The meeting was attended by representatives of the Italian economic system – Italian Trade Agency (ITA), SACE, SIMEST, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), the Permanent Representation of Italy to the EU in Brussels, the Italian Embassy in Washington, and various business associations, including Confindustria, Coldiretti, CONFAPI, Confagricoltura, CNA, Confimi Italia, Federacciai, Farmindustria, Confesercenti, Confartigianato, Confcooperative, Confcommercio, Federlegno, and Federvini

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, held a meeting today at the Farnesina on the issue of tariffs, following the recent agreement reached between the European Union and the United States. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Italian economic system – Italian Trade Agency (ITA), SACE, SIMEST, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), the Permanent Representation of Italy to the EU in Brussels, the Italian Embassy in Washington, and various business associations, including Confindustria, Coldiretti, CONFAPI, Confagricoltura, CNA, Confimi Italia, Federacciai, Farmindustria, Confesercenti, Confartigianato, Confcooperative, Confcommercio, Federlegno, and Federvini.

Minister Tajani announced the establishment of a permanent Tariffs Task Force at the Italian Foreign Ministry, aimed at supporting Italian businesses. He explained that negotiations with the US counterparts will continue in the coming days to better define certain details, particularly in sectors of strategic interest to Italy, such as wine and viticulture.

During the meeting, participants reviewed the content of the agreement in principle reached between the European Commission and the United States. This foresees a general tariff of 15% on European goods, which includes the current average WTO tariff of 4.8%. The agreement is to be formalised through a Joint Declaration with the United States (a framework agreement), expected to be finalised at the technical level in the coming days. The Joint Declaration will not be legally binding. The commitments outlined therein will subsequently be implemented in a legally binding reciprocal trade agreement.

Among other elements, the agreement provides for certain goods to be included under a “zero-for-zero” regime, a European commitment to increase imports from the United States, and a political commitment to cooperate on keeping supply chains open for critical raw materials. It also includes the EU’s commitment to take into account the “concerns of the United States” in the context of the regulatory simplification agenda.

The Italian Government has already requested the European Commission to activate an EU-level monitoring mechanism to assess the impact of the tariff agreement. Italy will continue to work to strengthen the Single Market, simplify rules, diversify trade relations, and reduce strategic dependencies.

In this context, the government reiterates its strong commitment to pursuing a strategy of export market diversification, through the implementation of the Export Action Plan targeting high-potential non-EU markets. The goal is to support Italian businesses in expanding towards fast-growing international markets and to promote the internationalisation of the national production system. This strategy is also based on strengthening the promotional tools of ITA – including support for the participation of Italian companies in major international trade fairs – as well as the soft loans provided by SIMEST and the further expansion of SACE’s Push Strategy to reach new markets and international clients.