At a “mini-summit” in Berlin, the EU countries in the G20 closed ranks on Thursday 29 June, a week before what are expected to be tough climate and trade negotiations with the Trump administration.
While the summit of the world’s 20 largest economies, in Hamburg on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 July “will not be easy, it will be constructive”, hoped German Chancellor Angela Merkel after the mini-summit.
The message coming out of that meeting was clear: Europe will be united at the G20 summit where it will stand up to the opposition from the US, Russian and Turkish presidents. Whether on the Paris climate agreement, the migration crisis of trade agreements, “Europe is eagerly awaited and consistent”, French President Emmanuel Macron told the press. Merkel expects an agreement on the issues that unite everyone, “such as tackling terrorism and health in developing countries, particularly women’s health”.
Will there be a Hamburg declaration? On the other hand, the German chancellor acknowledges that areas of disagreement with the United States over the Paris Agreement “are clear to see and it would be dishonest to deny them”.
“It will be very difficult to agree a joint text” a diplomatic source admitted, “even though a lot of negotiation is taking place behind the scenes”. According to the source, the discussions have been made all the more complex as “the Trump administration has abandoned the commitments of the previous US administrations”.
This also holds true for the part of the declaration on bilateral trade and trade with developing countries. Europe faces a battle with the US on a reference to “reciprocity” of access that Washington wants to include in the text.
Will there ultimately be a joint statement on areas of contention? “We can’t at this stage speculate on the solutions that will be found but we have to be constructive”, said Merkel. “We don’t share Donald Trump’s point of view but it’s always preferable to have a joint declaration”, Macron stated.
Italy tries to make its voice heard on immigration. Amid all the European unity, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni tried once again to make his call heard for solidarity in the face of the flow of migrants to the shores of Italy. “Italy has never shirked its responsibilities”, he stressed at the joint press conference. But “it wants to discuss the role of NGOs, of the Frontex mission and the resources available to work in Libya and Africa”.
Merkel and Macron each kicked the issue into the long grass, referring the debate to the informal meeting of home affairs ministers in Tallinn on Thursday 6 and Friday 7 July.
European Council President Donald Tusk suggested that the G20 should argue for a United Nations resolution providing for sanctions against smugglers. He was backed in his suggestion by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who laid emphasis, in passing, on the “heroism” of the Italian people. (Original version in French by Nathalie Steiwer)