\u201cThe strength of transatlantic relations goes far beyond a social media post or a colourful turn of phrase. We are and will remain friends with the United States\u201d<\/p>\n
Antonio Tajani, Minister for Foreign Affairs, spoke to us whilst travelling to Reggio Calabria, where he is presenting the November Conference for scientific, space and agricultural experts from the diplomatic network, as well as two major space programmes for the region. His voice is calm and serene, despite Donald Trump\u2019s latest outburst, the day after his son\u2019s wedding: \u201cNothing can mar these moments of happiness; I believe this applies to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Insults, mockery, rudeness: how would you describe Trump\u2019s latest post?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt speaks for itself.\u201d<\/p>\n Please comment on it and explain what, in your view, are the reasons behind it.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe have a US President who loves to provoke, especially on social media. But look, we \u2013 and when I say \u2018we\u2019, I\u2019m referring to a decision taken jointly at government level \u2013 have decided not to respond to these outbursts any longer, so as not to fuel controversy amongst allies.\u201d<\/p>\n Will you ignore it?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe strength of transatlantic relations goes far beyond a single post or a colourful expression.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Relations are, to say the least, strained. This has nothing to do with personality; it is a political rift.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cPolitics transcends individuals and their personalities. We are, and will remain, friends with the United States as our strategic partner and that of Europe. We have been so under every US President. We are moving in this direction, in the name of what we hold most dear: the unity of the West.\u201d<\/p>\n Are you sure you and Trump share the same idea of the West?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018Words are just words. It\u2019s the facts that count.\u2019<\/p>\n Exactly: he insults you and talks to Putin.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe West stands for freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and multilateralism too. Look at the facts: the work of European and American diplomacy does not, in practice, deviate from these values. Proof of this is that the dialogue between myself and the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has never interrupted.<\/p>\n I\u2019d say Pope Leo\u2019s version of the West is a bit better\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cEurope\u2019s Christian roots are indisputable, starting with the centrality of the individual and respect for fundamental rights. The Pope\u2019s appeal from Lampedusa underlines Europe\u2019s shared responsibility in managing migration flows. And here, Italy has shown the way.\u201d<\/p>\n Are you worried about Trump springing a trap in Ankara?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cNo, on the contrary, I hope the Atlantic Alliance will emerge stronger. I repeat: history and traditions cannot be erased by an off-the-cuff remark. NATO is a military alliance and, at the same time, a network of political, human and commercial relations. An alliance between peoples.\u201d<\/p>\n On military spending, you are presenting a budget with fewer allocated resources than expected.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018We are going to Ankara with spending equivalent to 2.8 percent of GDP. So we are ahead of schedule in meeting the targets. And not because Trump is asking for it. For Europe, an autonomous defence capability is an increasingly urgent necessity.\u2019<\/p>\n Otherwise, you say, in this world, we count for nothing.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019m saying that if we want to be more influential and stronger on the world scene, we must play our part. That\u2019s why I\u2019m surprised by those on the left-wing side who don\u2019t understand that security is a prerequisite for democracy. Anyone who truly believes in freedom knows that it must be defended.\u2019<\/p>\n But you\u2019ve relinquished Safe: European loans and enhanced cooperation.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s still time until the end of the year. I don\u2019t consider the matter settled. And I remain in favour of using it \u2013 even partially \u2013 whilst safeguarding spending on healthcare and social services.\u201d<\/p>\n Do you think that moving more quickly towards a common defence policy can no longer be put off?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018That\u2019s right. It would serve as a deterrent and be a necessary step in terms of the EU\u2019s role. Not to replace NATO, but to strengthen it with a European pillar on an equal footing \u00a0with the North American one.\u2019<\/p>\n Should it be done in the same way as with the Euro: moving forward with those who agree and are on board?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe need a breakthrough on foreign policy, defence, and to complete the banking, energy and capital union. Europe needs to have greater political autonomy: strengthening the Parliament\u2019s legislative power and electing a single leadership that is both President of the Commission and President of the Council. I am also in favour of gradually reducing the requirement for unanimous voting.\u201d<\/p>\n Giorgia Meloni disagrees.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI have faith in the power of persuasion.\u201d<\/p>\n Putin is threatening Poland, but Trump says he wants to end the war. What does the eastern front tell us?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cPutin is raising the tone because he is in trouble: he thought he would win the war in three days, but instead \u2013 thanks in part to European support \u2013 Ukraine has held its ground. In Ukraine, we are defending our interests, our values and our borders. Only those acting in bad faith can talk of an arms race rather than deterrence.\u201d<\/p>\n Could you give me your view on the war in Iran? What has all this uproar achieved?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll find out when the conflict is nothing more than a bad memory. There are still many steps to take towards a lasting peace, and they are not easy.\u201d<\/p>\n What is Italy\u2019s role?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cItaly has made its contribution, with a view to easing tensions so that full freedom of navigation can be restored in a region that is strategic for our energy needs and for world trade.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Lebanon is collapsing. What will happen when UNIFIL ends?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018At the Italian-French Summit in Antibes, we have already proposed a new mission as part of a multilateral decision by the United Nations, with the agreement of the Lebanese authorities, to help stabilise the region. We and France are ready.\u2019<\/p>\n Are you worried that Trump might do with Vannacci what he did with the AfD?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019d ask him that. I\u2019m not taking part in the witch-hunt against Vannacci. We are the centre-right; we are Forza Italia<\/em>: a Christian, liberal, reformist, rights-protecting, pro-European and pro-Atlantic movement.\u201d<\/p>\n And what will you do about Vannacci?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI am focused on the country and care deeply about the well-being of families, the growth of companies and the protection of savings, whilst the left-wing parties would like to get their hands on Italians\u2019 bank accounts and increase restrictions and the tax burden, including on housing. We will never allow that.\u201d<\/p>\n The tax burden doesn\u2019t seem to have gone down.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not the case. The CGIA of Mestre has confirmed it: 33 billion euros less on households and small enterprises. But more can be done: extend the personal income tax rate reduction from 35 to 33 per cent up to 60,000 euros of taxable income; fully remove taxes on the thirteenth-month pay of those with the lowest ISEE; allow healthcare expenses to be deducted in the current year rather than the following one. And find the resources for a dedicated pension scheme for our armed forces\u2019 pensioners.\u2019<\/p>\n That\u2019s easy enough. Tell us where the money can be found.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018We are working to ensure that the more than 1,700 billion in private savings are channelled into investment for major public projects, whilst limiting government spending in order to reduce taxes.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThe strength of transatlantic relations goes far beyond a social media post or a colourful turn of phrase. We are and will remain friends with the United States\u201d Antonio Tajani, Minister for Foreign Affairs, spoke to us whilst travelling to Reggio Calabria, where he is presenting the November Conference for scientific, space and agricultural experts […]","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":197862,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[397,6,28],"class_list":["post-197930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviste","tag-america-settentrionale","tag-mediterraneo-e-medio-oriente","tag-ministro"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197930","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\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197930"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":197931,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197930\/revisions\/197931"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/197862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}