Meloni's Washington visit aims to avert Trump trade war
In a television interview, European Affairs Minister Tommaso Foti said that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will travel to Washington to discuss tariffs with U.S. President Donald Trump. When asked in what capacity she would travel, he replied, "She will go there as a leader from Europe, which does not have a leader."
Referring to the media-reported date of 16th April as the day of the Italian Prime Minister's trip to the USA, Minister Foti stated: "I don't know if it will be the 16th, but Giorgia Meloni will go."
Prime Minister Meloni to go to the USA for talks on tariffs
He explained that she would go there aware that tariff policy concerns the European Union and would seek a transparent dialogue with Trump. He noted that the starting point for Meloni's talks with Trump will be that the new tariffs he announced "are a mistake."
Minister Foti commented on the global market situation, "Panic only brings losses. We must face the situation with the perspective that it could be temporary."
The Italian minister said the Union should find a way to negotiate with Trump. In some sectors, he may have something to say, such as European tariffs on cars from the USA. We must avoid a trade war, he says.
In his opinion, retaliatory tariffs should not be introduced.
- We do not want to start a trade war - repeated Foti. He emphasised that Giorgia Meloni fought to exclude U.S. whiskey from tariffs, as it would impact Italian wines through retaliatory measures.
EU to respond to Trump's tariffs
The European Commission will propose imposing retaliatory tariffs of up to 25% on American goods in response to Washington's decision to impose additional tariffs on the European Union.
The Commission's draft decision is 67 pages long and mostly filled with tables listing goods that will be subject to EU tariffs. The proposal predominantly suggests a 25% tariff and much less frequently a 10% one.
It appears that the EC did not propose tariffs on American whiskey. However, the list includes tariffs on yachts imported from the USA to the EU. There are also food products such as eggs, poultry, soybeans, and meat products.
Member states will vote on this matter on Wednesday (a majority of 15 countries, representing 65% of the EU's population, must reject the proposal). This is not a new list - during Donald Trump's first presidency (2017-21), the EU imposed tariffs in response to tariffs on steel and aluminium. Now the EC has refreshed this list.
