Meloni to propose 'zero for zero' tariffs in talks with Trump next week.

Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni is to meet US president Donald Trump in Washington on 17 April to discuss US tariffs on EU imports amid efforts to avert a trade war.

Meloni made the announcement during a meeting with business leaders in Rome on Tuesday, saying that she will propose “the possibility of eliminating reciprocal tariffs on existing industrial products with the ‘zero for zero’ formula”.

Meloni was joined at the meeting by deputy premiers Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini along with senior government ministers, including Giancarlo Giorgetti (economy), Adolfo Urso (business), Francesco Lollobrigida (agriculture) and Tommaso Foti (European affairs).

A statement from Palazzo Chigi said the meeting had given "ample space" for proposals put forward by the business representatives, "in the shared awareness that we are facing a complex challenge, which requires the active and responsible participation of all those involved."

Last week Meloni said she considered Trump's introduction of 20 per cent import tariffs on the EU as "wrong", saying the move did "not benefit either side", however she cautioned against "alarmism" and claimed it was "not the catastrophe that some are talking about".

On Tuesday she reiterated her belief that the tariffs were "absolutely wrong", adding: "The economies of Western nations are strongly interconnected, such incisive protectionist policies will end up damaging Europe as much as the United States".

The premier said that her cabinet had identified €25 billion in funds to support Italian businesses, with €14 billion coming from the EU's post-pandemic recovery plan (PNRR) fund and €11 billion from the EU's Cohesion Fund, news agency ANSA reports.

Meloni, who was the only EU leader to attend Trump's inauguration in January, also called on Italian employers, trade unions and "the world of Made in Italy" to "make a common front with respect to the delicate economic situation".

Photo credit: Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock.com.