The European Commission “is looking at the possibilities” to organize a meeting in Rome between President Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the United States Donald Trump, given that they will both be in the capital next Saturday for the funeral of Pope Francis.
“We are evaluating the possibility of meeting us. At the moment there is nothing confirmed but we will keep you updated if it should happen in the next few days,” said the spokesman for the community executive, Paula Pinho, during the daily briefing with the press. “The goal in Rome is actually the condolence for Pope Francis. This is the main objective of the presence of President Von der Leyen. If other opportunities present themselves in the context in the margin, of course they will be seized,” he added.
Tajani Skeptic
The Italian vice premier Antonio Tajani is more skeptical about the hypothesis of a formal meeting between the two leaders. “It seems to me complicated to organize an international summit on the occasion of the Pope’s funeral. Maybe there may be occasional meetings during the ceremony, but organizing a summit seems complicated to me. For the moment there is no decision in this direction,” said the leader of Forza Italia from Cairo, where he is on a mission.
Stall negotiations
Trump has not yet met Von der Leyen from his re -election, but a direct confrontation is considered more urgent than ever to try to unlock the stall on the duties front. At the moment there are no real negotiations, despite various attempts by the EU. Washington established a 90 -day window on 10 April before activating new 20 percent duties against the European Union, while generalized 10 percent and specific 13 percent remain in force on aluminum, steel and cars.
Dombrovskis: “The EU asks for clarity”
The European Union has asked “greater clarity” to the United States on their priorities in commercial negotiations, said the European Commissioner for Commerce, Valdis Dombrovskis, speaking on the sidelines of the world-best meetings in Washington. “This commitment obviously requires clarity on both sides,” he admitted, claiming, however, that “on our part, we have advanced proposals and we are ready to negotiate”.
In his speech, Dombrovskis recalled that the EU has already offered to buy multiple US GNL and to reduce the rates on some goods, reiterating the desire to strengthen the partnership with Washington, estimated at 9.5 trillion dollars. “The EU keeps its existing partnerships and intends to deepen them, but will also sign up of new ones all over the world to strengthen our economic security at home,” he explained.
Currently the Union has commercial agreements with 76 countries, has concluded negotiations with Mexico, Switzerland and Mercosur countries, and continues to deal with India, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and United Arab Emirates. “These commercial agreements aim to establish advantageous partnerships for everyone, reliable and based on the rules,” he said.
