Tariffs, Schlein: ‘Serious uncertainty, government must convene employers, trade unions and social partners’

Florence, 21 February (LaPresse) – “Yesterday, the Supreme Court of the United States, applying the Constitution, reminded us that all power has its limits. We are curious to know whether Meloni will make another video attacking the judges and defending her friend President Trump, or whether she will defend Italian interests for once, because I remember that this government has downplayed the very harsh impact of tariffs on Italian businesses and workers from the outset. It promised a £24 billion plan that then vanished into thin air, unlike countries such as Spain, which immediately put in place a £14 billion plan to support the economy. And we are waiting to see, with great uncertainty, because there is talk of new announcements on other tariffs, whether the government has already convened employers, trade unions and social partners to address this situation of serious uncertainty, which will once again weigh on the Italian economy’. This was stated by the secretary of the Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, today in Florence, on the sidelines of the “L’Italia che riparte” (Italy restarts) initiative. “It also weighs on Tuscany,” she added. ‘Yesterday, we visited some of the region’s leading businesses, one in particular, which has been working with gold for centuries and told us that the price of gold has never been so high in their memory. So, over the last year, this uncertainty caused by Trump’s trade war has also been damaging many Italian businesses. We have an economy that is heavily based on exports, so it is clear that entrepreneurs are very concerned, added to which are energy costs, which are the highest in Europe, and the fact that we have some of the lowest wages in Europe. These are all economic and social issues that we are here in Florence to discuss as part of the Democratic Party’s listening tour, which is intertwined with our campaign for a “no” vote in the constitutional referendum.