Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani will meet this evening in Washington with a group of Italian companies operating in the United States to discuss the outcomes of the meeting on critical minerals held today in the US capital, as well as strategies to promote an increase in Italy–US trade.
The meeting will build on today’s discussions and on the need to strengthen cooperation between the United States, the European Union and other partner countries in order to reduce dependencies on individual third countries. This approach requires a long-term effort, involving the entire Italian system. The Minister will reiterate the importance of joint investments to revitalise national industries and to develop the skills present in each country across the various segments of the supply chain, including recycling, an area in which Italy boasts highly specialised companies.
The meeting also takes place within the framework of the excellent economic cooperation between the two countries. The United States is Italy’s second-largest trading partner overall and its leading extra-EU export market. Despite the imposition of tariffs, trade between the two countries grew by over 15% in 2025, with Italian exports increasing by 7%, a result outperforming that of Italy’s European partners. For those supply chains that have been negatively affected by tariffs, Tajani will recall the support measures put in place by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the wider Italian system, including the Tariffs Task Force, market-specific instruments provided by Italian Trade Agency and SIMEST, and the initiatives of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CdP) and SACE.
Companies participating in today’s meeting include: Armani, Campari Group, Eataly, ENI, EssilorLuxottica, FdS, Fincantieri Infrastrutture, Giorgio Armani, Leonardo, Kedrion, Illycaffè, Intesa Sanpaolo, ITA Airways, Lamborghini, Marcolin, Piaggio Group, Pirelli Tire, Prysmian, Vivaticket, Avio, Bolton, Diasorin, Ferrari, Investindustrial, Maire Tecnimont, Stellantis, Tenaris, US Wind (Toto Holding), Almaviva, Beretta, Gruppo Veronesi (AIA). Representatives of the Italian system, a delegation of companies active in the mining sector, Confindustria and the business associations most directly involved in the field of critical raw materials will also take part remotely.
Minister Tajani will also invite Italian companies to participate in the important Italy–US Business Forum to be held in May in Miami, aimed at further strengthening exchanges between the two countries’ business communities.