Meloni and Macron forge Lebanon post-UNIFIL coalition and deepen defence and energy ties at Antibes summit
At the 36th Italy-France summit in Cap d'Antibes, Giorgia Meloni and Emmanuel Macron announced a coalition for Lebanon after UNIFIL's mandate expires, along with new accords on defence, energy and a joint team against irregular migration.
At the 36th Italy-France intergovernmental summit in Cap d'Antibes, Giorgia Meloni and Emmanuel Macron announced a new international coalition to support Lebanon after the UNIFIL mission ends later this year.
The coalition, to be launched with an international conference, aims to strengthen Lebanese sovereignty and prevent the country from becoming a source of regional escalation. Meloni confirmed that planning for a post-UNIFIL mechanism is underway.France and Italy have a particular role because both contribute to UNIFIL.
The summit also produced agreements on defence, energy and security. The leaders pledged deeper collaboration on missile systems Aster and SAMP-T, support for Ukraine and joint peace operations. A mixed Italian-French team will tackle irregular immigration, and a new coalition was launched against drug trafficking. Macron noted that bilateral merchandise trade surpassed 100 billion euros in 2025 with significant cross-investments. On energy, both stressed European independence: France relies on nuclear power while Italy is advancing legislation to restart its nuclear programme.
Responding to speculation about strained ties, Meloni said the two nations work with frankness.
She separately criticised NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for a "confusing reconstruction" of aviation incidents that was later corrected, describing it as an effort to shape the upcoming NATO summit and calling for prudence.Sometimes we have not agreed, but our relations have never been glacial.
