Macron calls on EU to rearm after Trump’s victory

Did he keep his promise to pop several bottles of champagne to celebrate Trump’s return to the White House? “Only partly, because I was in Kyrgyzstan and the tradition there is different, so we draw on our vodka reserves with great joy“, replied Orbán. A euphoria that contrasts with the discontent that Trump’s victory has aroused among most European leaders: the tycoon defends customs duties of up to 20% on Community products and plans to reduce support military in kyiv.

“We all agree that there is no time to lose. The story is speeding up. With the US elections, one chapter closed and another opened. The world will change faster than before,” Orbán said at the final press conference of the summit. The Hungarian Prime Minister admits that there is still work to be done. “diverging opinions” on the war in Ukraine, but he assures that Trump’s victory strengthens the side of those who, according to him, “defend peace”, which, according to him, also has more and more activists in Europe.

“Europe must be an active player in the negotiations” on Ukraine to “influence future decisions,” says Orbán. He also wondered if Trump would pay the quota that corresponds to the United States. of the 50 billion dollar loan agreed by the G7 for kyiv, which would force the EU to assume responsibility in its entirety, which it rejects.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskywho also participated in the Budapest summit, attacked those who asked him to make “concessions” to the Kremlin. “This is unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for all of Europe,” he said. The best response the EU can give to Trump is to remain united in defending its common interests, Zelensky said.

What all heads of state and government agreed on was that “Europe must take greater responsibility for guaranteeing its own peace and security.” “We cannot wait for the Americans to protect us”» said Orbán. “The future of Europe is in our hands, we must act now” said the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

“Our security is not something we want to outsource to others, particularly the United States. Europe must be able to do it itself. The security of the United States and the European Union would be better if we worked together and I hope we can work together. But we are not going to outsource our security,” recognizes Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo.

But the leader who has most passionately defended Europe’s independence from the United States is the French president. “Your Majesty” Emmanuel Macron – always according to the ironic definition of the Albanian Prime Minister – he is the one who invented at the beginning of his mandate the concepts of strategic autonomy and European sovereigntyinitially welcomed as an eccentricity of Paris, but today become a road map to respond to Trump’s return.

“Our role in the EU is not to comment on the election of Donald Trump or to say whether it is a good thing or a bad thing. He was chosen by the American people and he will defend American interests This is legitimate and a good thing. The question is whether we are ready to defend Europe’s interests“, declared Macron during his speech at the summit of the European Political Community (EPC), a forum created two years ago precisely of French inspiration.

“Do we want to read history written by others? The wars started by Vladimir Putin, the American elections, Chinese decisions in technological or commercial terms. Or do we want to make history? I think we have the strength to write it. “Our economies are strong, our countries have sophisticated defense systems and we represent something,” says the French president.

“The world is made up of herbivores and carnivores. If we decide to remain herbivores, the carnivores will win and we will be a market for them. I think we have to choose to be omnivorous: we don’t want to be aggressive but we want to know how to defend ourselves. But I do not want Europe to be a huge theater populated by herbivores that carnivores, according to their agenda, come to devour,” Macron concluded.

Crisis in Germany

The challenge facing the EU is move from words to actionsa challenge in which he has already failed in the past. For example, during Trump’s previous term. The first litmus test will take place this Friday: European leaders will debate the report prepared by Mario Draghi, which estimates at 800 billion euros the additional annual investment the EU needs to avoid falling behind the United States and China.

The former president of the European Central Bank (ECB) proposed that part of this effort – particularly to boost the defense sector – be financed by a new issue of Eurobondslike Next Generation. But Germany and the “frugal” club, led by the Netherlands, are firmly opposed to a new round of common EU debt and have managed to eliminate from the conclusions any allusion to “new instruments” financing.

Precisely, the political crisis in Germany also infiltrated the Budapest summit, at which the Chancellor Olaf Scholz He arrived late due to the collapse of his coalition government. A collapse which further aggravates the leadership problems from which the EU suffers, precisely at the worst times.

“It is very important that Germany holds elections soon, because we need a strong and united German government and a strong Germany within the European Union. We have many important issues on the table,” said Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. “Europe is not strong without a strong Germany,” recognizes the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.