Meloni Wants EU-US Free-Trade Zone in Move Past Tariff Battle
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Caught between a revanchist Russia to its east and an antagonistic Trump administration to its west, European Union leaders are under more pressure than ever to maintain their continent’s security and economic wellbeing.
For some leaders, like Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, that means breathing new life into old ideas. She told us in an exclusive interview the EU and US should move beyond tariffs and start talking about a transatlantic free-trade zone. Meloni also spoke about her plans to rein in AI risks and her relationship with France's Emmanuel Macron — but you’ll need to check back on Bloomberg.com on Saturday at 10 a.m. CET for the full interview.
Meloni also said the Italian government’s role in Banca Monte dei Paschi “has ended,” closing the chapter on its involvement with a lender it first bailed out in 2009 and nationalized eight years later.
The Italian premier’s words are likely to resonate among eastern members of the EU who also want to retain close bonds with the US. A top Polish security adviser told us today the Europeans still needs to buy American military gear. That potentially throws a wrench into France’s “Made in Europe” plans to promote industrial growth.
Those political tensions baked into the heart of the European project mean the bloc can sometimes appear fatally divided, writes Ben Sills in our Weekend Essay. Without resolving the security dilemmas from within, external forces will continue threatening to tear it apart. --