Duties, Tajani: Meloni in Washington to zero them. Situation is improving

"I think the situation is slowly improving. European Commissioner Sefcovic is now in Washington to negotiate with the Americans. There are 90 days. Meloni's trip is not a trip to play an Italian game; it is certainly a trip to strengthen bilateral relations, but it is also a trip aimed at pushing the US government to reach zero tariffs and the goal could be to create a large Euro-American free trade market'. This was said at Expo Osaka 2025 by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaking at the Asia-Pacific Focus of the action plan for Italian exports to high-potential non-EU markets.

On 17 April in the US there will be "Giorgia Meloni at an American invitation and Italy will be able to make an important contribution to pushing in the direction of negotiations and not a trade war. Meloni's mission will also benefit the EU," said Foreign Minister and Vice-Premier Antonio Tajani, speaking from Osaka at the closing press conference of the Milan Furniture Fair. 'We support the unity of Europe in the trade negotiations, it is up to the European Commission to deal with Trump,' he added, 'but Giorgia Meloni will be able to help Europe by explaining why we are against a tariff war. The goal on tariffs, he reiterated, 'is to get to zero and create a great market of the West, a free market US and Europe'.

The Expo "is not a social event, but we are here because we consider the Italian Pavilion in Osaka an extraordinary tool for the political and economic presence of our country in Japan and throughout Asia" and "an important tile in the Italy mosaic that we are reinforcing all over the world," said Tajani as he officially opened the Italian Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka. "It is an extraordinary showcase for Italian excellence, a springboard for our companies and for strengthening the export of Made in Italy. History and innovation, technology and tradition: all over the world there is a great desire for Italy," said the deputy prime minister who cut the ribbon together with Italy's Commissioner for Expo Mario Vattani and Monsignor Rino Fisichella. "This pavilion will also be a place for business forums, to allow in this complicated moment, with the risk of a trade war, to strengthen our presence through the internationalisation of companies and an increase in exports," because with Made in Italy "we are able to break down tariff barriers thanks to our quality.

"We are also able to break down some tariff barriers because of the quality of the Italian product. Even the duty is sometimes not scary because the Italian product is so high quality that the foreign buyer pays more for an Italian product. In these moments we must never lose our heads, we must always know what we want to do, the government knows what it wants to do to guarantee the 60 million of our fellow citizens, favouring internationalisation, making exports grow, today we are at EUR 623.5 billion of exports, we want to reach EUR 700 billion by the end of the legislature, also working on these markets, the Japanese market, the Indian market, the eastern markets, represent an extraordinary opportunity," Tajani commented.

"Defence spending. Yes, we are ready to go up to 2% (of GDP), soon there will be the official announcement by the Prime Minister. This is a sign of the Italian will to strengthen the European pillar of NATO,' Tajani told the microphones of Agorà, on Rai Tre. "I am in favour of European defence as the ultimate goal to be achieved and this is a signal", "that Italy intends to spend more to guarantee security and to be a protagonist within the European pillar of Nato". Tajani said that this is a political choice made, of "a response that we give to the American solicitations, which are right moreover: when the United States say 'we cannot be the ones alone to guarantee Europe's security', they are right," Tajani continued. "They must be part of the security guarantee, but Europe must do more, that is right: do more and do better. Also coordinate spending better, coordinate operations better, work differently on an industrial level. In short, there are many things to do. Even spending more, we respect Nato's request of 2% for now, we know that another effort will soon be asked of all Europeans. We will see what the demands of the Secretary General (of Nato, Mark) Rutte will be, but in the meantime we say that we are ready and we are already respecting the 2% rule to be part of Nato'.