It’s a pivotal moment for Giorgia Meloni’s first formal bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump on Thursday. Given Trump’s threats of a trade war against the EU, her visit may be crucial to preventing tensions from rising between Italy and Europe. Although Trump has softened the tone by pausing some of the scheduled steps, will Meloni be able to provide a significant outcome?
“The possibility of obtaining concessions is limited,” says Raffaele Marchetti, a professor of international relations at Luiss University in Rome. He said that since “Europeans will demand feedback on the visit,” this might “pose a problem.” Marchetti stated that the industrial sector, defence, and the economy are among the subjects on the agenda. Marchetti told Euronews that “Meloni will offer an increase in defence spending, a move that will benefit American factories.”
“This could conflict with EU defence plans, which should instead focus on protecting the European defence industry.” Given that the US is Italy’s biggest non-EU trade market, Meloni, who backs the EU’s planned “zero-for-zero” tariff agreement on industrial products with the US, is probably going to emphasise the tight economic links and robust bilateral relationships between the two countries.
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