Will Giorgia Meloni really be Trump’s European card? This is what this week’s Economist article says, which talks about a “whisperer” role, and this was reiterated by Andrea Stroppa, Elon Musk’s man in Italy, after the tête-à-tête between the president of the Council and the president-elect in Paris, on the occasion of the reopening of Notre Dame: “the only meeting on the agenda besides Prince William. We have the rare opportunity to have a special relationship with the United States. Happy to be able to contribute to building this solid relationship.”
But is the relationship solid even when viewed from the United States? According to James Carafano, one of the key figures of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank based in Washington, even more: “I think that the Trump-Meloni relationship will be the most important in transatlantic relations”, he says in an interview with Adnkronos . “Trump will benefit from a strong and solid conservative voice in Europe with which to decide on proposals and strategies. Meloni is a European leader who can create unity among people, to bring concrete results.”
There are many international fronts, and according to the American expert Trump will not be an isolationist president: “From energy to immigration, from Ukraine to China, from the Middle East to Africa, Meloni will be the protagonist of these dossiers together with the United States . And then there are advanced or developing contact points such as the Three Seas Initiative, a forum between 12 central and eastern European states that aims to coordinate infrastructure and security between the Baltic Seas, Adriatic and Black; and the Imec (India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor), a development and investment thread that starts from India and arrives in Italy, one of the key terminals in the Mediterranean. The two countries have an agenda of growth and prosperity for Europe.”
But isn’t there a risk that Trump will choose a bilateral path, weakening relations between European Union member states? According to Carafano, “This new Commission will take a pragmatic approach towards Trump, and the US and EU will find unexpected common ground. Trump will have constructive relationships with many center-right and populist leaders in Europe and I think he will be a unifying voice for them in the transatlantic community. Indeed, I expect the right to be a more coherent transatlantic political force than the left,” he concludes. (by Giorgio Rutelli)