Investing.com -- Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, is set to visit the United States next week to engage in discussions about tariffs with U.S. President Donald Trump, as confirmed by her office on Tuesday.
Meloni finds herself in a challenging diplomatic position, as she is both an ally of Trump and also obligated to protect Italy’s export-focused industry. In the previous year, Italy had the third-largest trade surplus in the European Union for goods with the U.S., surpassed only by Germany and Ireland.
The Italian Prime Minister has previously voiced her disagreement with Trump’s decision on tariffs, labeling it as a mistake. Despite this, she cautioned that retaliatory measures from the EU could potentially intensify a trade conflict. Instead, she has advocated for negotiations to alleviate the crisis.
Under Trump’s policy, countries from the European Union are subjected to a 25% import tariff on steel, aluminum, and cars, along with a broader tariff of 20% for nearly all other goods. This policy is aimed at countries that Trump believes impose high barriers to U.S. imports.
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