Tajani: no to a trade war, government is operative in defence of Italian companies

"There will be with effect from 15 April a list of US products on which to put duties. It is an old frozen list, I asked for the postponement but it seems to me that the prevailing position is to start from the 15th'. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said this on the sidelines of the Foreign Affairs Council in Trade format in Luxembourg. If whiskey is on the list? "I asked for it not to be there, the list will be drawn up between tonight and tomorrow, let's say I'm moderately optimistic," Tajani explained, adding that the second set of countermeasures should come into force on 15 May but, "between now and the 15th there is still time for negotiation".

Investing in the US is a way to 'protect' Italian exports. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said this on the sidelines of the EU trade council. For the minister, a trade war "would be disastrous for the US as well as for the EU and we must protect our exports and industrial system, that is why we have to deal with the US and why a united Europe has to do it".

The confidence of Commissioner Sefcovic (responsible for trade representing the European Commission acting on behalf of governments on trade policy) is on the moves that are being made these days, 'the ideal goal would be to find an agreement with zero tariffs on one side and zero tariffs on the other, an intermediate way could be the reduction of duties by 10% on the American side. With a united Europe, Italy can work for a deferment of the European reaction, i.e. a frozen list (of countermeasures)'. In this framework 'we will work so that the list is not pernicious for our companies, for duties that do not provoke reactions from the US side'.

Tajani reiterated that 'now is the time to show great balance, seriousness, and avoid unbalanced reactions that would cause damage not only to American but also European and Italian trade'. And he repeatedly struck the key on the concept that on the Italian side 'there is a desire to work with the EU: we will not take any attitude in conflict with the EU, we will make a contribution of balance, of absolute opposition to a war of duties'. The almost obsessive reference to EU unity and trust in Brussels is explained by the need to distance himself from the League's positions.

Clarifying how it is possible to negotiate at this stage, given that a negotiation implies a willingness on both sides to do so, the foreign minister said: 'The negotiation is open, Sefcovic has already initiated an interlocution with the US, I don't see that the dialogue has broken down, now we have to go ahead and seek the negotiation anyway'. He then referred to Prime Minister Meloni's mission to Washington: 'I hope it will be useful, all of us European governments must convince the US to have a dialogue position, then the Commission does the negotiating'.