Agreement between the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Government of the Italian Republic on Strengthening Cooperation in Security, Defense, and Resilience

Key Chapter Title List

1. Foreign and Security Policy
2. Operational Cooperation and Crisis Management
3. Defense Industry
4. Joint Training, Exercises, Operational Interoperability, and Capability Development
5. Hybrid Threats, Democratic Resilience, and Cyber & Critical Infrastructure

Document Introduction

This document is a formal bilateral agreement signed between the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Government of the Italian Republic to strengthen cooperation in security, defense, and resilience. As founding members and allies of the European Union and NATO, Germany and Italy share the responsibility to safeguard Europe's freedom, peace, and security. In the face of increasingly severe global challenges and threats, both countries recognize the necessity to enhance cooperation in the fields of security, defense, and resilience to address risks that endanger the stability and lasting peace of the European continent. The agreement reaffirms their shared commitment to strengthening existing security architectures such as NATO, the EU, the UN, and the OSCE. It also acknowledges that enhanced cooperation will contribute to improving European capabilities based on the principles of democracy, individual freedom, and the rule of law, thereby securing the freedom, peace, and safety of their peoples. The core objective of their coordinated efforts is, in particular, to restore peace and security in Europe.

The agreement details five core areas of cooperation. In foreign and security policy, both parties commit to strengthening NATO's deterrence and defense capabilities and advancing the EU's defense readiness. Specific measures include regular consultations at the senior official level between foreign ministries covering different regions and topics to promote joint action within the EU, NATO, and other international organizations; and establishing an annual joint consultation mechanism (2+2) between defense and foreign ministers, focusing on coordinating common responses to transatlantic security threats, promoting a more sovereign, capable, and resilient European defense, developing joint initiatives aligned with NATO capability targets, and strengthening NATO's European pillar.

In the area of operational cooperation and crisis management, both sides intend to continue close cooperation in operations, missions, and activities under the EU and NATO frameworks, and to deepen collaboration between their armed forces in training, exercises, and education to enhance standardization and interoperability. The scope of cooperation will extend to crisis management, military cooperation, resilience against hybrid threats, and security in external theaters, covering joint participation in overseas peacekeeping, humanitarian and stabilization operations, defense capacity building, logistical support, intelligence sharing, and joint task force deployments. Both parties also seek to leverage their respective naval and logistical capabilities to further strengthen cooperation across all operational domains, including search and rescue, disaster response, and humanitarian assistance.

Defense industry cooperation is another pillar of the agreement. As leading industrial nations in Europe, Germany and Italy aim to strengthen collaborative capability projects and extend them to allies and partners. Both are committed to enhancing the competitiveness of the European defense industrial and technological base, fostering close cooperation in the defense industry based on mutual trust to reduce fragmentation, promote standardization and interchangeability, enhance force interoperability, and strengthen the European defense industry. Cooperation will deepen long-term, trust-based industrial collaboration on major weapon system projects, including joint development and upgrades, and explore industrial collaboration and common procurement. The agreement lists specific cooperative projects across land, air, space, and maritime domains and plans to explore opportunities in emerging critical areas, including integrated air and missile defense, space-based capabilities, unmanned autonomous systems, and cyber and data-centric architectures. Both sides will also promote industrial dialogue through regular industrial defense roundtables.

Regarding joint training and capability development, both parties plan to conduct regular bilateral and multilateral military exercises covering land, sea, air, space, and cyber domains, aiming to enhance interoperability, readiness, and the ability to conduct joint operations under EU or NATO command. Exercises and staff talks will be used to coordinate military requirements and capability development, harmonizing logistics, command and control, communication standards, rules of engagement, and doctrine. They will develop plans to better track and coordinate progress in strengthening interoperability by identifying gaps, planning exercises, conducting joint training, sharing information, and ensuring the doctrinal and usage compatibility of jointly procured or developed equipment.

Finally, in addressing hybrid threats, enhancing democratic resilience, and protecting cyber and critical infrastructure, both sides express their willingness to cooperate on resilience strategies (such as the EU's Preparedness Union Strategy), aiming to strengthen the resilience of democratic institutions to build societies capable of withstanding increasing foreign interference and manipulation attempts. They will enhance their capacity to counter hybrid threats by leveraging existing tools (such as the EU Hybrid Toolbox) through bilateral cooperation and within multilateral frameworks like the EU and NATO. In the cyber domain, they will coordinate positions using tools like the EU Cyber Diplomacy Toolbox and explore the possibility of exchanging liaison officers to each other's cyber commands. Cooperation will also focus on mechanisms to strengthen deterrence and resilience, including timely and effective intelligence sharing, comprehensive threat analysis, joint infrastructure training and operational coordination, and jointly undertaking projects to combat cybercrime, enhance cybersecurity, and protect critical infrastructure, including critical subsea infrastructure.