU.
A shifting backdrop
The meeting comes at a moment of change for Meloni's international position. Long seen as a European leader with unusual access to US President Donald Trump, she recently spoke of his "constant, unprovoked attacks" after a tense G7 gathering, Arab News reported — a public cooling that analysts say pushes Rome back toward its European partners, particularly on defense.
The French presidency summed up the logic of the encounter simply: "We need each other." Whether Antibes marks a durable thaw or a pragmatic truce driven by shared pressures will depend on how the two governments handle the disagreements that remain — over Ukraine, migration and how broadly to define a common European interest at a time when Washington's reliability is in question. As of the meeting, the leaders' final joint statement and the signing of the announced agreements were still to be confirmed.
