By Claudia Flisi |
On July 15, 2025, Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, came to Washington to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other American officials, including Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Amb. Jamieson Greer, U.S. Trade Representative. The stated discussion topics were bilateral relations between the U.S. and Italy, relations with China, Russia, and Latin America, and bilateral trade.
Bilateral trade, notably the threat of 30% tariffs on Italian (and European) imports starting August 1, was clearly the top priority. More than 6,000 Italian companies will be affected, representing more than 11 billion euro of value and .5% of Italy’s GDP next year. This potential economic impact was evident from informal remarks made by Tajani to representatives of the Italian-American community the evening of July 15, at a reception held at Villa Firenze, the residence of the Italian ambassador to the U.S.
Tajani began by introducing the new Italian ambassador to the U.S., Marco Peronaci, whose appointment begins at the end of August. Peronaci is currently Italy’s ambassador to NATO. Tajani praised Mariangela Zappia, the outgoing ambassador, who had also served as ambassador to NATO.
Then Tajani turned his attention to the reason for his visit. He extolled the close working relationship between the two countries and its importance for Italy. He noted that these ties must be reinforced constantly, not only with Washington but across the country. These ties, he pointed out, are not only with Italian-American communities but with business communities in general. “There are Italian companies in every state of the union except Alaska . . . because it’s too cold for us there,” he acknowledged with a smile.
He appealed to the many business people among the illustrious guests in the audience, stating, “We want you to understand our support.” He noted that Italy is the fifth-largest economic power in the world, and the second in Europe. “Business and finance will be priorities for us,” he insisted, explaining that Italy’s foreign policy is now based on economic strategies for growth.
With the August 1 deadline looming, Tajani urged his audience to be optimistic. “We will be testardi (stubborn) in our negotiations,” he reassured them. He repeated the excellent rapport existing between the two countries, and admitted that there is “a lot of work to do between now and August 1.”
Claudia Flisi | She is Us-Italy Global Affair Forum Correspondent. She is a bicultural freelance writer based in Washington DC. Her stories have appeared in the International New York Times, Newsweek, Variety, Fortune, The Economist Intelligence Unit, airline magazines, and many others. She headed the Johns Hopkins alumni association in Milan for a decade, and has been active in SAIS alumni affairs. She has visited more than 100 countries, fallen off horses on six continents, and trained dogs in three languages.
