Premier Giorgia Meloni on Friday said
"we know what we need to do" in Europe, now the "point is
whether we want to give member states the necessary resources -
this is the real debate", rriving at an informal European
Council meeting in Budapest. "I don't know whether concrete
solutions will be reached this morning, but it is the central
element", she noted. Speaking about Tuesday's presidential
election in the United States, Meloni stressed Europe should
take stock and evaluate itself. "I think Europe should find a
solution and assess itself. "It looks like we are discovering
issues today, I am thinking about competitiveness, tariffs.
"However, I remember that the debate on European competitiveness
is a debate that started months ago in the wake of the Inflation
Reduction Act. "If we wanted to say this quoting American
presidents - ask not what the United States can do for you, ask
what Europe can do for itself, which is this morning's debate",
said Meloni. The US measure last year sparked concern in Europe
that it could shift investments to the United States,
threatening EU competitiveness. The European Commission
responded in February 2023 with its Green Deal Industrial Plan
to the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), with increased levels
of state aid to help Europe compete as a manufacturing hub for
clean tech products. Meloni on Friday also said Tesla and X
owner Elon Musk is an added value and potential interlocutor,
speaking to reporters ahead of a gathering of the European
Political Community. Musk is "an added value of our time and a
possible interlocutor", the Italian prime minister said.
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