Giorgia Meloni’s trip to Washington will be a test for Italy’s role in Europe

Giorgia Meloni’s first official bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump on Thursday comes at a crucial time. With Trump threatening a trade war against the EU, her visit could be key to helping both Italy and Europe avoid an escalation in tensions.

Trump’s decision to pause some of the planned measures has softened the tone — but can Meloni actually bring home a meaningful result?

According to Raffaele Marchetti, Professor of International Relations at Luiss University in Rome “the possibility of obtaining concessions is limited”. He said this could “pose a problem” as “Europeans will demand feedback on the visit”.

According to Marchetti, topics on the agenda include the economy, the industrial sector, and defence.

“Meloni will offer an increase in defence spending, a move that will benefit American factories” Marchetti told Euronews.

“This could conflict with EU defence plans, which should instead focus on protecting the European defence industry.”

Meloni, who supports the EU’s proposed ‘zero-for-zero’ tariff deal on industrial goods with the US, is likely to highlight the strength of bilateral relations between Italy and the US and the close economic ties between the two – particularly as the US is Italy’s largest non-EU trading market.

But, as Marchetti points out, Meloni’s stance on the US also reflects the internal power balance within Italy’s coalition government.

In an effort to strengthen her leadership, she appears to be striking a balance between the positions of the two Deputy Prime Ministers: on the one side, Matteo Salvini, who is more focused on safeguarding Italian interests, and, on the other, Antonio Tajani, with his pro-European stance.

Antonio Giordano, Brothers of Italy MP and Secretary General of the ECR, told Euronews: “a true leader is not one who improvises, but one who listens to all their partners and uses all available tools to foster the exchange of opinions and benefit from what each partner brings to the table”.

“Generally, both Italian and European interests align”, says Giordano, “although Europe is slightly more complex, but it places its trust in Giorgia Meloni.”