News Analysis: Recent rifts between Italy, France unlikely to damage relations, but could pose other risks

In the space of a few days, Italy and France have faced off over the fate of refugees camped at their border and a minister's comments over a beloved Italian snack food. Experts are divided over how significant the developments will prove to be.

The two countries have been closely integrated politically and economically dating back to 1956, and they were among the six countries signing the Treaty of Rome to eventually found the European Union. But that does not mean they have not suffered from occasional blowups.

In one of the latest, a week ago, French Minister of Environment Segolene Royal raised eyebrows when she urged people to forgo Nutella, the popular Italian chocolate-hazelnut spread, saying it "damages the environment" and contributes to deforestation because it creates incentives for farmers to cut down trees to plant oil palms, one of Nutella's principle ingredients.

Royal soon after apologized for criticizing the snack food staple.

Meanwhile, tensions rose dramatically on the southernmost border between the two countries, when France closed its border to thousands of refugees as the countries argued over whether or not the migrants, mostly from Sudan and Eritrea, were properly processed over first arriving on European territory in Italy.

The situation became violent at some points, and attracted worldwide attention after some of the migrants went on hunger strike or strapped themselves to signposts and fences to make it more difficult for them to be removed.

The standoff made for an awkward visit between Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and French President Francois Hollande at the Expo 2015 World Fair in the northern Italian city of Milan.

Afterwards, Renzi tried to underplay the situation, telling reporters, "Were there tensions to diffuse? No," Renzi said, though he allowed it remained a difficult situation. "Italy and France are like a couple that has been together for a long time," he added.

According to Jean-Pierre Darnis, the French-born vice-director of the Rome-based Institute for International Affairs think tank, the relations between the two countries is probably too entrenched to be damaged in a significant way by recent events.

"The two countries have a historically close but difficult relationship," Darnis said in an interview. "But the way Italy looks at France and the way France looks at Italy is not going to change because of these little things."

Umberto Triulzi, a political scientist with La Sapienza University in Rome, agreed.

"The Nutella issue trivial and the refugee issue is really a European problem," Triulzi told Xinhua. "France should obviously help with the refugees, but so should the rest of the European Union."

Gian Franco Gallo, an international affairs analyst, agreed recent developments would most likely blow over. But he added that recent events did carry some risks.

"While leaders in both countries are pointing fingers and trading insults, they should be focusing on more urgent issues like the climate change summit later this year in Paris, or whether or not the EU should help bail out Greece," Gallo told Xinhua. Endit