ROMA – France and Italy today signed the Quirinal Treaty. The premier Mario Draghi and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in the presence of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, thus established enhanced bilateral cooperation. The signing was followed by a strong applause and a long handshake between the leaders. The performance of the national anthems greeted the signature with the tricolor arrows flying over the Quirinale palace.
Draghi: “Common defense so that the future is not designed by others”
“Seeking European sovereignty means wanting to design our future as we Europeans want it. We do not want others to design it. To be sovereign, Europe must know how to protect itself, know how to defend its borders. We need to create a true European defense. Now this Treaty helps the construction of this European defense which is naturally complementary to NATO, it is not a substitute. A stronger Europe makes NATO stronger. This is one of the first and yet fundamental steps towards which this Treaty is directed “.
“Unavoidable Stability Pact Review”
“I have said several times that the fiscal rules in force until before the pandemic had already proved their inadequacy since the financial crisis began. They were pro-cyclical rules, which in some respects aggravated the problem instead of helping countries to solve it. . So their revision was necessary. Today this revision is inevitable, not only because of the very high costs that the pandemic has produced – budgetary, social costs – but above all the message is that without strong support from the state we would not have passed through the pandemic. , we would not have made it “. So Mario Draghi. “Also in the future, the EU sets itself objectives of fighting climate change, ecological transition, digital transition, new technologies, gigantic investments in semiconductors. So the new rules must reflect a past that must be corrected, and a future that must be corrected. we need to draw. All this must be done with the EU, but it is important that the countries equip themselves with tools that make them stronger in this discussion that the Commission has just started. And this is how Italy and France are thinking of proceeding ” .
“We need European sovereignty, the treaty strengthens the EU”
“The deepest meaning of this treaty is that our sovereignty, understood as our ability to direct the future, can only be strengthened through a shared management of common challenges. In addition to consolidating our bilateral relations, the agreement aims to promote and accelerate the process of European integration. I am thinking of relaunching investments, especially in strategic and innovative areas such as semiconductors; the digital and energy transition; building a true European defense. We must equip the European Union with tools that are compatible with the our ambitions and with the expectations of our citizens. The treaty we signed today marks the beginning of this path “. So Mario Draghi in the post-signature press conference at Villa Madama.
“Our objectives are those of the EU: the fight against climate change, the ecological transition made judiciously and quickly, the digital transition, the search for European sovereignty. This treaty equips the EU with tools that make it stronger”. A “stronger Europe – said Draghi – makes NATO stronger”.
The memory of Valeria Solesin
Draghi recalled Valeria Solesin “killed along with many French citizens and other nationalities in the vile attacks in Paris, the sixth anniversary of which has just fallen”.
Cooperation in crucial sectors: Migrants, civil service, space, security
“We strengthen cooperation between our two states, we create institutional tools to make it more structural, we make the most of the activities of our citizens and our businesses. We intervene in crucial sectors for our countries: from security to justice, from research to industry . We are launching a series of concrete initiatives, among which I want to mention just a few “. Draghi said.
Here they are: “We set up an Italian-French civil service and create a shared operational unit in support of the police. To promote relations between border regions, we have a cross-border cooperation committee. In the migration field, we recognize the need for a flow management and asylum policy shared at European level, based on the principles of responsibility and solidarity. We are committed to protecting our agricultural systems and recognizing their uniqueness. We are launching new forms of cooperation in the energy and technological fields, in research and innovation “.
Every three months, exchange of ministers
“We establish a mechanism whereby, at least once every quarter, an Italian minister will participate in a Council of Ministers of the French government, and vice versa”.
Defense, economy, culture: what is in the Quirinale Treaty, between Italy and France
by Anais Ginori
Draghi remembers Belmondo and Cardinale
“The institutions we have the honor of representing are based on the same republican values. Italy and France share much more than borders. Our history, our art, our economies and our societies have been intertwined since time immemorial. we have the honor to represent are based on the same republican values, on respect for human and civil rights, on Europeanism. Among our political fathers are Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman, Altiero Spinelli and Alcide de Gasperi. From Stendhal to Umberto Eco , from Mastroianni to Belmondo to Claudia Cardinale, we are full of memories and common references “.
Macron: “Sharing a geopolitical vision. A Franco-Italian house”
With the Quirinal Treaty “we will create a common geopolitical vision: we share the European and international vision”, we will contribute to building a “stronger common European defense that contributes to NATO, we will have enhanced cooperation in the fight against illegal migration and traffickers, to protect the external borders of Europe “. The French president said so Emmanuel Macron.
Treaty of the Quirinale, Draghi and Macron immediately in tune: “No more rigor”
by Tommaso Ciriaco, Anais Ginori
“We have lived through difficult times. Now our deep friendship has been established”
“This Treaty establishes the deep friendship that unites us”, Macron said, thanking those who made it possible, such as Sergio Mattarella who watched over the work they have completed. “Relations between Italy and France have lived through difficult times, there is someone who would like things to go wrong between us; sometimes it seems that loving Italy means seeing France as a threat, but we believe the opposite. We believe that this friendship that comes from afar obliges us to a discipline of friendship, which requires us to talk often “.
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