De Rosa: "The EU budget is a matter of tears, blood, and green rhetoric."

In the midst of international tensions over tariffs, treaties and trade wars, Cavaliere Domenico De Rosa , CEO of the SMET Group, takes a clear stance against the European Commission , accusing it of having concretely damaged Italian exports more than the measures announced by the Trump administration.

“ At a time when tariffs are perceived as threats and Trump's proclamations are disturbing the sleep of European exporters, someone needs to tell the truth: the blind and self-referential policies of the European Commission have caused more concrete damage to our exports than the yet-announced corrections of Trumpian America can do ”, states Cavaliere De Rosa.

The CEO of Smet emphasizes that, despite the former American president's often provocative tone, the United States remains a pragmatic country that acts to protect its national interests. " Trump —despite his style— has always declared his intention to re-establish trade relations based on reciprocity, respect for industrial sovereignty, and the need to limit Chinese dumping and the speculative excesses of global finance. Whether this means revising tariffs or renegotiating treaties is not a scandal: it's trade policy, real trade policy ," continues Cavaliere De Rosa. " Brussels has built a regulatory prison for businesses ."

More than American policies, for Cavaliere De Rosa, it is the European Union's ideological approach that represents a concrete obstacle to the competitiveness of Italian companies. " Under the rhetoric of the 'green transition' and 'strategic autonomy,' Brussels has built a regulatory prison for businesses, suffocating them under mountains of regulations, sustainability obligations, climate labels, and environmental constraints. And these hit the very sectors where Italy excels: agri-food, fashion, automotive, precision mechanics ," he denounces. " Italy exports despite Brussels, not thanks to Brussels ."

The entrepreneur highlights the paradox of a European Union that makes it difficult to export to the very markets that most appreciate Made in Italy. " While America renegotiates, Europe reneges. It renounces its own industry, its manufacturing heritage, its role in the world. Italy exports recognized and sought-after excellence to the United States—from wine to machinery—but it does so more hindered by Brussels than by Washington ," he states.

The criticism also extends to the European budget of over €2 trillion, which, according to Cavaliere De Rosa, completely fails to support real enterprise.

" We're not talking about economic growth, industrial innovation, or competitiveness. We're talking about rearmament and immigration management. It's a short circuit that cries out for vengeance. A Europe that is unable to defend its industrial system is now discovering its military vocation. A Union that has demolished internal economic borders is now financing billions to address migratory flows that it itself helped generate ," he declares bitterly. " The real price? We pay it every day in Brussels ." He concludes with a clear reflection on the changing global scenario and Europe's strategic shortsightedness.

" Globalization as we know it is over. Anyone who works with goods, ships, ports, and customs every day can see it: the world is reorganizing itself according to new logics, based on proximity, security, and the resilience of value chains. The United States has understood this, Asia already knew it. Europe, on the other hand, is playing at being powerful, forgetting that it is first and foremost a market and a productive civilization ," he states.

Finally, the appeal: " We Italian entrepreneurs know how to compete, everywhere. But we need to breathe. And if anyone today fears American tariffs, I say that we are already paying the real price, every day, in Brussels. A price made of bureaucracy, strategic shortsightedness, and reversed priorities. The future is not built with declarations of principle, but with strong logistics, vibrant manufacturing, and a smart trade policy. In these areas, unfortunately, the European Commission has already lost its pace ."