Premier Giorgia Meloni said Tuesday that the European Union must engage with the United States on a political level rather than a bureaucratic one as it seeks to stop President Donald Trump from following through on threats to impose big tariffs on imports from the EU.

“The relationship with the US is crucial to maintain the strength of the West,” Meloni told industrial employers’ association Confindustria’s assembly in Bologna.

“Our destinies are intertwined.

“During my visit to Washington (last month) I proposed a meeting in Rome between the EU and the US.
    “An initial meeting took place on May 18 at (the premier’s office at) Palazzo Chigi with (US Vice President JD) Vance and (European Commission President Ursula) von der Leyen.

“It was the beginning of dialogue that Italy has continued to facilitate in recent days, and which must be continued, if I may say so, with more of a political approach than a bureaucratic one”.

Meloni added she was hopeful of boosting cooperation with Germany following the election of new Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

“I am confident much can change with the new German government,” she said.

“Chancellor Merz and I have started to talk to each other.

“If Italy and Germany, the two biggest manufacturers in Europe, are able to work together and find a platform for action, then the conditions exist for excellent results”.

Meloni also responded to the appeal made on Tuesday by Confindustria President Emanuele Orsini for action to bring down the “unsustainable” cost of energy in Italy.

She said the government was “working on an analysis of the functioning of the Italian market” to see if “anomalies” were the “cause of unjustified increases”.

She added that her government has allocated around 60 billion euros to trying to alleviate energy costs and concluded that: “it is clear that continuing to try to buffer by spending public money cannot be the solution”.