Vinitaly kicks off with debate on duties. Urso: 'No gut responses'.

Duties, duties, very strongly duties. At the centre of the inauguration of the 57th Vinitaly in Verona (at Veronafiere from today until 9 April with 4 thousand exhibiting companies and 30 thousand buyer foreigners including 3 thousand Americans) there could only be the recent tensions on international markets triggered by the new tariffs on imports into the United States adopted in recent days by US President Donald Trump. However, the response that comes from the Italian government is a clear 'no' to retaliation and 'gut' responses, but a search for negotiations between the US and the EU and, at the same time, simplification and support for the competitiveness of European wine businesses and the relaunch of activities to find new markets, starting with the finalisation of new bilateral agreements.

"No to gut responses and retaliation," commented the Minister for Enterprise and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, "but to reflect and seek a united EU response and above all to push for an acceleration of free trade agreements such as those with Mercosur (Latin America) and India.

According to ECB estimates, the impact on European GDP could vary between -0.3 and -0.5 per cent. According to others it could be as low as -1 per cent. "The damage is expected to be greater," Urso added, "in the case of a European reaction, of retaliation. That is why we say: no panic. No gut reactions but brain reactions. We will hear from the business world. But the idea is to propose de escalation to the EU Commission. Vietnam, for example, has responded to US tariffs by setting them at zero, China on the other hand has increased them. Europe should read this wisely and decide to reduce them'.

On the same wavelength was the Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Francesco Lollobrigida. 'Our goal,' he explained, 'is first of all to avoid trade wars. Then we will focus on simplification and protection and on tools to strengthen the competitiveness of companies. For example, to counter fake Italian products that could gain space by taking advantage of duties, we have launched tricolour state marks for wine bottles. But we will work to open up new markets and consolidate the current ones including that of the United States'.

From Minister Lollobrigida also came an invitation to believe more in the strength of Italian agribusiness. 'We cannot compete with the US militarily but we are a food superpower,' he explained, 'and we have demonstrated, with the wine sector in particular, that we can overcome wars, pandemics and terrorism. So we are not afraid of a protectionist model adopted by the US. We have shown in recent years that we are resilient and we will continue to grow. In 2024 we have achieved the record in agri-food exports with 79 billion, the record in wine exports with 8 billion and the EU leadership in agricultural added value. We do not fear duties but the climate of distrust that is spreading in the markets because of duties'.