{"id":135045,"date":"2025-04-13T08:45:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T06:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/sala_stampa\/archivionotizie\/\/2025\/04\/tajani-da-delhi-a-tokyo-spingiamo-lexport-leuropa-e-piu-forte-se-ha-una-sola-voce-corriere-della-sera\/"},"modified":"2025-04-14T14:16:53","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T12:16:53","slug":"tajani-da-delhi-a-tokyo-spingiamo-lexport-leuropa-e-piu-forte-se-ha-una-sola-voce-corriere-della-sera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/sala_stampa\/archivionotizie\/interviste\/2025\/04\/tajani-da-delhi-a-tokyo-spingiamo-lexport-leuropa-e-piu-forte-se-ha-una-sola-voce-corriere-della-sera\/","title":{"rendered":"Tajani: “From Delhi to Tokyo, we\u2019re driving exports \u2013 Europe is stronger when it speaks with one voice\u201d (Corriere della Sera)"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re also exploring other markets, including Mexico, Canada, the Gulf countries, and Turkey. The United States remains our primary partner and ally \u2013 as does Europe.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He is about to board a plane to Japan after a visit to India, with further trips planned to Egypt at the end of April and to Mexico in mid-May. These are not just the usual duties of a Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation \u2013 roles that are increasingly interconnected in practice as well, following the recent reorganisation of the Italian Foreign Ministry into a \u201cmore agile and modern\u201d structure, because, as Tajani notes, \u201ceconomic policy and foreign affairs are now interlinked\u201d. They also represent a concrete first response to the prospect of American tariffs and, above all, \u201cto the requests coming from our entrepreneurs: to boost trade with new markets and make our export channels more accessible and diversified. Italian exports are currently worth over \u20ac623 billion, and by the end of the legislature we aim to reach \u20ac700 billion. That\u2019s 40% of our GDP\u201d. And all of this despite tariffs currently being suspended \u2013 though who knows what might happen tomorrow: \u201cWe would have pursued this strategy regardless, but now even more so\u201d. This is not a hostile move, he clarifies: \u201cThe US is not our enemy \u2013 they remain our key political and trade partner, just like Europe. And that won\u2019t change, regardless of who the current US president is\u201d, says Antonio Tajani.<\/p>\n

How do you prepare for such a complex operation in such a short time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t only just started \u2013 we\u2019ve been working for some time to open, establish, or expand new markets, also thanks to the efforts of our agencies like ITA, SIMEST, SACE, and CDP. Specifically regarding tariffs, we\u2019ve been active for months in countries like India \u2013 now a strategic political partner \u2013 and we\u2019ve already scheduled a business forum in Brescia at the beginning of June focused on exports. Another example: there will be a major event in India on film, TV, audiovisuals, and media entertainment, to be held in Mumbai. We\u2019re also working in markets such as Japan, Mexico, Canada, the Gulf countries, and Turkey. We\u2019re even developing the \u201cCotton Route\u201d, a supply chain that will stretch from India to the port of Trieste\u201d.<\/p>\n

Is the aim to shift the focus of our markets away from the US?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not abandoning our US or European markets, but at the same time we\u2019re leveraging our presence in other countries \u2013 also by simplifying visa procedures, removing bureaucratic barriers, and supporting key sectors like tourism, culture, defence, and technology\u201d.<\/p>\n

Trump recently said he sees Europe as a single bloc, even in terms of tariffs. But individual countries, like Spain and China, are already acting independently. Isn\u2019t there a risk of disunity within the EU? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to China, we have a completely different relationship compared to the US. Europe and the US are the two faces of the West \u2013 united by shared values such as democracy and the rule of law. China is a trade partner, with whom we want to continue to maintain fruitful commercial relations. I take Trump\u2019s words positively when he says Europe is a single interlocutor: the fact that EU Commissioner \u0160ef\u010dovi\u010d can negotiate on behalf of Europe is undoubtedly a good thing. The more Europe speaks with one voice, the stronger and more credible it is \u2013 both to protect our businesses and our citizens\u201d.<\/p>\n

So why is Prime Minister Meloni going to see Trump?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTransatlantic relations are a priority of our foreign policy. The visit will serve to strengthen the ties between friendly nations who are part of NATO. \u201cWithin that context, we need to do more to reinforce the European pillar, including reaching the 2% of GDP defence spending target \u2013 which we have achieved.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the opposition, there\u2019s a risk we\u2019ll look like we\u2019re going to the US \u2018cap in hand\u2019…<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat cap? We\u2019ve never done that, and we never will. Clearly, they don\u2019t know Meloni. And in any case, this is an official visit \u2013 the Prime Minister received an invitation from the White House. Of course, she will talk about tariffs, not on behalf of the EU \u2013 that\u2019s not our role \u2013 but she will support shared positions and the widely held goal of a free trade area between the US and Europe\u201d.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, Italy could face economic fallout. What would you say to business owners who are worried?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMy motto remains: \u2018Don\u2019t worry \u2013 act\u2019. And that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re doing. We\u2019ll do everything we can to support companies that might face difficulties \u2013 including using funds from the NRRP (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) and cohesion funds to address potential industrial crises. But more will be needed\u201d.<\/p>\n

Such as?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAt the European level, the ECB must continue lowering interest rates to boost growth by facilitating access to credit. Moreover, the ECB should consider engaging in a new form of quantitative easing, similar to what was implemented during the Covid crisis \u2013 in other words, purchasing government bonds at low interest rates. To drive growth, we must take action \u2013 including easing certain Green Deal constraints that currently place us at a disadvantage\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We\u2019re also exploring other markets, including Mexico, Canada, the Gulf countries, and Turkey. The United States remains our primary partner and ally \u2013 as does Europe. He is about to board a plane to Japan after a visit to India, with further trips planned to Egypt at the end of April and to Mexico in […]","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":135020,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[45,3,419,28],"class_list":["post-135045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviste","tag-asia-e-oceania","tag-diplomazia-economica","tag-expo-2025-osaka","tag-ministro"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135045"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135045\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":135046,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135045\/revisions\/135046"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}