On April 2, the United States is expected to impose new trade tariffs on the European Union, including Italy. Italian President Sergio Mattarella has spoken out firmly on two recent separate occasions, emphasizing in public events that “open markets are essential for peace.”, urging Europe to respond “calmly but decisively to counter such unwarranted and broad tariff measures.”
So far, the government of Giorgia Meloni has remained silent on the matter. The prime minister’s openly professed friendship with the U.S. president was hoped to serve as a bridge to the White House, but so far, there have been scarce results. Government sources implied she would fly to Washington last weekend but plans apparently fell through. Trump’s tariffs spare no one — not even the United Kingdom (Prime Minister Keir Starmer had also visited the White House in an attempt to reach a compromise). The European Commission has promised to retaliate by imposing counter-tariffs on Washington, though concerns remain that such measures could harm the EU economy more than help it.
In Italy, while the prime minister remains silent and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani struggles to navigate the situation, the other deputy prime minister and leader of the League party, Matteo Salvini — staunch Trump supporter and the more extreme element of the ruling majority — recently took matters into his own hands. As Transportation Minister, he called U.S. Vice President JD Vance a few days ago (a move that irritated Foreign Minister Tajani) and later told reporters that “we are working on a mission with major Italian companies to invest in the United States. I’m thinking about the railway sector, which is completely underdeveloped. The U.S. government has put hundreds of billions on the table for highways, railways, ports, and airports. I expect to bring many Italian companies there to do business.”
It is against this backdrop that Sergio Mattarella has taken a more public stance. The President is meant to act only as a measure of balance between the three powers of the Italian State, and as a guarantor of the Constitution. However, historically Presidents have also acted as wise figureheads, a sort of Elder role to the community, and Mattarella is especially loved by the population.
He first spoke out on Saturday, March 22, at the Oil and Wine Fair in Rome, and then on Monday, March 24, during a visit to “Agriculture Is,” a fair held in Piazza della Repubblica in the heart of the capital, organized by the government to promote the agri-food sector. Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, Giorgia Meloni’s former brother-in-law, hosted the event. Several ministers are expected to participate over the three-day event.
Mattarella, accompanied by Lollobrigida, toured the stands showcasing national products and was greeted with applause. “Let’s hope common sense prevails,” the president said, responding to concerns expressed by young people from the Coldiretti stand about the tariffs announced by the U.S. president.
He later engaged in a more formal dialogue with a group of students who asked him questions. “Tariffs create market obstacles, distort competition, and penalize quality products, which is unacceptable for us, but it should be for everyone,” Mattarella reiterated. “The World Trade Organization was created to enable fair trade with clear rules. It hasn’t always succeeded, but it has improved many countries. This system is essential. It is sometimes violated, but the answer is not tariffs; the answer is to enforce and improve the rules. Commercial relations create cooperation and trust among countries, and this trust ensures peace. Opposing markets jeopardize trust and cooperation.”
“Our position is very clear: open markets are essential for peace,” he concluded. “The European Union has the size and strength to engage calmly but decisively to counter such unwarranted and broad tariff measures.”
Italy could be heavily penalized by the new U.S. trade tariffs. Wine, cheese, oil, vinegar, and pasta are among the goods most vulnerable to the potential impact of the tariffs. According to an analysis by Cia-Agricoltori Italiani, wines such as Chianti, Amarone, Barbera, Friulano, Ribolla and Prosecco, but also Pecorino cheese and apple cider are listed among the Italian products most at risk, while Sardinia and Tuscany are identified as the most vulnerable regions. The U.S. tariffs could cost Italian companies between 4 and 7 billion euros.
