Italy – Visit by Catherine Colonna (25 May 2023)

On May 25, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna will be in Rome at the invitation of her Italian counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, with whom she will have a meeting.

The ministers will discuss our two countries’ enhanced cooperation under the Quirinal Treaty that took effect on February 1.

The minister will once again express France’s solidarity with Italy, which is dealing with deadly floods in Emilia-Romania. We are sending pumping equipment to help meet the needs expressed by the Italian government.

Coming a few days after the Ukrainian President’s visit to both countries, this meeting will give the ministers an opportunity to stress that Europe stands united in its support for Ukraine in every area and in the long term. The ministers will also discuss current efforts within Europe, especially with regard to stepping up manufacturing of the munitions Ukraine needs to ensure its legitimate defense.

Preparations for the NATO Summit in Vilnius on July 11-12 are also on the agenda, particularly the complementarity between the Atlantic Alliance and the EU’s security and defense efforts.

Lastly, the two ministers will discuss the migration crisis in the Mediterranean, which affects Italy as a country of first entry and results in secondary migration, in order to better cope with this issue. To that end, as discussed by President Macron and Prime Minister Meloni during their meetings in Reykjavik and Hiroshima, cooperation between our two countries is essential, as is cooperation with Tunisia.