Prime Minister Babiš held talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome
On Wednesday, 4 February 2026, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš held talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome. The main topics of the meeting included boosting Europe’s competitiveness, migration, defence and energy cooperation, and economic ties. The leaders agreed to draft a Cooperation Action Plan between the Czech Republic and Italy for the years 2026–2030. The Prime Minister also invited the Italian Prime Minister to the Czech Republic. The Czech Prime Minister then met with Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini.
The discussion also focused on supporting European industry and the letter the Czech Prime Minister had sent to European leaders ahead of the informal European Council meeting in Alden Biesen. The letter outlines key steps for boosting Europe’s competitiveness. "The meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was great. It became clear that we had similar views on a number of European issues. We discussed boosting European competitiveness and agreed that we must finally start addressing the very issue with urgency, as Europe is losing ground. We will initiate a coalition of countries to push for improved competitiveness. Migration was another critical topic. Together with Italy, we are part of a group of countries pushing for effective solutions to illegal migration. For example, we intend to improve the return policy and work toward designating Syria as a 'safe country' so that illegal migrants can be returned there," the Prime Minister stated.
"We agreed to draft a Cooperation Action Plan between the Czech Republic and Italy for the 2026–2030 period. I view this initiative as a solid, forward-looking roadmap for taking our partnership to the next level We also discussed cooperation in defence, energy and business. Czech companies have invested €2.6 billion in Italy, while Italian businesses have invested €5.1 billion in our country. Finally, I invited Prime Minister Meloni to visit the Czech Republic," Andrej Babiš added.
