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France's President Emmanuel Macron, left, and Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi motion the Franco-Italian Quirinal Treaty adjacent to Italy's President Sergio Mattarella, 2nd left, and Italy's Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, right, astatine the Quirinale statesmanlike palace successful Rome, Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. (Alberto Pizzoli / Pool photograph via AP)

ROME – Italian Premier Mario Draghi said that a bilateral pact signed connected Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron to fortify bilateral practice would successful crook fortify the European Union, successful specified areas arsenic defense.

The pact deepens practice “in important sectors, from information to justice, from probe to industry,’’ Draghi told a property conference.

That includes spending to make “a existent European defense" that Draghi said “obviously is complementary to NATO" and doesn't substitute the alliance.

“To beryllium sovereign, Europe needs to cognize however to support its borders. We request to make a existent defense,'' helium said.

Draghi besides cited the intent to fortify investments successful specified cardinal areas arsenic semiconductors, arsenic the planetary proviso concatenation is hard deed by shortages from Asia, arsenic good arsenic successful much sustainable vigor sources, arsenic countries question to dilatory the gait of planetary warming.

Macron said the statement does not substitute France's longtime relationship with Germany, which has been considered cardinal to economical prosperity and information successful postwar Europe. But helium said the 2 friendships are different.

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"In France, we accidental that erstwhile things get analyzable with Germany, we crook toward Italy,'' Macron said.

Among the treaty's provisions is the instauration of a Franco-Italian civilian work and cognition halfway to enactment instrumentality enforcement. In addition, a curate from 1 state volition be a Cabinet gathering of the different each 3 months.

“Beyond consolidating bilateral relations, the statement intends to promote and accelerate the process of European integration,’’ Draghi said.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.