Trade War: In Paris, there are fears that Italy will go it alone

Paris – The French Minister of Industry and Energy, Marc Ferracci, warned on Wednesday against “a risk that has been present from the beginning, since we know that Donald Trump has a fairly clear, fairly simple strategy, which is to divide the Europeans,” in response to a question about the possibility of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni negotiating bilaterally with Washington.

Ms. Meloni announced on Tuesday that she would travel to Washington on April 17 to meet with the American president.  

“We must be united, because Europe is only strong if it is united,” added Marc Ferracci.

“If we start having bilateral discussions, obviously that will break this dynamic that is currently present,” he stated.

“We all collectively have an interest, Italy, France, Germany, and others, in having a united and firm response rather than dividing and dispersing,” added the Minister Delegate for Europe, Benjamin Haddad, on France 2 television. (April 9, 2025)