Results of the 31st Franco-Italian Summit on European issues

20 November 2013

At the summit held on 20 November in Rome, François Hollande and Enrico Letta emphasised the close relationship between France and Italy and highlighted their joint ambition to redirect Europe's course from austerity to growth policies.

Translate from the French

Concrete decisions and the joint declarations of interest have been summarised:

1. Concrete decisions on employment:

• Posting of workers: EU rules should be strengthened to fight against the abuse and fraud in the posting of workers and to fight against social dumping. On youth employment, the decisions taken by the Conference of Paris should be implemented quickly.

2. Realisation of the Banking Union now in order to control the financial system and protect Europeans from future banking crises.

• Adoption of the resolution mechanism for failing banks in December and the possibility of direct recapitalisation of banks by the European Stability Mechanism (ESM).

3. Make the eurozone an integrated and inclusive area of growth

• Introduce a financial capacity, which initially could rely on bonds - securities issuance - that could jointly fund policies of growth and productive investment. Eventually, a budgetary tool will be capable of absorbing shocks in the euro area.
• Instigate a a tax harmonisation and social convergence process.
• Review the governance of the euro area. Introduce a full-time president of the Eurogroup after the European elections, to ensure that the economic governance of the euro area is responsible, democratically legitimate and interacts with the European Parliament and national parliaments.

4. Develop new policies in Europe, where France and Italy have an interest in acting together

• To control immigration. Fight against illegal immigration and trafficking networks and prevent problems at the source by developing cooperation programmes with the countries of origin and transit. Defending Europe means to act in the Mediterranean and Africa.
• To ensure the strategic autonomy of Europe in its defence structures. Take decisions in December on operations, on critical capabilities and plane refuelling facilities and on rekindling a European programme of surveillance by drones. From 2020 onwards, the preservation and strengthening of industrial resources should be a priority.
• To reindustrialise Europe, with adapted competition rules, reciprocity in trade, a real energy policy, the development of industries of the future, most of all digital technology.

Results summary (in French

Joint declaration (in French)

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