“A new boost” for the economy and a “committed migration policy”: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are advancing cooperation between their countries.
Following German–Italian intergovernmental consultations in Rome, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz underlined the willingness for closer cooperation between the two countries. Germany and Italy support a “committed migration policy” as well as giving the economy a “new boost,” Merz said at a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. According to him, the aim is also to create a “new momentum” in cooperation between the two countries’ defence industries.
Merz explicitly praised the partnership between Italy and Germany. “We were able to conclude that in 2026 Germany and Italy are closer than ever before in our shared history,” he said. “There is a very high degree of alignment between Germany and Italy in assessing the challenges we face together.”
“Even more ambitious objectives”
Meloni stressed that Germany and Italy have set themselves “even more ambitious objectives.” Regarding joint defence policy, and referring to the US administration under President Donald Trump, Meloni said that she and Merz agree that European states should not ask “what others can do for us, but what we can do ourselves.”
Earlier, Merz wrote on platform X that Germany and Italy are “closer than ever” and are working “for a united Europe and a strong NATO.”
“No hierarchy”
Merz does not see the partnership with Italy as competition to German–French relations. “For Germany, there is no hierarchy in relationships,” the chancellor stressed. “We welcome every country with which we have such close partnership relations, as we do with France and with Italy. We know that only together can we move forward on this path within the European Union.”
In recent days, there has been speculation that Merz may in the future prioritise cooperation with Italy’s right-wing prime minister over relations with French President Emmanuel Macron. Recently, Berlin and Paris have taken differing positions on several issues. Since 1963, the two countries have been closely linked through the German–French Friendship Treaty and are considered the “engine” of the EU.
