Meloni: US tariffs on EU wrong. Mattarella: compact and determined EU response

"Italian agri-food products are in demand all over the world, starting of course with Europe," said the President of the Council. "We must remember that the United States is the second largest destination market, with exports rising by 17% in 2024. The US market is fundamental for us, it is clear that the introduction of new duties would have serious implications for Italian producers, and I think it would also be an injustice for many Americans, because it would limit the possibility of purchasing and consuming our excellence only to those who can spend more'.

"The introduction by the US of duties towards the European Union is a measure that I consider wrong and that is not in the interests of either party," she said. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated this on social media.

"We will do everything we can to work towards an agreement with the United States, with the aim of averting a trade war that would inevitably weaken the West in favour of other global players. In any case, as always, we will act in the interest of Italy and its economy, also by comparing ourselves with the other European partners,' writes Giorgia Meloni on social media.

A channel of dialogue with the US could develop in the middle of the month. The US vice-president, J.D. Vance, is planning a visit to Rome and has requested a meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. According to Bloomberg news agency, the US embassy in Rome has informed the Italian Foreign Ministry of the plans of Trump's deputy. "The plans are evolving and could change before they are finalised," a US official said. The provisional schedule calls for Vance to be in Rome from 18 to 20 April (over the Easter holiday) and US diplomats have asked their Italian counterparts to coordinate a meeting with Meloni. At the moment there are no indications from Palazzo Chigi, but the offices are reportedly working to organise the meeting. In the majority and within the executive itself, the hope is that the possible face-to-face meeting between Vance and Meloni will produce results and lead to an 'exit strategy' that is not too painful for Italian companies.

The hope, long nurtured in the upper echelons of government, that the US could make exceptions has been dashed by reality. Some hope of exemptions on wine still endures. "Maybe Trump only hits champagne...," one Melonian tries to joke, poorly concealing the widespread awareness in the executive that the tariffs will be for everyone and heavy. Once the actual impact on the economy has been assessed, we can then try to change the scenario by negotiating with the US administration, is Meloni's conviction, focusing on dialogue and diplomacy. Not in a bilateral way, as the League hoped, but in a European framework. From this point of view, two elements are read by her loyalists as openings of credit: the EU commission's placet to the changes on the CPR in Albania and, before that, Saturday's interview with Corriere della Sera, in which von der Leyen recognised the premier's "very important role at the European level", defining as "positive" the fact that she has "a direct relationship" with Trump. The German leader's latest words, which heralded the tough European response, however, went sideways for Matteo Salvini. 'Opening trade wars with the US,' he stressed, 'is an unfortunate choice, it does not serve anyone's interest.' The other deputy prime minister, Antonio Tajani, clarified that 'we must not bow our heads, but neither must we be anti-American'. And that 'Italy cannot go it alone, it is the EU's competence, Europe does the duties'. Between FI and Lega, although the truce is holding, it is still frosty. The tensions of the last few months risk leaving scars on the government, where there is also a growing annoyance on the part of Meloni on the part of the Lega on foreign policy. Thus at a decidedly delicate moment, the government's horizon seems to be reduced to spring 2026, according to the increasingly insistent reasoning in the majority. Beyond Salvini's reassurances ('We will get to 2027, let everyone rest in peace'), and the Azzurri shrugging their shoulders ('We do not create any risk'), the widespread conviction in the coalition is that we must be ready for the elections even in a year's time. With the hope that an even stronger centre-right in Parliament will also be able to manage the next game for the election of the Head of State, in 2029.

In the meantime, the regions are expressing concern about the effects that the US duties will have on their territories. Starting with those governed by the League. The president of the Conference of Regions, Massimiliano Fedriga, said he was "concerned" and stressed that it was "important that at the national and European level negotiations with the US administration be started immediately. Tariffs are not good for Europe and not good for the United States'. In the same vein was the president of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, who spoke of 'a crucial day for the world economy. The duties will be the third black swan in five years, after the pandemic and the wars in Ukraine and Israel. Italy will assert its privileged relationship with the US. I wanted to delve deeper into the risks that the Veneto economy would run with the US duties, and the data are impressive: with regard to wine, one out of every five bottles of Veneto wine sold abroad is purchased from US trading partners. It is easy to understand what disastrous effect 20% duties could have on the turnover of Veneto and Italian companies, because exports to the US are worth almost 65 billion to our country'. With the United States, 'I believe that first of all we have to talk, because if you make these wars you risk losing everyone, so the important thing is to find the conditions for a balance that does not harm either side. A war of duties risks being devastating for everyone,' said the president of the Lombardy Region Attilio Fontana on the sidelines of an event in Milan. "We hope that the dialogue with the US will continue and that Vice-President Vance will be able to bring us some more reassuring news," Fontana added. Otherwise, the situation is extremely worrying for many sectors, including Lombardy. With the US, dialogue is fundamental, we thank goodness we also have a very good personal relationship with the top management, so we hope it will be fruitful,' Fontana concluded.

The same fears were expressed by the president of the Autonomous Province of Trento, Maurizio Fugatti, also in the League quota: 'Duties worry our exporting companies. In Trentino there is a great risk of a negative effect. Awareness is needed at a European level'. In Trentino, the sectors most at risk are agri-food and automotive. The USA is the second foreign market, 12% of the total, with 620 million euro of exports in 2023. The president of Campania Vincenzo De Luca promises an analysis "to understand which products may have the greatest damage: certainly agro-food, agricultural production, the pharmaceutical sector, fashion". The governor of Tuscany Eugenio Giani, whose region's exports to the US exceed 9 billion euros, stigmatised what he called 'the mistakes that the Trump administration is making in changing the world's opinion we have of the US'. The president of the Basilicata Region, Vito Bardi (Forza Italia) shared 'the position of the Italian government, Vice-President Tajani and the EPP: protectionism is not the answer to global competition. Duties risk damaging strategic supply chains for our territory without producing real benefits for anyone'.

"The municipalities," said Anci vice-president in charge of productive activities, trade and made in Italy Osvaldo Napoli, "are decidedly alarmed by the measure of US duties, and I am referring in particular to those local authorities on whose territory there are crops and PGI or PDO products with annexed companies and virtuous model companies of made in Italy. A drastic drop in exports can generate factory closures, redundancies and social hardship for hundreds of families. Problems that are automatically dumped on the first bodies that interface with the people, which are all the municipalities and regions'.