Meloni and Merz: Is a new Italy-Germany axis leading the EU?

• Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are increasingly coordinating efforts to shape the EU's direction.
• Their collaboration raises concerns about the durability of the EU's long-standing Franco-German partnership, potentially sidelining French President Emmanuel Macron.
• Rome and Berlin have broadened coordination from trade to defense, advocating a common blueprint for strengthening the bloc's competitiveness.
• They joined forces on issues like the Mercosur trade pact and easing the 2035 phase-out of petrol/diesel vehicles, often opposing France.
• Experts describe a "parallel convergence" making Italy and Germany more compatible than the traditional France-Germany pairing.