Giorgia Melon's visit to Washington, test for Italy's role in Europe

Giorgia Melon's first bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump on Thursday comes at a crucial moment. With Trump threatening a trade fight against EU, its visit may be key to helping Italy and Europe avoid an escalation of tensions, writes Euronews, broadcast Periscope.

According to Raffaele Marchetti, professor of International Relations at Louis University in Rome “The possibility of obtaining concessions is limited”. He said this could present a problem “because “Europeans would require reactions to visit”.

According to Marchetti, the topics on the agenda include the economy, the industrial sector and defence.

This could conflict with EU defence plans, which should focus on protecting the European defence industry. ”

Melon, which supports the EU's proposed agreement on zero-zero tariffs for industrial goods with the US, is likely to highlight the power of bilateral relations between Italy and the US and the close economic ties between the two, especially since the US is Italy's largest trade market outside the EU.

But, as Marchetti points out, Melon's attitude towards the US also reflects the internal balance of power within the government of the Italian coalition. /Periscope/