When Italian Prime Minister Georgia Mellon visits Washington for a White House meeting, the European Union, who is trying to conclude an agreement on trade, will play its own “heavy paper”.

Few European leaders could to be better envoy in the courtyard of President Donald Trump. The 48 -year -old Melon leads Italy’s most right -wing government by Benito Mussolini, and ranks among Trump’s fine leaders. Has described her as one ‘Wonderful woman’, which she hosts in Mar-A-Lago and invited her to his swearing-in in January.

Both agree on the removal of immigrants and the anti-Woke agenda. Both criticize judges who do not decide in their favor. Meloni was also one of the few European leaders who defended Vice President Jay Di Vance after his controversial speech in Munich, in which he was reprimanded because he isolates the far -right parties.

The question now is whether the Melon can really be the bridge to Trump who claims to be. The EU is struggling to benefit from 90 days’ suspension on US “payroll” duties, as well as to revoke US taxes already imposed on steel and cars. Her meeting with Trump comes as Brussels and Washington still look away from a trade deal after a new round of talks on Monday, but also during an important week for Italy-US relationships. After her visit to the White House, Melona will quickly return to Rome to host the visitor Vance to the Italian capital on Friday.

“They have very good relations, Donald Trump and Georgia Meloni, and the prime minister would like to help [την Ευρώπη] To achieve a goal, “said Nicolas Priecini, a member of the European Parliament from the Melonian Italian Party and a close political ally of the prime minister. “The goal could be an agreement with zero duties on either side.

Protatsini said Italy recognizes trade imbalance with the United States, and is committed to taking steps to correct it. He said that Meloni, who criticized Trump’s duties, but also warned Europe not to respond to more of its own duties, may propose the purchase of more gas (LNG) from the US – something Trump has shown. The Italian press also said that the Melon can sit on the negotiating table by offering commitments to rapidly increase Italian defense spending as well as large -scale investment in the United States by Italian companies, along with a possible US sale in the US of a sophisticated border protection system.

EU negotiators have already offered the Trump government more US LNG markets and zero tariffs on industrial goods. So far these sentences have given Minimum signs of significant progress.

Melon as a messenger

Speaking to Italian business leaders on Tuesday, Georgia Meloni spoke honestly about the Heraklion work in front of her. “I don’t feel pressure, as you can imagine, for the next two days,” he said. “We will do our best, as always. I certainly know what I represent and know what I am protecting. “

For her, the visit It is high risk. Melon risks her political capital both in Europe and the interior in a meeting with potential negative results. If he returns with empty hands, the notion that he is favored by Trump could begin to be disputed. If it comes out of the White House door with benefits for Italy, instead of the entire EU of the 27th nations. – As some have requested in its right -wing coalition – it is in danger of dividing the block at a time when unity is considered of prime importance to dealing with the Washington trade war.

‘It’s hard to understand what it can get’, said Nathali Totsi, director of the Institute of International Affairs based in Rome. ‘The big prize – let’s say, an EU -US summit – looks like with a dream of a summer night. Hard trade negotiations are not discussions that are being made at this level » Totsi added.

It is’ easier to see what Melon may lose if Trump is smart enough… to play divide and [βασίλευε]”, Totsi commented. “In a sense, the best one can hope for is that the meeting will take place without any incident. That in itself would be a success. ”

However, her journey is positively treated in Brussels, where officials are trying to find the opportunity to restart talks after Trump’s tariff barrage. Some European diplomats are also well aware that Trump, who likes to fool the EU, is indifferent to the leaders of the bloc, preferring to deal with member states such as Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron.

No matter how welcome Meloni’s efforts are, EU officials also rushed to recall that trade negotiations are the responsibility of the European Commission’s EU executive power, led by President Ursula von Der Laen. The committee’s spokesman told reporters on Monday that von der Layen and Melon have a “regular contact” on the trip to Washington and described it as a welcome “approach”.

This does not mean that the journey did not cause any friction. France’s Minister of Industry initially warned that Melon’s journey could be butter on the bread of Trump and divide Europe – though a French government spokesman later greeted Melon’s dialogue with Trump. In Italy, the center -left opposition condemned the journey as a shameful submission: “The self -proclaimed patriots bend their heads once again,” Elly Slain, head of the Democratic Party, wrote on Facebook.

Vice -President of the Melonian government and former opponent Matteo Salvini, meanwhile, has asked Melon to put Italy’s interests above Europe’s interests. However, observers say that Melon is very well aware that anything that looks like a bilateral trade agreement will be considered illegal by the EU, and will cause her more headaches by the US duties themselves. Antonio Tayyani, her other deputy, who also serves as a foreign minister, said that Meloni had a complete understanding of her mission.

Trump’s visit is “a mission that supports European positions,” Tayyani said in a television interview this week. “We are convinced that Europe must be united.”

Ignacio Garcia Bersero, a former European Commission official, commented that Melon would have a lot to win – and a lot to lose – From searching for markets for Italian products such as olive oil. Many Italians who have jobs in industry, for example, are manufacturing car spare parts for German factories – which means that they would still be hit if there was no pan -European trade agreement.

“You can probably distinguish olive oil from Chora A and Chora B, but if you are talking about cars, industrial products, every product that goes to the United States has accessories from all over the European Union,” Berchro explained. ‘It’s very difficult [για τον Τραμπ] To do something that does not hurt everyone in the EU. ”

Trade leader Maros Shefkovic traveled to Washington in February and March, only to declare that the US government was not ready to get involved seriously. Now, the EU is seeing a window for negotiations following Trump’s decision to suspend 20%punitive duty. But European diplomats declare that they are still struggling to perceive What do you really want The White House.

As a gesture of goodwill, the EU has frozen its countermeasures against US duties in steel, and is still not discussing its response to customs duties. Its leaders have also warned that the block could be more harshly against Trump’s general duties if the negotiations collapse during the 90 -day cessation, even with the prospect of service targeting by US companies Big Tech such as Google or Meta or Microsoft.

But Melon leads the camp in search of a more conciliatory approach – implying that it is better to catch Trump With the good, rather than the wild.

The bar of success, Protatsini remarked, is a “first step”.

‘I don’t expect in a few hours to reach the main target’ clarified. “A first step in the right direction is enough for me.”