France and Italy seek to mend strained ties at first bilateral summit since 2020
Emmanuel Macron hosts Giorgia Meloni on the French Riviera to sign defense and nuclear agreements, bury years of friction over migration and far-right politics, and forge a pragmatic partnership ahead of EU budget battles.
A history of friction
The last Franco-Italian summit was held in Naples in February 2020, when Giuseppe Conte led Italy. Since Giorgia Meloni took office in 2022, Paris and Rome have clashed repeatedly. The low point came when Meloni refused to let the migrant rescue ship Ocean Viking dock in Italian ports, prompting France to receive the vessel. Tensions flared again in February 2026 after Meloni commented on the death of far-right activist Quentin Deranque in Lyon, drawing a sharp rebuke from Macron: "Let everyone stay home, and the sheep will be well guarded." France had earlier recalled its ambassador from Rome in 2019 after then-interior minister Matteo Salvini called Macron a "very bad president."
Their relations are a bit cyclical. There is strong closeness, but there are often crises and tensions that explode and attract media attention.
- France recalls ambassador from Rome after Salvini calls Macron a 'very bad president'.
- Last bilateral summit held in Naples under PM Giuseppe Conte.
- Macron and PM Mario Draghi sign the Quirinal Treaty.
- Giorgia Meloni becomes Prime Minister of Italy.
- Italy refuses the Ocean Viking migrant ship; France receives it, triggering a diplomatic crisis.
- Macron rebukes Meloni over comments on the death of far-right activist Quentin Deranque.
- Macron hosts Meloni in Antibes for first summit since 2020, signing defense and nuclear agreements.
Seeking a reset in Antibes
On June 25, Macron welcomed Meloni to Antibes on the Côte d'Azur for the 36th Franco-Italian summit, bringing together about ten ministers from each side. The Élysée presented the meeting as a return to fundamentals, even sharing a video of the two leaders embracing against the soundtrack of the Italian hit "Felicità". The summit aims to produce a defense and space roadmap and a nuclear agreement, including Italian interest in French small modular reactors. The leaders also want to strengthen the SAMP/T air-defense system supplied to Ukraine, developing a "sovereign European offer."
We need each other.
Macron needs Meloni to wield influence in Brussels. Both countries have extremely constrained public finances, which brings their positions closer on many issues.
Meloni's break with Trump
A subplot adding momentum to the rapprochement is Meloni's growing distance from Donald Trump. The former U.S. president accused Meloni of failing to help him on Iran and mocked her for allegedly begging for selfies at the G7. Meloni shot back, "Italy never begs." While not the main driver of the summit, the spat underlines Meloni's willingness to re-engage with European partners.
Economic ties and future cooperation
Despite political acrimony, economic interdependence has deepened. Franco-Italian trade reached €112 billion in 2025, a 6% rise from the previous year. The summit is seen as a pragmatic necessity for two of the EU's largest economies. With the Quirinal Treaty finally entering into force in 2023, the Antibes meeting marks the first major political act under that framework. Analysts caution that the summit does not signal a return to the Macron-Draghi honeymoon, but it could lay the basis for more regular coordination on energy, defense, and EU policy.
It's a necessity for both countries to work together.
