The EU is holding its breath before Republican leader Donald Trump returns to the White House. Former President Trump’s election victory opens the door to a series of ghosts in the EU: trade tensions, tariff pressures and, ultimately, uncertainty about a lasting association. Faced with this scenario, Brussels congratulates the newly elected American leader and calls for taking into account the close link between the two regions.
“I warmly congratulate Donald J. Trump on his election as the 47th President of the United States. I look forward to working again with President Trump to advance a a solid transatlantic agenda”, The head of the Community Executive, Ursula von der Leyen, indicated this on Wednesday in a press release.
The German wanted to emphasize the close relations between the EU and the United States. “We are united by a true partnership between our people, uniting 800 million citizens. This bond is deep and rooted in our common history, in our commitment to freedom and democracy, and in our shared goals of security and opportunity for all.
The president showed her willingness to work with the future president of the United States in “a transatlantic partnership that continues to benefit our citizens.” In this sense, he stressed that “millions of jobs and billions of trade and investment on both sides of the border” Atlantic depend on the dynamism and stability of our economic relations. »
The scenario of a Trump return to the White House was one of the options that the EU could face, although if Kamala Harris emerged victorious, the feeling within the community bloc would have been different. The relations of the last administration of the Republican leader with Brussels were purely transactional, which, in a way, made predictable the type of link he had with the White House and facilitated relations with the 27 member states.
Experts, but also Trump’s own statements, predict a more complicated relationship between the EU and the United States. Not in vain, promised the Republican leader during the campaign impose customs duties on all European products imported into the American market. Other unresolved tensions with Washington could worsen, as is the case with customs duties on aluminum and steel or aid to Airbus and Boeing.
But the Republican’s return to the White House will also have implications in relation to the agreements concluded at the international level to mitigate the effects of climate change or to the green transition itself sponsored by the American law on the reduction of inflation, in favor of revitalize carbon-intensive industries, mainly oil and gas.
In the early years of his first term, Trump took community capitals by surprise. Although the relationships established at the start of the Joe Biden administration’s mandate have not been easy either, due to the difficulties in delivering vaccines during Covid and supply chain disruptions.
The current situation shows an EU more dependent on Washington in energy matters. Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine left Brussels with no choice but to distance itself from Moscow and look for other sources of gas supply. The result was large contracts for the supply of liquefied natural gas from across the pond.
Trump’s stance on the Ukraine conflict also generates uncertainty. The truth is that in the air there is a part of 50 billion euros in loans to Kyiv, under the G7 agreement. A position that would be financed with profits from Russia’s frozen assets and which it is unclear whether the new US administration would support.
