Insight
Tearing at Europe’s core: Why France and Italy are at loggerheads by Luigi Scazzieri 12 February 2019
Tensions between Italy and France are rising due to domestic politics in both countries, personal acrimony between Salvini, Di Maio and Macron, and policy differences. Bilateral relations are at their worst in decades and may deteriorate further after the European elections. In late January, just as President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Angela Merkel were getting ready to strengthen the Franco-German alliance by renewing the Élysée Treaty in Aachen, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the populist Five Star Movement, Luigi Di Maio, was busy adding to a new rift at the heart of the EU. In an unusually fierce broadside, he accused France of keeping African countries poor by forcing them to use the CFA Franc, a currency pegged to the euro and backed by the French treasury. He argued that France was therefore responsible for causing the migration flows that Italy had to deal with, and even called for EU sanctions on France. A few days later Matteo Salvini, leader of the League and Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and interior minister, doubled down on Di Maio’s accusations added that he hoped the French would soon vote Macron out. Then, in early February, Di Maio infuriated Paris even further by travelling to France to meet controversial leaders of the gilets jaunes anti-government protesters, who plan to run in the European Parliament elections in May. In response, France recalled its ambassador to Italy for consultations – a rare and very strong signal of diplomatic displeasure between fellow EU member-states – citing repeated baseless attacks ”without precedent since the end of the war”. The French government also made clear that it saw the spat as an electoral stunt linked to the European elections. This is partly true. Di Maio’s support for the gilets jaunes should be seen as part of a search for allies in the next European Parliament. And his unfounded accusation that France causes migration to Europe by forcing countries to use the CFA franc was clearly an attempt to appeal to the conspiracy-minded instincts of some Five Star supporters. The Five Star has haemorrhaged votes since entering into the coalition, as support for the League has surged: it is now polling at around 25 per cent, down from 32 per cent in the March 2018 election, while the League has
CER INSIGHT: Tearing at Europe’s core: Why France and Italy are at loggerheads 12 February 2019
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