The EU must focus on getting its own affairs in order, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday, citing tariffs, competitiveness and defense as the most pressing issues facing the bloc as it comes to terms with Donald Trump’s election victory. .

Trump’s return to power is a major challenge for the European Union. As Reuters reports, its leaders are meeting in Budapest amid uncertainty as it struggles to find unity, with two of its biggest powers, Germany and France, politically weakened.

Meloni is seen as a potentially strong partner for Trump, given her conservative “credentials” and the right-wing coalition she has led in Italy since 2022.

“Ask not what the US can do for you, but what Europe must do for itself,” he told reporters ahead of a meeting of EU leaders in the Hungarian capital.

“Europe must find a balance… I am thinking about the issues of competitiveness, tariffs…”, he added.

Meloni also said she considers Tesla CEO and Trump supporter Elon Musk to be “value-added” and a good conversationalist. It is noted that she herself had a telephone conversation with Musk after Trump’s election victory.

The EU summit will include a discussion on competitiveness, which Meloni called “particularly important,” and a presentation on the topic by former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi.

“We know what we have to do, the big question we have to answer now is whether we really want to give member states the tools to meet the targets,” he said.

On Thursday, Italian ministers called on the EU to support members in their efforts to meet the 2% of GDP defense target demanded by NATO.

During his first term, Trump insisted that NATO members must meet the target, but Rome remains far from it, facing high public debt that severely limits its spending options.

Meloni said EU budget rules should allow more room for defense investment.

“New resources need to be found for strategic options, which I agree with, (but) we also need to say how we can help member states find those resources.”