D-Day for the expiry of the suspension of American duties may not be on July 9th. In the evening, while the 27 leaders were preparing to sit at the work dinner on relations between the United States and Europe, the news came from overseas that could soften the negotiation on rates.
“The deadline could be extended, but it is a decision that belongs to the president”, He announced the White House in a declaration that hides two elements: the first is that the climate between Washington and Brussels has improved clearly; At the same time there is the full awareness that an agreement on the duties for July 9 would be impossible.
Meanwhile, the president of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen, as far as we learn from sources close to the dossier, informed the European leaders of having received the US counter -proposal in the negotiation on the duties. Washington’s offer, it is still learned, is made up of a text of a few pages and would delineate “a temporary agreement” between the USA and the EU.
The theme, disposed of the celebrations for the agreement on 5% to NATO, in Brussels has returned to overbearing topicality. The long shadow of Donald Trump accompanied the 27 heads of state and government from the Aja to Brussels, where they met for the last European council before the summer holidays. Giorgia Meloni, in this context, was no exception. The premier had the opportunity to discuss the dossier duties with Trump in the Netherlands. But his line, despite the political closeness to the Tycoon, remains strongly anchored to Europe.
Indeed, in Brussels Meloni he found himself in a median position between France and Germany, who risk clashing seriously on the duties. Berlin, although Friedrich Merz has ensured to support the efforts of the commission, has been pushing for days for an agreement as soon as possible, even if imperfect. Paris is much more awaited. Behind the formula of the intensity at 10% sees traps in different economic sectors. And above all, Emmanuel Macron does not want an “asymmetrical” understanding which, in order to avoid the tagliola of 9 July, turns out to be too disadvantageous. Meloni while believing that an agreement serves as soon as possible, still wants to see us clearly.
“Any asymmetries must be duly compensated”, underlined Italian sources by citing, just to give an example, the steel and aluminum sectors where American rates go well over 10%. But it is the same commission that is allergic to an agreement on the model of that between the USA and Great Britain. “One thing is certain: we need a balanced agreement,” warned the executive vice -president Stéphane Séjourré.
“In the next few days,” the European sources have revealed, the American proposal will arrive. The European goal, for July 9, was to find at least one framework agreement. But the possibility extension announced by the White House changes – and perhaps improves – the scenario. The theme is that, regardless of the themes, Trump risks becoming an eternal and cumbersome stone conviction. Also for Meloni. On the defense, for example, the 27 began to deal after 5%. And the accounts do not come back.
The premier, explained diplomatic sources, first asked a problem: the countries with the deficit below 3%, if they activate the safeguard clause for the defense, do not enter the procedure; On the contrary, countries like Italy that could come out of the procedure next year, if they activated the stop to the stability pact for defense expenses, would remain in the procedure for several years. We need – Meloni remarked – a different and more flexible interpretation of the rules. The theme aroused the interest of many leaders, starting with Merz. And he perhaps accentuated the pressing on those who, like Holland, still make a wall to the use of European resources. The axis between Italy and Germany, in this, is evident. As is evident on another theme, that of migration. At the usual meeting of the “hawks” on the theme of repatriations, wanted by Italy Holland and Denmark, this time the German Chancellor also sat. At the table, as always, Von der Leyen. As a testimony that now the narrow on the flows wanted from Rome is a transversal political dossier, no more attributable to Eurosceptic or peripheral capital leaders.