Macron to host Meloni for first Franco-Italian bilateral summit in Antibes on 25 June

Summit framework

The meeting, confirmed by the Élysée Palace on 12 June, will be the 36th intergovernmental summit between France and Italy and the first to bring Macron and Meloni together in this format. Nine ministers from each side will participate, and the agenda includes a Franco-Italian business forum at Le Cannet as well as a ministerial visit to the headquarters of Thales Alenia Space, a joint aerospace company, in nearby Cannes.

“This summit will deepen Franco-Italian cooperation in several strategic sectors, in particular defence, space, energy and infrastructure.”

The Élysée noted that Macron will host Meloni “in a region that exemplifies the wealth of cross-border and Mediterranean cooperation between France and Italy.” Antibes lies roughly 40 kilometres from the Italian border on the Mediterranean coast.

Strategic cooperation and European affairs

Beyond the formal agenda, the two leaders will address major European and international issues. The French presidency said they will also discuss ways to strengthen ties between French and Italian civil society, with particular attention to youth and culture. The summit comes just days after both are expected to attend the G7 meeting in France, adding a further layer of coordination on global challenges.

Background: a rocky relationship

Macron, a centrist pro-European, and Meloni, who has led a right-wing coalition since October 2022, have not always seen eye to eye. Early friction over migration policy and broader political differences defined their initial months in office. The return of Donald Trump to the White House in January 2025—with whom Meloni had previously displayed close rapport—further shifted diplomatic calculations.

“A common commitment for a more sovereign Europe and strong convergences on the European competitiveness agenda.”

That joint message came after a long tête-à-tête in Rome in June 2025, when both leaders sought to ease tensions and reframe their working relationship. The Antibes summit will now test whether that detente can be converted into concrete cooperation.

Timeline of bilateral relations

The meeting marks a milestone in a relationship that has navigated political divergence and institutional renewal.

France and Italy are the second- and third-largest economies in the European Union, NATO allies, and G7 members. The Quirinal Treaty, modelled on France’s 1963 treaty with Germany, was designed to deepen bilateral ties across governance, defence, and culture. This summit is its first practical test at leaders’ level.