https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Italy in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The European Union's mammoth trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur provisionally enters into force Friday, despite a pending court ruling on its legality. https://www.thelocal.it/20260501/blockbuster-eu-mercosur-trade-deal-enters-into-force Fri, 01 May 2026 09:52:06 +0200 blockbuster-eu-mercosur-trade-deal-enters-into-force Italy's central bank on Friday revised down its growth forecasts due to the "sudden energy price hikes" linked to the war in the Middle East. https://www.thelocal.it/20260404/italian-central-bank-cuts-forecasts-due-to-mideast-war Sat, 04 Apr 2026 10:02:00 +0200 italian-central-bank-cuts-forecasts-due-to-mideast-war In the Middle East energy exports to Europe have been disrupted by the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran that has spilled into surrounding regions. Economic experts are predicting a spike in inflation. https://www.thelocal.it/20260303/inflation-to-hit-eurozone-as-war-in-the-middle-east-disrupts-energy-flows Tue, 03 Mar 2026 12:38:03 +0100 inflation-to-hit-eurozone-as-war-in-the-middle-east-disrupts-energy-flows European leaders on Sunday hit back at US President Donald Trump's threat of tariffs over their opposition to his designs on Greenland, with far-right Italian leader Giorgia Meloni urging Washington against making a "mistake". https://www.thelocal.it/20260118/european-leaders-denounce-trumps-tariff-threats-over-greenland Sun, 18 Jan 2026 09:46:34 +0100 european-leaders-denounce-trumps-tariff-threats-over-greenland The European Union will on Saturday sign a deal 25 years in the making with the South American trade bloc Mercosur, creating one of the world's largest free trade areas at a time of growing protectionism and volatility. https://www.thelocal.it/20260117/eu-to-ink-long-awaited-trade-deal-with-south-american-bloc Sat, 17 Jan 2026 11:03:56 +0100 eu-to-ink-long-awaited-trade-deal-with-south-american-bloc Italy has said the United States had given several Italian pasta brands a break from plans to slap hefty anti-dumping duties on exports. https://www.thelocal.it/20260102/us-to-spare-some-italian-pasta-brands-from-hefty-tariffs Fri, 02 Jan 2026 13:25:46 +0100 us-to-spare-some-italian-pasta-brands-from-hefty-tariffs Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised the upgrade of Italy's credit rating by Fitch on Saturday, calling it a "clear sign of confidence" in the country’s fiscal plan and political stability. https://www.thelocal.it/20250920/italys-meloni-hails-fitch-rating-upgrade-as-sign-of-confidence-from-markets Sat, 20 Sep 2025 15:38:52 +0200 italys-meloni-hails-fitch-rating-upgrade-as-sign-of-confidence-from-markets European countries are not all equally exposed to the US market and so will not suffer the same consequences should President Donald Trump go ahead with his threats to impose 30-percent tariffs on the European Union. https://www.thelocal.it/20250713/impact-of-us-tariffs-varies-across-european-union Sun, 13 Jul 2025 12:32:59 +0200 impact-of-us-tariffs-varies-across-european-union Almost 100,000 university graduates aged 25 to 34 have left Italy over the past 10 years, new figures showed, amid growing concerns over the cost of the country's brain drain. https://www.thelocal.it/20250521/nearly-100000-young-graduates-left-italy-over-past-decade-report-finds Wed, 21 May 2025 18:49:04 +0200 nearly-100000-young-graduates-left-italy-over-past-decade-report-finds Donald Trump said on Thursday he was “100 percent” sure that the US will reach a trade deal with the EU as he held high-stakes talks with Italian PM Meloni. https://www.thelocal.it/20250418/trump-says-hes-100-percent-sure-of-eu-us-trade-deal-as-italys-meloni-visits