The always difficult relations between Italy and France are once again going through a delicate moment. On this occasion, due to the decision of the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, to make known her anger with the French President, Emmanuel Macron, for organizing a meeting with the Ukrainian President, Volodimir Zelenski, and the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, in Paris the day before the summit of European leaders in Brussels. The far-right has come to accuse the French president of weakening European unity with a dinner that, according to her, was absolutely "inappropriate" because it excluded the rest of the countries.
“Italy and its foreign policy have changed, it is no longer about patting yourself on the back and taking a picture, if we have something to say we say it, if we don't like something we say it. In Paris there were two EU leaders, but the other 25 were not there and I simply said what I thought, ”he protested on Friday at a press conference after the European summit. "In Europe there is no first and third class - he insisted -, if not, we risk ending up like the Titanic".
The irritation of the Italian Executive at the French initiative was leaked from the outset but, instead of trying to hide it, Meloni spoke publicly for two days about it, protesting a "politically incorrect" gesture. Macron responded that “France and Germany have a special role in supporting Ukraine”, adding that it was Zelensky who chose the format he preferred, something Meloni later also disputed. France and Germany are two key allies for Kyiv, the countries with the most weapons and other aid to give to the Ukrainian cause, which explains Zelensky's interest in meeting with his leaders.
After the first three months of adaptation in which he has tried to convince the European elites that his government is not going to break the rules -especially in economic matters-, with this anger Meloni has wanted to mark his own profile that the opposition of his The country is already criticizing it as a wrong move if it wants Italy to have more weight in Europe. "When you attack the EU for years, then you are excluded," attacked the candidate to lead the Democratic Party, Stefano Bonaccini. She has also been compared to Mario Draghi, who traveled to Kyiv with Macron and Scholz. Meloni – who was able to meet with Zelenski along with the leaders of Spain, Poland, Romania, the Netherlands and Sweden – took advantage of the European summit to also meet privately with his political allies in Europe, the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and the Czech Petr Fiala .
Draghi was in excellent harmony with his French counterpart, but it was a hiatus after years of clashes between Rome and Paris, which came to a head with the first government of Giuseppe Conte formed by the 5 Star Movement and the League. In the Italian electoral campaign, it was already anticipated that relations were going to be complicated again after some interventions by French ministers that were interpreted as threats of interference by the Italian extreme right. Shortly after, the most critical moment came, an initial clash with Macron after France was forced to open its ports to the Ocean Viking humanitarian ship in the face of Italian rebuffs, something Rome explained as a misunderstanding. A few weeks ago, before the Spanish-French summit held in Barcelona, Meloni called Macron to try to normalize things, but the Zelenski episode has fueled tensions again.
