https://arab.news/vq8kt
The disagreements between French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have been legion. However, both tried to bury the hatchet this week in a move that potentially could help reshape not only European policy but foreign issues too, including the situation in Libya.
Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper described their big meeting on Tuesday as a “turning point summit,” while Il Messaggero’s headline asserted that “Meloni reconciles with Macron” in a “thaw.” This amounts to quite the potential turnaround in the relationship between the leaders of the EU’s second- and third-largest economies.
Yet, this development is not entirely surprising. For much of the post-war era, Germany and France have been the dynamos of ever-closer European integration. However, Macron has had uneven relationships with the three German chancellors he has worked with, and it remains to be seen what will unfold with the latest, Friedrich Merz.
While Macron’s relationship with Merz could well be better than with Merz’s predecessor, Olaf Scholz, there are no guarantees. The French president therefore is looking to continue his long-running project of geopolitical rebalancing by enhancing relationships with other powers in the EU, including Italy and Spain.
