Inside Meloni’s strategy ahead of her meeting with Trump

ROME - The recent suspension of US tariffs on European industrial products has created a narrow but significant diplomatic window – one that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is swiftly moving to occupy as she prepares for her meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington on 17 April.

As the first Western European leader expected to meet Trump since the tariff pause was announced, Meloni aims to position herself as a catalyst capable of reigniting stalled EU-US trade dialogue.

Despite initial friction from France – after a French minister portrayed the visit as potentially divisive for European unity – Paris quickly softened its stance.

Sources close to Meloni, speaking to Euractiv, made the intention of the trip clear: “Meloni isn’t going to Washington to undermine the European process but to use her good relationship [with Trump] to help facilitate a European negotiation.”

As one source put it, “Honestly, (what the French minister said) would be an incomprehensible reading. When Macron goes to Trump, he’s a great European. When Meloni does, she’s accused of breaking Europe apart?”

A chance to break the deadlock

Meloni’s timing is no coincidence. According to Carlo Fidanza, leader of the Brothers of Italy delegation in the European Parliament, the tariff pause offers the first real opportunity to reboot EU-US trade talks.

“The efforts by Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, whom we’ve supported and greatly respect, haven’t succeeded in establishing a negotiation framework,” he told Euractiv. “This is the first real chance to sit down and help shared solutions.”

At the top of Meloni’s agenda is the goal of reducing tariffs on European industrial goods. “If we manage to reach zero tariffs, so much the better,” Fidanza said.

Confronting misconceptions and red lines

One critical part of Meloni’s diplomatic effort involves clearing up misconceptions, particularly regarding the US stance on VAT. Fidanza highlights the issue as problematic, noting that the Trump administration mistakenly views VAT as a discriminatory trade barrier. “In our opinion, this is a mistake,” Fidanza said, suggesting that the misunderstanding has distorted US calculations on Europe’s trade surplus. Addressing and resolving this issue is a key element of the Italian delegation’s agenda.

Beyond tariffs, the US could engage on non-tariff barriers – an issue particularly sensitive for Italy. The United States continues to view certain elements of the European regulatory framework as barriers to trade, particularly bureaucratic and administrative requirements, as well as health and quality standards in sectors like food.

Yet for Rome, these standards are non-negotiable. “When it comes to food safety, these benchmarks are fundamental for us.”

The China Factor

by Alessia Peretti

Meloni’s trip to Washington is not just about tariffs—it’s about where Europe stands in the new global power realignment.

One of the key issues she is expected to raise is Trump’s strategic posture toward China, which Fidanza believes remains misunderstood in Brussels. He criticizes recent EU decisions to re-engage with Beijing just as the US has hardened its stance, calling the approach short-sighted and risky, suggesting the EU did “exactly what it should not have done".

For Fidanza, Trump’s recent tariff suspension carries a broader geopolitical message: it signals US interest in forming a unified Western economic front to counterbalance China’s global industrial expansion. This strategy goes beyond merely addressing the US trade deficit, although that remains an important consideration given America’s substantial public debt. Primarily, it is about building strategic alignment across the Atlantic.

Meloni, according to Fidanza, understands the strategic importance of this moment and aims to use her meeting with Trump to advocate for a coordinated Euro-American industrial alliance - one positioned as a genuine alternative to dependence on Chinese production.

Ultimately, Fidanza believes Meloni’s trip confronts Europe with a fundamental geopolitical choice: either realign industrial and economic policies westward or continue pursuing policies perceived as pro-China, like those embodied in EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans’ approach to the electric transition.

“That,” Fidanza says, “is the geopolitical knot Meloni is going to Washington to untie.”