Top meeting in Rome: EU and the USA before the trade war?

Top meeting in Rome: EU and the USA before the trade war?

Rom, Italien - A short-term EU-USA top meeting took place on Sunday afternoon in Rome, in which high-ranking representatives of European and American politics took part. Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the US Vice President JD Vance discussed urgent issues, in particular the war in Ukraine and the tense relationships between the EU and the USA. The background of these tensions lies in the announcement of US President Donald Trump to raise tariffs to the EU, which already led to protests and turbulence on the financial markets.

Trump had suspended the application of these tariffs for 90 days in April to alleviate the economic pressure. The meeting began at 3:30 p.m. in the Palazzo Chigi, the official residence of Meloni, after the participation of the delegation in the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican, where Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz was also present.

topics of conversation and international relevance

A central topic of the talks was the future relationship between the European Union and the United States. The EU plans to take decisive measures, including counter -tariffs, should not be sustainable negotiations. This happens against the background that the USA imposed punitive tariffs on aluminum (10%) and steel (25%) from the EU, which leads to serious concerns about the competitiveness of European companies.

The USA is calling for emphasis and upper limits for steel deliveries from the EU. However, this is rejected by the EU, which demands permanent customs exceptions for the negotiations. According to reports, the EU is already planning retaliation measures in the form of tariffs on US products of EUR 2.8 billion annually. This situation has the potential to develop into a comprehensive trade war that could consider not only the political but also the economic relationships of both sides.

The war in Ukraine and the role of the church

Another important topic of the meeting was the war in Ukraine. Pope Leo XIV welcomed the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj and his wife Olena after the fair and emphasized the need for peace talks. During his prayer, the Pope addressed an urgent appeal for permanent peace to the international community, a message that also took great space at the meeting of the political leadership in Rome.

The dynamic political relationships between the USA and the EU are faced with decisive challenges that affect not only trade policy, but also the geopolitical balance.