Meloni: Monday government summit on tariffs, Tuesday government-category meeting

The president of Confindustria, Emanuele Orsini told Tg1: "We must not panic and we must all react united in Europe to negotiate with the United States". "The value estimated by the report presented yesterday by our study centre is a loss for Italian companies of between 7 and 14 billion, which is equivalent to 0.3-0.5% of GDP," he explained. And he warns: 'The risk of job losses and delocalisation exists, so everything must be done immediately to keep our companies in Italy'. And 'we need a strategic plan of investment and innovation for companies, we need to lower the cost of energy, which is a competitive gap even with European countries, we need to open new markets immediately such as Mercosur and India, and we need to free Europe from bureaucracy. I am thinking, for example,' said the leader of the industrialists, 'of the duties imposed on cars yesterday of 25% that oblige us, immediately, to eliminate sanctions and review all the objectives of the green deal'.

'Italy's role,' Meloni emphasised, 'is to bring Italian interests, particularly to Europe, because while we negotiate with the Americans, it remains that there are many things we can do to remove the duties that the European Union has imposed on itself'. Some examples quoted by the premier: 'The unsupportable ideological rules of the Green Deal on the automotive sector, which is now affected by the duties. I cite energy, which is a factor of competitiveness on which we must have much more courage. I cite simplification, because we are suffocated by rules. I mention the Stability Pact: perhaps a revision of the Stability Pact would be necessary at this point. These are the proposals that Italy will bring to Europe and it is possible that they may not be perfectly superimposable with our partners, but we have a duty to do so'.

Among the actions to be requested from Europe "I mention the stability pact, perhaps a revision of the stability pact at this point would be necessary," Meloni stressed. In her speech, the premeir listed 'the proposals that Italy will bring to Europe' and it is 'possible,' she warned, 'that they may not be perfectly superimposable with the partners but we have a duty to do so'.

"Nobody wants a trade war, should there be a reaction it will rather be a political signal to the US to say: enough is enough. So an absolutely inferior reaction to the action taken by the United States, that is, there will be absolutely inferior economic damage to what American duties could do'. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani during the episode of 'Cinque minuti' that will be aired this evening on Rai 1. EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefkovic, explains further, "is still negotiating with the United States to understand what they intend to do and what reaction we can give. On Monday there will be the Trade Council, i.e. the EU trade ministers, who will decide whether it will be necessary to impose duties on certain American products'. 'We,' concluded the Farnesina titular, 'ask that no duties be imposed on American products that may provoke a more damaging reaction for our products,' he added. I give the example of whisky: we import little of it but the American reaction would be to impose duties on wines'.

"We have to react very calmly. The stock exchanges are collapsing because there is excessive alarmism. The press, the politicians" are acting "as if the world is collapsing: the world is not collapsing. Should this action continue, the GDP of the EU would lose 0.2 per cent, maximum 0.3 per cent in one year: it is not a dramatic situation. We must act, we must defend our industry, our market, and make sure that there is no trade war'. This was said by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Five Minutes aired tonight, regarding the effects of US duties.