French Prime Minister Michel Barnier and Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani are set to meet at the border between their countries on Friday in a bid to enhance cooperation in tackling
illegal immigration.
Tensions have simmered between the two neighboring EU member states in recent years over the politically sensitive issue of immigration. However, with both France and Italy advocating for a tougher EU stance on immigration, officials are optimistic that the strong working relationship between France's new prime minister and Tajani could signal a fresh chapter of cooperation.
"They served as European commissioners together, and when Barnier was the EU's Brexit negotiator, Tajani was president of the European Parliament," an Italian official noted. "Recently, Barnier called Tajani and proposed a show of solidarity on the migration issue. The idea was to meet at the border as a symbol of their collaboration in controlling illegal immigration."
In 2023, tensions escalated when Tajani canceled a trip to France after a controversial remark by then-French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who criticized Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, claiming she had failed to solve the migration issues she campaigned on. This led to a diplomatic row between the two countries.
Now, under Barnier’s leadership, France’s new government, which relies on support from the far-right National Rally party, has made the fight against illegal immigration a key priority. Barnier is keen to collaborate with other European leaders on this issue, regardless of political differences, French government officials told Reuters.
The meeting between Barnier, Tajani, and their respective interior ministers will take place in Menton, on the French side of the border, around 1:00 PM local time (1100 GMT), before they proceed to the Italian side.
Immigration remains a highly sensitive topic across the EU’s 27 member states, even though the number of irregular migrants arriving in Europe last year was only a third of the 1 million seen during the 2015 crisis, with numbers continuing to decline this year.
At a recent summit, EU leaders agreed to leverage trade, development aid, and visa policies to expedite the return of migrants who enter the bloc illegally. This meeting between France and Italy is expected to demonstrate a united front in addressing these challenges. Photo by bobbsled, Wikimedia commons.