Third trilateral France-Germany-Italy meeting on European industrial policy

Last Monday 8 April, the third trilateral France-Germany-Italy meeting on European industrial policy was held in Meudon, near Paris.

It follows an initial meeting on 26 June 2023 in Berlin, then on 30 October 2023 in Rome. This original format will enable Europe’s three leading industrial countries to coordinate their efforts in the face of fierce competition from the United States and China.

Bruno Le Maire, the French Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, chaired this discussion on the ecological transition and green technologies with Adolfo Urso, the Italian Minister for Enterprise and Made in Italy, and Robert Habeck, the German Minister for the Economy and Climate Action.

The three ministers agreed on common positions for the next five years, to be put forward to the new European Commission.

Three priority areas were identified:
– simplification, with the aim of cutting red tape and reducing standards in support of SMEs;
– investment in technological innovation to meet the need for Europe to make a success of the dual transition to energy and digital technology;
– finally, fair international competition, to enable European industry to respond to the imperatives of competitiveness and sustainability.

The next Franco-German-Italian ministerial meeting on European industrial policy is scheduled to take place in Berlin next autumn.

It will provide an opportunity to update the joint programme in the light of the results of the recent European elections and the new European Commission.