Franco-Germany Treaty Likely to Boost Multi-Speed EU Integration, Leaving Italy Behind

• Franco-Germany Treaty Likely to Boost Multi-Speed EU Integration, Leaving Italy Behind
  by http://dailyfinland.fi/
  The new treaty signed by France and Germany on Tuesday may give a key boost to the multi-speed integration of Europe, Italian analysts said. However, they warned that the treaty would risk leaving behind other major partners, including Italy, which are currently led by populist forces.
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  The Treaty of Aachen, signed by Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron on Jan. 22, renews a friendship sealed with the signature of the famous Elysee Treaty in 1963. The new 16-page agreement covers several areas of bilateral cooperation, including foreign policy, defense, trade, research, climate and energy.
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  “Seen from the EU’s perspective, the treaty is a relevant event,” Federico Niglia, international relations and European history professor with the LUISS University in Rome, told Xinhua. “All stages of the so-called Franco-German axis have always served as a metronome for the European integration process.”
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  Closer Franco-German cooperation has also been consistent with the path of enhanced cooperation laid down by the 2007 EU Treaty of Lisbon, which opened the possibility of a multi-speed (or multi-tier) Europe, meaning different EU countries integrating at different levels and pace.
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  Yet, the analyst noted that this renewed friendship between the two major countries of Europe also comes at a time when the EU appears to be “particularly divided.” “The fact that the treaty was signed by two non-populist governments a few months before the elections to renew the European Parliament (in May) means that it would also take on an anti-populist value,” Niglia explained.
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  Michele Nones, scientific advisor at the Rome-based Institute for International Affairs (IAI) and European affairs advisor at the Italian Ministry of Defense, agreed that the new treaty was a good signal for the EU. “It is a sign of strengthening integration at the core of the European process, which has always been represented by Franco-German cooperation,” Nones told Xinhua.
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  Nonetheless, both analysts highlighted that this “core” now comprised only two of the 27 EU member states (considering the forthcoming Brexit). “This so-called inner circle, which could speed up the overall integration process, is for now limited to France and Germany, which might not be seen as positive,” Nones stressed.
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