EU urged to rethink strategy as Transatlantic trade tensions rise
Italian Minister Adolfo Urso has warned of a "devastating trade war" between the EU and the USA following Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs. He emphasised that the Union must immediately adjust its economic policy and initiate a dialogue with Washington to avoid escalating tensions.
Adolfo Urso, the Minister for Enterprises and Made in Italy, noted in an interview with the newspaper La Stampa that the European Union cannot afford an escalation of trade tensions with the USA following Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, and China.
Urso stated that Trump has a clear mandate from his country to assert American dominance and revitalize both industry and the job market in the United States.
He added that the EU must take immediate action to adjust its economic and environmental policies to the changing geopolitical situation.
Minister calls for dialogue
The Minister called for dialogue with Washington to avoid a "devastating trade war," emphasising that the USA is Italy's second-most important trading partner after Germany. Particularly significant are the sectors of luxury goods and food products branded as Made in Italy, which, as he noted, Americans "absolutely do not want to give up."
Urso expressed hope for constructive cooperation between the EU and the Trump administration, highlighting that the American president respects Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the only European leader invited to his inauguration.
The Italian minister also criticised the previous US policy under Barack Obama, which – in his view – aimed to create a duopoly with China, shifting Washington's focus from Europe to the Pacific. As he noted, Europe has a chance to rebuild transatlantic relations and strengthen its position in the Mediterranean region.
Referring to the situation within the Union, Urso stated that the Green Deal collapsed in Berlin. He predicts that Germany will confirm this in the upcoming parliamentary elections on 23 February. In his opinion, a "front of reason" is growing in Europe, and the ideological approach to economic and climate policies is gradually losing significance.
