Common interests with Germany on several dossiers
Brussels – There are also gods stupid duties: a particular category of Quality steelthat Italy produces, for which large electric ovens are needed, is a product that Americans buy from our companiesalso for their military market, for a simple reason. The production with stars and stripes of the higher category steel, with certain characteristics of hardness and resistance, is zero.
Italian diplomats cite this example not to denigrate some points of the world commercial war, and of the related confusion of numbers and tables, duties and counter -forest, threats and backs back, which Trump has unleashed since his settlement, but simply to say that the subject is so complex that even the Americans themselves have escaped and escape macroscopic details.
Our diplomats, everyone, first work for Italy and his interests, and this means that the beliefs and alliances, the relationships and objectives, of Giorgia Meloni are the compass that guides them. If three days ago, on the sidelines of Work of the born summitthe Prime Minister said in public that he would put the signature on 10%generic duties, even unilateral ones By Washington, like the first imposed by the Head of the White House, there is a very specific reason: from direct conversations with his friend Donald he convinced himself that in any case the negotiations in progress between Americans and the European Union go it will hardly return to zerothat 10% could be a hard core with which everyone must deal with.
Meloni is convinced that it can be the least evil, He said many of our companies can withstand the impact, has analyzes on their desk according to which The cost would be downloaded on the American marketnot on the turnover of Italian companies: the case of higher quality steel, the stupid duty, would give you right. But most of the categories of food products, or the result of wine companies: A certain type of tariff barrier can be reabsorbed between smaller earnings of the manufacturer and greater consumer cost, in a new balance.
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For these reasons at Palazzo Chigi, it is not betting at the moment that the American extension compared to the expiry of the negotiations for July 9 is necessarily good news. The Commission is conducting negotiations later and sectoral level on all key products of the EU, Starting with cars, which Trump threatens to tax with a duty further by 50%and not all Member States are lined up in the same way. If all capital are partly blind, given that the lack of competence does not allow governments to follow Day by Day the progression of negotiations and specific sectors, on that 10% that could remain there are different positions.
It is not a mystery that Macron has no intention of accepting a 10% duties level. You can always go back to threatening Washington of a symmetrical or higher response, According to the Elisha, and the theory that the stability of the markets and the certainties of the economy also make award on a possible sacrifice of the EU, are not shared by all Member States. As happened on Gaza, as on immigration, in the last few days the sharing of common interests and positions, between Berlin and Rome, It is growing, in spite of the thaw that there was also between the French president and the president of the Italian Council. Furthermore, on immigration, Italy and Spain, together with Greece, Malta and Cyprus, have criticized the proposal of a Franco-British agreement, supporting-in a letter to the European Commission and viewed by the Financial Times-which could force them to bring people back on the continent repatriated by the United Kingdom.
But there is also the theme of 5% and weapons, the pact signed between Europe and the United States in L’Aia a few days ago: Trump cannot pull the rope too muchand Meloni said it, behind closed doors; The increase in military spending on the European part would presuppose Zero rates and a free trade area. A lawful ambition, but which risks breaking the rope of negotiations. The moment Washington asks Europe to make a financial effort on the military front It cannot then depress its GDP with the duties. But this reasoning Giorgia Meloni did it only behind closed doors in front of Trump.
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