Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has cited two wars and a trade dispute as the reason for his delay in attending a parliamentary conference on democracy and parliamentarism in the Mediterranean region. Tajani described himself as “the unluckiest minister in history,” citing the Ukraine conflict, Middle East escalation, and U.S. trade tensions as obstacles.
This week, Tajani reaffirmed Italy’s role in Ukraine’s post-war recovery in an article published by the outlet Formiche. Rome is preparing to unveil financial support for firms involved in the rebuilding process, according to Reuters. The war in Gaza remains another major source of diplomatic strain for EU governments, including Italy, caught between calls for a ceasefire and continued Western arms deals with Israel.
Tajani’s remarks also come as the EU—the U.S.’s single biggest trading partner—braces for the possibility that President Donald Trump may follow through on his ‘Liberation Day’ global tariffs, first announced on April 2. Trump has repeatedly described the bloc as “very difficult to deal with” and the U.S. trade deficit with it as “totally unacceptable.” He imposed a 20% tariff on all EU goods, along with a 25% duty on cars and metals. The 20% levy was suspended on April 9 for a 90-day period, with a 10% baseline duty remaining in place.
The tariffs were initially set to take effect on July 9 and rise to 50% unless a deal was reached. However, this week Trump extended the deadline to August 1 and began issuing formal tariff notices to trading partners. Brussels, which has repeatedly warned of retaliation, said it hopes to reach a deal “in the coming days.” However, Italian Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti was quoted by the BBC as saying the talks remain “very complicated” and could go right to the wire.