Germany and Italy Seek Closer Cooperation

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni signed an updated German-Italian Action Plan in Rome on January 23, as well as several agreements in fields ranging from technology to agriculture.

This is significant even beyond the connotations of Germany and Italy’s last alliance—during World War ii.

Germany is already Italy’s largest trade partner, but it wants an even closer relationship. On Thursday, Deutsche Welle stated, “Relations between Germany and Italy are better than they have been in a long time.” The next day, Germany’s n-TV.de said that Meloni wants even more: the same level of relationship with Germany as France.

• A notable sign of the strengthening relationship was German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Davos speech, in which he mentioned Meloni, rather than French President Emmanuel Macron, when talking about plans for Europe’s future.

The updated German-Italian Action Plan states that the two nations “remain fully committed to strengthening nato’s deterrence and defense and to promoting the EU’s defense readiness.” It also called for a “joint consultation mechanism between the respective defense and foreign ministers on an annual basis.”

• Furthermore, the leaders called for German and Italian initiatives to enable “the stability and prosperity of the African continent as an integral part of European and Mediterranean security.”

This is a concerning statement in light of fairly recent history. Prior to World War ii, Italy aggressively and murderously expanded its empire in Africa with the support of Germany. The two Axis nations went on to conquer much of Europe, leading to millions of deaths throughout the Continent.

Where will Germany and Italy’s “updated” partnership lead? According to Bible prophecy, history will repeat itself, but this time on an even more destructive scale.

The Trumpet and its predecessor, the Plain Truth under Herbert W. Armstrong, have long warned of a German-led, 10-nation European superpower—a resurrection of the old Holy Roman Empire—which will include Italy. “Isaiah 23:13 specifically prophesies of these two powers working together in the end time,” the Trumpet wrote in 2017. “They did so in World War ii. Italy will certainly be one of the 10 kings.”