Fri, 18 Apr 2025 10:57:44 +0200 trump-says-hes-100-percent-sure-of-eu-us-trade-deal-as-italys-meloni-visits European stock markets rebounded sharply in early deals on Thursday after US President Donald Trump abruptly paused steep tariffs on most countries. https://www.thelocal.it/20250410/european-stock-markets-soar-after-trump-pauses-trade-tariffs Thu, 10 Apr 2025 13:42:56 +0200 european-stock-markets-soar-after-trump-pauses-trade-tariffs European leaders hit out against sweeping new US tariffs on Thursday, with the EU saying it was ready to respond with countermeasures while opening the door for last-ditch negotiations. https://www.thelocal.it/20250403/chaos-is-being-created-europe-hits-out-at-trumps-tariffs Thu, 03 Apr 2025 11:16:35 +0200 chaos-is-being-created-europe-hits-out-at-trumps-tariffs Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday called for a "reasoned" European approach to escalating trade tensions with the US, reiterating the importance of transatlantic unity. https://www.thelocal.it/20250329/italian-pm-urges-reasoned-eu-approach-to-trump-tariffs Sat, 29 Mar 2025 17:12:02 +0100 italian-pm-urges-reasoned-eu-approach-to-trump-tariffs The European Union has insisted it would retaliate "firmly" if US President Donald Trump hit it with tariffs, as Brussels decried his sweeping measures against Canada, Mexico and China. https://www.thelocal.it/20250203/eu-vows-firm-retaliation-if-trump-unleashes-tariffs Mon, 03 Feb 2025 11:06:04 +0100 eu-vows-firm-retaliation-if-trump-unleashes-tariffs Italy's parliament on Saturday approved the 2025 budget, aiming to both appease EU demands to lower the eurozone nation's deficit and honour Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's pledge to cut taxes. https://www.thelocal.it/20241228/tax-cuts-debt-reined-in-as-italy-adopts-2025-budget Sat, 28 Dec 2024 16:32:06 +0100 tax-cuts-debt-reined-in-as-italy-adopts-2025-budget EU states on Thursday cleared Bulgaria and Romania to become full members of the borderless Schengen zone from the start of next year. How will this historic decision impact Europe’s borderless travel zone and the EU economy? https://www.thelocal.it/20241211/what-romania-and-bulgarias-full-schengen-membership-means-for-europe Wed, 11 Dec 2024 13:07:36 +0100 what-romania-and-bulgarias-full-schengen-membership-means-for-europe EU countries gave a definitive green light on Friday to hefty additional tariffs on electric cars made in China, despite warnings that it will spark a damaging trade war with Beijing. https://www.thelocal.it/20241004/explained-why-the-eu-and-china-could-be-heading-for-a-major-trade-war Fri, 04 Oct 2024 17:08:37 +0200 explained-why-the-eu-and-china-could-be-heading-for-a-major-trade-war Italy's system of beach concessions has long defied EU rules, but this looks set to change from next year. What's happening and what will this mean for beachgoers? https://www.thelocal.it/20240809/explained-whats-behind-the-battle-for-italys-beach-clubs Fri, 09 Aug 2024 18:19:56 +0200 explained-whats-behind-the-battle-for-italys-beach-clubs Taylor Swift's sold-out concerts in Milan this weekend were expected to bring a boom in tourist spending, while watchdogs called for a crackdown on the resale of tickets at "stratospheric" prices. https://www.thelocal.it/20240711/e4000-a-ticket-complaints-as-touts-cash-in-on-taylor-swifts-milan-concerts Thu, 11 Jul 2024 12:49:08 +0200 e4000-a-ticket-complaints-as-touts-cash-in-on-taylor-swifts-milan-concerts The European Union was expected to issue warnings to France, Italy and several other governments over excessive spending after new budget rules came into force this year. https://www.thelocal.it/20240619/france-and-italy-face-spending-rebuke-from-eu Wed, 19 Jun 2024 10:59:21 +0200 france-and-italy-face-spending-rebuke-from-eu