Last updated in October 2009
Political relations
Political relations between Germany and Italy are close, resting on an excellent foundation: common historical development (Germany and Italy are both ‘young nations’), their position today at the heart of Europe and membership of the European Union, the large volume of trade and the broad spectrum of contacts (including culture, tourism, sport, social groups, trade unions and Italians resident in Germany). Occasional irritations on individual issues largely concern international policy, such as the debate on the reform of the United Nations Security Council.
Government ministers and parliamentarians from both countries exchange views regularly and often meet at international conferences. Federal President Köhler and the Italian President Napolitano are also engaged in close dialogue, especially on issues relating to European integration. The Villa Vigoni Association on Lake Como is a forum specifically created to promote bilateral exchange, hosting numerous events on political, economic, cultural and scientific issues. The political foundations also play a major role in relations.
Economic relations
Germany is Italy’s principal trading partner. In bilateral trade, Italian imports from Germany fell by 5.3 per cent in 2008, mainly as a result of the economic crisis, Italian exports to Germany also declining by 1.3 per cent. Germany’s still considerable balance of trade surplus fell by 16.8 per cent, to EUR 13.7 billion. In 2008, 12.8 per cent of Italian exports went to Germany and 16 per cent of Italy’s imports come from Germany. In 2008, Germany ranked eighth among Italy’s foreign investors, after the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, the USA, Switzerland and Spain. The clear focus of German foreign investment is northern Italy.
In the first four months of this year, Italian imports from Germany slumped by 22.2 per cent and Italy’s exports to Germany fell by 21.9 per cent. Germany’s balance of trade surplus for the period January to March 2009 amounted to EUR 2.7 billion, which means that the annual balance of trade surplus will probably decline further again this year.
Military relations
Alongside joint involvement in various security and defence organizations such as NATO, the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the United Nations, bilateral relations between the two countries’ armed forces have traditionally been close, including regular talks at all levels of the military and well-established exchange and training programmes for troops. Of importance is the jointly run tactical training commando for air forces in Decimomannu/Sardinia. There is also close cooperation on armaments production.
Cultural relations
Cultural relations between Germany and Italy are globally unique in their intensity. In no other country does Germany have as many cultural institutions as in Italy, some the very first of their kind:
five academic institutions (the German Archaeological Institute founded in 1829, the Biblioteca Hertziana founded in 1912, the German Institute of Art History in Florence founded in 1888; the German Historical Institute; and the German Study Centre in Venice)
five houses providing scholarships for artists (Villa Massimo and Casa di Goethe in Rome, Villa Romana in Florence, Villa Serpentara/Casa Baldi in Olevano Romano and the European Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Montepulciano)
seven branches of the Goethe Institute (Rome, Naples, Palermo, Milan, Turin, Genoa and Trieste)
three German Schools (in Rome since 1851, Milan and Genoa)
the above-mentioned Casa di Goethe, which was founded in 1997 and functions as a museum and exhibition venue
the German-Italian Villa Vigoni Association
A globally unique dense network of nearly 40 German-Italian cultural societies, enabling cultural offerings and language work to reach the provinces, too.
An important network for promoting German at Italian schools are the more than 20 partner schools (PASCH), including both the three German Schools (with a total of 2,500 pupils), 12 language diploma schools, five schools with bilingual sections and five partner schools under the supervision of the Goethe Institute. In the 2008/2009 school year, there were a total of approximately 350,000 pupils learning German at Italian schools (mostly as their second or third foreign language).
Since 2004, a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) information centre in Rome has been offering Italian students, young academics and professors advice on Germany’s higher education system, on study and research opportunities and grants. The binational German-Italian Higher Education Centre (DIH) with offices in Bonn and Trient advises on German-Italian study programmes and graduate schools and organizes biennial German-Italian Higher Education Days. The DIH awards the Ladislao Mittner Prize enabling Italians to study in Germany and the Brentano Prize enabling Germans to study in Italy.
Since 2008, the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media have awarded the annual German-Italian Translation Prize alternately to Italian and German translators. From 2010 onwards, the Italian Ministry of Culture will also be involved.
