Giorgia Meloni’s first official bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump on Thursday will come at a critical time. As Trump threatens a trade war with the EU, her visit could be key to helping both Italy and Europe avoid escalating tensions.
Trump’s decision to suspend some of the planned measures softened the tone, but can Meloni actually produce meaningful results?
“The chances of concessions are limited,” according to Raffaele Marchetti, a professor of international relations at Lewis University in Rome. He said this “can cause problems” as “Europeans request feedback on their visits.”
According to Marchetti, topics on the agenda include the economy, the industrial sector and defense.
“Meloni offers increased defence spending, a move that will benefit American factories,” Marchetti told Euroneus.
“This could be inconsistent with the EU defense program and should instead focus on protecting the European defense industry.”
Meloni, who supports the EU’s proposed “zero-zero-zero” tariff contract, is likely to underscore the strength of the bilateral relations between Italy and the United States, and the close economic ties between the two, especially as the United States is Italy’s largest non-EU trade market.
But as Marchetti points out, Meloni’s attitude towards the United States also reflects the balance of power within Italy’s allied government.
To strengthen her leadership, she appears to balance the positions of the two vice ministers. On the one hand, Matteo Salvini, who focuses on protecting Italian interests, and his European stance and balance between Antonio Tajani.
Antonio Giordano, brother of Italian Parliament and executive director of the ECR, told Euroneus:
“In general, both Italian and European interests are in line with each other,” Giordano says. “Europe is a bit complicated, but I trust Giorgia Meloni.”
