Italy and France are stepping up strategic coordination in the Mediterranean, launching a high-level seminar in Rome promoted by the Med-Or Italian Foundation. The focus is on security, energy, migration, and regional crises. Talks are underway to make it an annual event and to establish a permanent research hub.
Decoding the news. Italy and France are strengthening their strategic axis in the Mediterranean, in line with the Quirinale Treaty, with shared priorities on defence, energy security, and migration.
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hosted French President Emmanuel Macron in Rome earlier this month.
The context. Just days after the Meloni-Macron meeting, a high-level seminar organised by Med-Or Italian Foundation—in partnership with the French and Italian embassies—brought together institutional actors, think tanks and businesses from both countries to deepen dialogue around shared Mediterranean priorities.
- Key topics included strengthened cooperation on defence and security, access to and protection of energy resources, coordinated response to migration challenges, and the evolving crises in Libya, Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria.
- French Ambassador in Rome, Martin Briens, and Italian Ambassador to Paris, Emanuela D’Alessandro, joined the event.
- Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto delivered the closing remarks.
What we’re watching. Italy is pushing for broader European coordination, more synergy in EU foreign policy toward the South and East, and deeper engagement with Africa.
- The goal is to turn the Med-Or seminar into an annual Rome–Paris event.
- A proposal to establish a permanent Mediterranean security research platform involving institutions, academia, and the private sector is on the table.
