Senior EU diplomat blames global crises for being late to parliament

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has cited two wars and a trade dispute as the reason for his delay

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has lamented that he is overwhelmed by international crises, calling himself “the unluckiest minister in history.” 

Tajani said that on Tuesday after arriving late to a conference being held in the Italian parliament devoted to democracy and parliamentarism in the Mediterranean region.

Apologizing to participants, he said it had been a difficult day: “The foreign minister is the unluckiest in history – there’s always something happening: two wars plus the trade one,” in an apparent reference to the Ukraine conflict, the Middle East escalation, and trade tensions with the US.

This week, Tajani reaffirmed Italy’s role in Ukraine’s post-war recovery in an article published by the outlet Formiche. Rome is preparing to unveil financial support for firms involved in the rebuilding process, Reuters reported.

The war in Gaza remains another major source of diplomatic strain for EU governments – including Italy – caught between calls for a ceasefire and continued Western arms deals with Israel.

Tajani’s remarks also come as the EU – the US’ single biggest trading partner – braces for the possibility that President Donald Trump may follow through on his ‘Liberation Day’ global tariffs, first announced on April 2.

Trump has repeatedly described the bloc as “very difficult to deal with” and the US trade deficit with it as “totally unacceptable.” He imposed a 20% tariff on all EU goods, along with a 25% duty on cars and metals. The 20% levy was suspended on April 9 for a 90-day period, with a 10% baseline duty remaining in place.

READ MORE: Trump agrees to delay EU tariffs

The tariffs were initially set to take effect on July 9 and rise to 50% unless a deal was reached. However, this week Trump extended the deadline to August 1 and began issuing formal tariff notices to trading partners.

Brussels, which has repeatedly warned of retaliation, said it hopes to reach a deal “in the coming days.” However, Italian Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti was quoted by the BBC as saying the talks remain “very complicated” and could go right to the wire.