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While the death of Pope Francis and the developments in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia seem to have focused international attention, the aftermath of the important conversation between President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni remains very important on the European front and beyond. Indeed, one cannot fail to emphasise the same reconstruction proposed in recent days by the Financial Times. According to the newspaper, in fact, the European Union leaders are positively assessing the foreign policy efforts of Prime Minister Meloni, especially in terms of talks with President Trump on the issue of trade tariffs.
TOWARDS THE US-EU SUMMIT
In these hectic days, the Italian diplomatic machine seems to be in high gear. Both in relation to the possibility of facilitating the organisation of bilateral meetings on the occasion of the Holy Father’s funeral, and for the need to outline a road map towards a summit between the American President and the EU leaders. This is the biggest victory sanctioned by Giorgia Meloni during her meeting with the Tycoon. The Italian Prime Minister managed to wrest from Trump the promise of a trip to Italy, where the summit could take place. This is a very delicate operation for which, at the moment, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen cannot count on anyone other than the leader of Fratelli d’Italia. In fact, several member states seem to be pushing (rather than asking) for the possible summit to converge in Brussels, which will probably be the final choice for the location of the meeting, although a date does not yet seem certain. From Palazzo Chigi there’s talk of the end of May, but the organisation is delicate and Prime Minister Meloni seems to be intent on doing things as best she can. She certainly wants to anticipate the NATO summit of 24-26 June in order to arrive with a more solid and common position on security initiatives in Europe, but still holding it before 8 July, the day Trump’s suspension of duties expires. In fact, the President himself emphasised to the press that he sees an extension of the tariff halt beyond that date as ‘probably unlikely’.
THE THEMES OF THE SUMMIT
The main topics to be discussed at the upcoming summit, the geometry of which we will certainly understand in the coming weeks, concern the trade tariffs imposed by President Trump on all EU member states, as well as the rest of the World. The two opposing positions – that of the US Administration and of the European Union – can only be mediated at this point with the intervention of PM Meloni, who has also managed to seize from the tycoon the affirmation that 100% an agreement on duties with the EU will be reached. Probably, the US President is considering not a sharp and definitive cut in tariffs, but rather a reduction. On the table, at the moment, for the European Union is the card of the taxation of big tech, on which Brussels continues to keep its eyes firmly fixed. In any case, at the end of the ceremony in the Vatican, Von der Leyen herself let it be known that during the brief discussion with Trump it was agreed that a meeting was necessary. But if at this summit a bridging role for Italy has already been outlined, the presence of other European leaders who are more disliked by the Trump administration, but who are in any case pushing to impose their participation, will be of a completely different magnitude. It is clear, however, that a summit of this level, especially with a personality like Trump’s, can only assume the geometry of the bilateral meeting with only Von der Leyen to support the reasons of the EU.
THE ROLE OF ITALY
Of course, for Italy and for Prime Minister Meloni the goal in foreign policy can only be to continue with the mending of relations between the two sides of the Atlantic. A role that is emerging not only because of the PM’s excellent personal relations with the resident of the White House, but also in confirmation of Italy’s clear diplomatic tradition. The same meeting between Trump and Zelensky in the setting of the Holy Father’s funeral represents a very important turning point, also at the level of Italian foreign policy. Meloni’s sights are currently set on a number of important appointments. First of all, the US-EU summit – still to be built and imagined. Then, there will be the international conference for the reconstruction of Ukraine to be held in Rome on 10 and 11 July, and finally the nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran, that the US would seem to want to move to Oman. In this case too, Italy with its PM could prove to be the right figure to facilitate the meeting, offering Rome as a stage.