Officially, Meloni only represents Italy when she meets US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday. But both from Rome and Brussels, it is emphasized that the trip takes place with a broader mandate in the back.
The visit is part of a coordinated strategy with the EU Commission, which de facto appreciates it and defines it as fully adapted, says Italian Vice President Giorgio Mulé in Italian TV, according to news agency Ansa.
They have been in contact before this trip. All contacts with the US are welcome, emphasizes Commission spokeswoman Arianna Podestà.
Close to Trump
Meloni was one of the few European leaders invited to Trump's inauguration in January. She and her party, Italian Brothers, are close to the new US leadership when it comes to, among other things, migration and family policy.
The good relationship with Trump makes it possible for her to both get close to the president and be listened to.
It is otherwise something that is far from given for other Europeans – especially if they are official representatives of the EU.
Trump has clearly stated how much he dislikes the union, which he has pointed out as created "to mess with the US".
Like Stubb and Macron
Meloni's party colleague in the EU Parliament, Carlo Fidanza, hopes for concrete results from the visit to the White House.
This is the first real chance to sit down and help with joint solutions, says Fidanza to news site Euractiv.
No direct trade negotiations with Trump can be discussed without the entire EU being involved. Instead, it's mainly about conveying what Europe thinks, just like when Finland's President Alexander Stubb and France's Emmanuel Macron visited Trump to talk about Russia and defense.
Fear for food?
From France, however, worried voices have been heard that far-right leader Meloni cannot be seen as an EU representative.
In trade policy, she is still in line with the rest of the EU. This applies not least to agricultural products and food from the US, which Donald Trump angrily accuses Europe of buying too little of.
Meloni would, however, face an outcry in her home country if she opened up for more American mozzarella or simpler health and quality requirements.
When it comes to food safety, these requirements are absolutely crucial for us, says Carlo Fidanza to Euractiv.
Giorgia Meloni (born 1977) has been Italy's Prime Minister since October 22, 2022, when her nationalist party, Italian Brothers, formed a coalition with the conservative Heja Italien and the far-right party Lega.
Meloni was herself one of the founders of Italian Brothers in 2012, after previously representing the nationalist National Alliance. She was elected to parliament in 2006 and was youth minister 2008–11 in one of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's governments.
Meloni grew up in Rome with a single mother and an older sister, Arianna – who is married to Italy's Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida.
