Rome, 25 July. (LaPresse) – ‘We need to strengthen the Italian system during this period of great uncertainty.’ These were the words of Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida in an interview with La Stampa. ‘The issue of tariffs,’ he emphasised, "is a very complex one that affects different sectors in different ways, so we have decided not to comment until the final outcome of the negotiations. What we hope for, and what the Italian government and President Meloni in particular have been working on, is to rule out the possibility of a trade conflict with the US, as some have been advocating in a way that is not only illogical but almost insane, or even calling for the opening of new replacement markets." ‘It is obvious that we want to open up as many markets as possible, as do entrepreneurs, but we are not prepared to give up a strategic market such as the US. Europe and North America – an issue that I consider far more important than trade – are the only two places where fully-fledged democracies exist, and therefore relations with the United States must be preserved. For this reason, we hope that a fair compromise will be reached,’ he concluded.
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