The leaders of France, Germany and Italy will meet on an island off the coast of Naples on Monday, to discuss Europe’s future in the wake of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union.
Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi is hosting the meeting on the island of Ventotene, where Italian politicians dreamt up a vision for Europe in the post-Mussolini era after the Second World War.
The island is the resting place of Altiero Spinelli, the author of the Ventotene Manifesto, one of the first texts to envision a united Europe. After laying a wreath at Spinelli’s tomb, Renzi, German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Francois Hollande will discuss how best to deal with Britain’s exit from the EU.
Renzi told press that “they [Merkel and Hollande] will be coming to discuss how to relaunch Europe from the bottom up”, adding that there was a “big need” to “relaunch” Europe.
All three leaders have different goals for the future of Europe, with Merkel’s main aim being a “better Europe’, with Hollande looking for an increase in the EU-wide investment plan. They also differ over how to boost the economic growth of the bloc, which has stagnated in Italy.
The three heads of state will also be discussing the timescale of Britain leaving the European Union, after their initial hard-line stance was softened.