“It should have become clear by now that Trump is not our ally and never will be.” This blunt statement was written by former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt and Spanish politician Josep Borell, former High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, in a recent article published in a Belgian newspaper. Although it is considered by many to be overly harsh, it does highlight one of the main problems Europe is currently facing and unable to resolve, namely the deterioration of relations with its traditional allies across the Atlantic. Trump is complicating the situation in Ukraine and is not helping—quite the opposite in fact —to resolve the conflict in the Middle East. He is also imposing tariffs and demanding that Europe spend more on weapons, (to be purchased in the US..)
The United States is growing distant, leaving Europe without its historic and reassuring back-up.
In both the EU Parliament and Commission, this appears to be one of the issues gripping the European Union at this critical moment, made worse by the escalation of ongoing conflicts – from Ukraine to the Holy Land, and from the heart of Africa to the Far East – along with the formation of potential anti-Western alliances centred on China (with “friends” that are anything but reassuring, such as Russia, Iran and North Korea), and the growing uncertainty in the global economy and trade. Without forgetting climate change or mass migration.
The EU is trying to steer a course through these uncertain waters, but the path ahead is not yet clear.
Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union address alone is not enough to chart the course or settle matters.
While political leaders are expected to address these issues, citizens are demanding responses to problems that affect their everyday lives, as revealed by the latest Eurobarometer survey. Indeed, security is a concern for at least one-third of European citizens, but an equal number are requesting employment opportunities, measures to combat inflation and protection for their wages. While the major geopolitical and macroeconomic challenges cannot be ignored,
households and workers are grappling with unresolved urgent challenges
that are having a significant impact on their daily lives. Examples include measures to support the birth rate in view of the progressive and concerning ageing of the European population, the shortage of affordable housing, healthcare provision and public health services more generally, investment in education and rebalancing the tax burden.
The governments of the EU-27 and the European Union as a whole are gambling with the credibility of their citizens and, indirectly, with the latter’s confidence in European institutions and the consolidation of liberal democracies. Failure to act accordingly risks emboldening nationalist and disruptive forces (as France knows only too well).
Once again, the EU is grappling with the present circumstances, but it must not lose sight of the fact that its future is at stake.
