Emmanuel Macron went to Rome on Tuesday September 26 to attend the funeral of former Italian President Giorgio Napolitano. According to the Elysée, the French president spoke with Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of the funeral. No press briefing was planned at this stage following their interview, it was reported by those close to the two officials.
The French head of state and the head of the Italian government are multiplying declarations of appeasement and the desire to act together to manage the flow of migrants after the arrival in a few days in mid-September of thousands of people on the small Italian island of Lampedusa, in the Mediterranean. “We cannot leave the Italians alone,” said Mr. Macron on Sunday evening during an interview on TF1 and France 2. An outstretched hand that Ms. Meloni immediately said she would grasp.
They will also meet on Friday in Malta for the 10th summit of the southern countries of the European Union.
In Rome, Emmanuel Macron attended the civil funeral of former Italian President Giorgio Napolitano (2006-2015), historic leader of the Communist Party and promoter of European construction, who died on Friday at the age of 98. Former French President François Hollande and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier were also announced.
Considered for years as the guarantor of political stability in his country, Mr. Napolitano had managed a particularly turbulent phase, seeing five heads of government pass by in less than nine years.
