Photo : REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
By Fleur Elizabeth Philip
EM Daily Focus
Italy’s Prime Minister meets US President: Italy expresses readiness to strengthen relations
On 18 April, Italy’s Prime Minister Georgia Meloni held a meeting with US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Both leaders discussed the war in Ukraine and transatlantic cooperation. Trump gave a mixed signal: “The killing must stop, and he was not happy with the actors involved,” and that “he is not a big fan. Ukraine’s president was to blame for the Russian invasion.” On the minerals deal, Trump said: “The deal is very close to being signed, and it could happen any day now, perhaps by next Thursday.”
The main focus of the meeting was on the tariff disputes between the US and the European Union. There has been a sigh of relief since the trip announcement and the EU’s pause of the 20 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium. Meloni was confident that the EU and the US would agree. Apart from tariffs, both leaders discussed defence, energy, immigration, and purchasing more of the US’s liquified gas, which would help convince the US to reduce, or even eliminate, threatened tariffs on Italian or EU imports. Further, Meloni pledges to keep up with NATO’s defence spending targets, which is two per cent of the GDP. Additionally, Meloni wants Italian companies to invest more in the US.
Meloni is the only European leader to attend Trump’s inauguration in January and at his Mar-a-Lago Estate in Florida. In that meeting, Trump praised Meloni by calling her a fantastic woman and also stated that she had taken Europe by storm. With no official agenda, Meloni expressed her readiness to work together and strengthen the US-Italy relations.
Following Meloni’s visit to Washington, both France and the UK called for renewed transatlantic dialogue and emphasized the need to continue collective European engagement in Ukraine. President Emmanuel Macron praised the talks as a "very important occasion for convergence," highlighting the importance of aligning transatlantic strategies on securing a durable peace. The UK, represented by its national security advisor, reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Ukraine while signaling that European unity would be essential despite shift in US position.
BELARUS
Government drafts a cooperation roadmap with Zimbabwe for 2026
On 17 April, Belarus and Zimbabwe developed plans for a new roadmap for the years 2026-2030. The agreement was finalized after the visit of the Belarusian delegation to Zimbabwe. According to Belarus Prime Minister Viktor Karankevich: “We discussed the planned visit of the President of Zimbabwe to Belarus and extended an invitation from the Belarus President for the visit to the country.” Both countries look forward to new outlines of partnership, and discussed the economic dimensions and the bilateral cooperation between them. Following the meeting, both countries look forward to their cooperation on the agricultural, manufacturing, education, healthcare, disaster management, and mining sectors. The discussion also includes the possibility of expanding the use of Belarusian technologies and competencies to process solid municipal waste, along with the bus assembly production and the supply of MAZ machine kits, which benefits both parties. The Zimbabwe side shows its gratitude to the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, for their humanitarian aid, in light of the drought caused by the El Nino climate phenomenon. (“Belarus, Zimbabwe keen to develop industrial cooperation,”; “Belarus, Zimbabwe to draft comprehensive cooperation roadmap for 2026-2030,”Belta, 17 April 2025)
DENMARK
Danish life sciences trials make a breakthrough in oncology and pneumonia research
On 17 April, with platform trials, five Nordic hospitals have made a breakthrough during the COVID-19 pandemic, for several testing simulations which have become useful in oncology, Alzheimer's, and pneumonia research. The introduction of these new treatments has eliminated the low-value care. Five major hospitals in collaboration with the Nordic University Hospital Alliance, have started using them. Rasmus Møgelvang, a member of the Danish Life Sciences Council, commented: “The country has been successful in life sciences because of the Danish approach of involving public and private competencies and a strong focus on its implementation.” With the success of the clinical trials, the council has submitted a report with life sciences recommendations to the European Commission, as a part of the EU’s life science strategy. The Danish Council recommends that the EU facilitate and fund platform trials across member states through programmes like Horizon and FP10. The trials also examine the staff resources, smarter ways of working, patient/user involvement, and the introduction of efficient innovations. Møgelvang added: “This will train surgeons here in Copenhagen who will work in Greenland to treat strokes, cerebral hemorrhages, and other brain injuries. These surgeons will work closely with the neurosurgeons in Denmarkvia telemedicine.” (Monica Kleja, “Denmark’s life science strategy calls for EU focus on platform trials,” Euractiv, 17 April 2025)
THE UK
Government to ban meat and dairy products to avoid disease
On 17 April, the UK government have imposed a temporary ban on the cheese and meat producers coming from the EU, to prevent food and mouth disease (FMD)Apart from the shipment, people travelling to the UK are not allowed to bring with them such items, which also include sandwich, due to the growing outbreak in Europe. With the rising cases of cattle diseases in countries like Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, and Austria. FMD is a very contagious disease that contains a highly infectious virus that causes blisters under the hooves, inside the mouth, which cause lameness and feeding problems. But they do not affect humans, and there are no FMD cases in the UK. The major concern is that if products like dairy and meat enter the UK, there is a possible chance that these could be consumed by the animals. The list of suspended products includes pork, beef, lamb, mutton, goat, venison, sausages, milk, butter, cheese, and yoghurt. (Tom Espiner, “UK bans EU cheese and meat to stop disease spreading,” BBC, 17 April 2025)
SLOVAKIA
New law passed for transparency from the NGO’s after protests in Bratislava
On 17 April, lawmakers of Slovakia passed a law regarding the non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) to reveal the sources of funding and the identity of their contributors. According to the law, NGO’s foundations, and associations with an annual income of EUR 35,000 will be required to submit a small transparency report. The report must include the names of individuals who donated more than EUR 5000 in a given year. Those who go against the law shall be fined. This move was because of the protests against the measure of conspiracy in the capital, Bratislava. Critics accuse the law of restricting civil society institutions. The original draft was introduced by the coalition-SNS party, which proposed that NGO’s directly or indirectly influenced by politicians should be termed as lobbyists and be subject to the administrative requirements, which the lobbyists do not face currently. Opposition MPs criticized the sudden and sweeping changes, with MP BranislavVančo said: “Not even a wild boar could figure out what we’re voting on here anymore.” Even after the submission of the amendments, the opposition believes that the law is unconstitutional and is calling for President Peter Pellegrini not to sign the legislation. Prime Minister Robert Fico presented the legislation as a strategic play towards transparency on all fronts. He has sought to make life harder for civil society organizations, and to end the rule of political NGO’s in Slovakia. (Chiara Bachels, “Slovakia passes law on NGOs amid criticism,” Deutsche Welle, 17 April 2025; Natália Silenská, “Slovak NGOs face new rules as chaotic bill clears parliament,” Euractiv, 17 April 2025)
SWITZERLAND
Swiss Foreign Minister to visit Japan and China to develop bilateral relations
On 17 April, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will visit Japan and China next week, with the focus on developing bilateral relations, economic challenges, and current geopolitical issues. According to the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), “the visit starts with Japan, as it is a long-standing partner, in terms of trade, research and innovation. Cassis will officially open Switzerland’s Day at EXPO 2025 in Osaka with the Swiss delegation. Post the meeting, the head of FDFA or the Foreign Minister is to have talks with Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, and focus on the major international issues and joint efforts to promote effective multilateralism. Talks are scheduled with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Education, Science, and Technology. Concerning China, Switzerland will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its relationship. Cassis will hold talks with the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the current events. The trip concludes with a visit to Schindler, a company developed by the economic relations between China and Switzerland. (“Swiss foreign minister to visit Japan and China,” Swiss Info, 17 April 2025)