One trend has emerged from the flood of reactions to Donald Trump’s return to the Presidency of the United States: the desire to negotiate and limit the damage. This is what the European Commission has planned and what the majority of the European Parliament is calling for (see EUROPE 13562/1).
In a joint declaration, four MEPs involved in transatlantic relations are calling on the EU to seek common interests with the United States. “Negotiations are the way forward”, said Bernd Lange (S&D, German), who chairs the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade. For his compatriot David McAllister (EPP), President of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the EU must do its utmost “to become an equal partner with Washington”.
Exploiting common interests is exactly what the European Commission has been working on for several weeks, notably through a dedicated working group. According to the German media outlet Handelsblatt, the Commission’s teams are preparing a plan to increase imports of American gas and military equipment, with the aim of convincing Mr Trump not to impose surcharges on European products. This idea has often come up in discussions in recent weeks as a credible solution for avoiding trade tensions.
On the other side of the argument, there are those who would like to see the EU do more to defend its values. This is particularly true of the Spanish President, Pedro Sánchez, and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.
In the latter’s view, Europe, while committed to the transatlantic link, must “also be able to assert its own interests and defend them with its European values and instruments”.
These were the words he used on Wednesday 22 January alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose tone is more conciliatory towards Washington. “Europe and the United States have a long-standing friendship. This is the basis on which we want to continue to build, together”, said Mr Scholz.
In Davos, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, also warned countries around the world against escalating tariffs. In her view, outbidding behaviour on tariffs “would result in a double-digit loss of GDP”. Instead of taking action, she recommends that countries affected by tariffs follow WTO dispute settlement procedures. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)