“The West as we knew, it no longer exists,” said Ursula von der Leyen in the midst of rapid deterioration in relations with the United States under the administration of Donald Trump, who forced Europe to seek elsewhere allies and partners.
The day after Trump's radical rates, which Brussels denounced as “neither credible nor justified”, the president of the European Commission worked on phones with representatives of Norway, Iceland, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Von Der Leyen also spoke with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, fueling the speculation of an imminent thaw in EU-China links after years of tensions.
“The world has become a globe also geopolitically, and today our friendship networks are extending over the world, as you can see in the debate on prices,” Von Der Leyen told the German newspaper Zeit in a Interview with large Posted Tuesday.
“At the moment, I could have these conversations 24 hours a day. Everyone is asking for more trade with Europe-and it is not only about economic ties. It is also a question of establishing common rules and it is predictability. Europe is known for its predictability and reliability, which begins to be considered as something very precious,” she said.
“On the one hand, it is very rewarding; on the other hand, there is of course a huge responsibility that we must be up to the task.”
Describing itself as a “big friend” of America and “convinced Atlanticist”, Von der Leyen insisted that the long -standing link between the two sides of the Atlantic was still intact, despite the seismic changes triggered by Donald Trump, including his disturbing trade policies, the contempt for the multilateral system ,, Annexed threats And a hard pivot towards Russia, which all alienated the traditional Washington allies.
When asked if America was a friend, a former friend or an opponent, the head of the commission avoided “this type of classifications” while admitting that the relationship was “complicated”.
Von der Leyen did not explicitly criticize Trump – in fact, his name was only mentioned by the journalist – but suggested the country's repudiation that Trump tries to build by his raft of decrees.
“Europe is always a peace project. We have no bros or oligarchs that establish the rules. We do not send our neighbors, and we do not punish them. On the contrary, there are twelve countries on the waiting list to become members of the European Union. This represents around 150 million people,” she said, referring to the support process.
“In Europe, children can go to good schools, as rich as their parents are. We have lower CO2 emissions, we have a higher life expectancy. Controversial debates are authorized in our universities. This and the more values that must be defended, and which show that Europe is more than a union. Europe is our house. And people know it.”
Eyes on great technology
With regard to the negotiations underway with the White House, the chairman of the commission confirmed that manufactured goods and American digital services could be targeted in retaliation if the talks had not given a solution. Brussels hopes the 90 -day break introduced by Trump, and reciprocal By von der Leyen, will lead to a compromise where the scanning prices are abolished or considerably reduced.
But taking care of the precious services offered by the risks of Silicon Valley triggering the anger of the Trump administration, which has complained several times and the EU has repeatedly introduced in recent years to slow down the power of Big Tech.
The commission would be in the last stages of the probes under its digital markets acts in Meta and Apple, a closely watched process which could cause heavy fines. The executive insists on the probes are completely separated According to commercial talks, but the coincidence in time of the two tracks laid the foundations for a potentially explosive confrontation.
“We clearly define our position, and the Americans do the same. And it is the essence of all negotiations: nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. And I think that we exchange industrial goods or digital goods, we have the right to present all aspects of the situation,” said Von Der Leyen.
“For them (large technological companies), Europe is a very attractive and rich market. It has 450 million people who, compared to the rest of the world, have a high standard of living and time.
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While Europe is faced with a punitive “reciprocal rate” of 20%, China was slapped with a huge rate of 145%, which caused total trade with Beijing, which responded by hiking to samples at similar levels. The prices are so high that the two markets have effectively become closed to each other, which attracts that China, looking for an alternative market, massively redirects its low -cost exports to Europe.
The commission will remain “very vigilant” to ensure that the flood does not materialize, said Von Der Leyen. However, when they were asked if Europe should “trust the Chinese”, it did not refute the growing speculation of a rapprochement.
“In principle, if the conditions of market access are made more difficult for a large trading partner like the United States, it is clear that we are looking for new business partners to facilitate that our companies have access to new markets,” she replied.
Von der Leyen, who, during his first mandate, promoted a strategy of “casualness” to face China, softened in recent weeks, speaking instead of a transactional “foreign policy” which can lead to a “constructive” commitment with countries which do not necessarily share the fundamental values of the block, like China.
ADVERTISEMENTHowever, the “limitless” partnership between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin should be a great obstacle in any Dégel attempt. In the interview, Von der Leyen warned that Putin's “imperialist ambitions” could see him dare to attack a member state of NATO or the EU in the future. Several intelligence agencies believe that the Kremlin could be ready for such an attack by 2030.
Trump showing no intention of approving military or financial assistance to Ukraine, Europe rushes to acquire the tab and fill the void, even if its capacities cannot equal the power of America. In parallel, the Western allies have set up a “Coalition of volunteers” Provide security guarantees in Kyiv and protect a potential peace agreement.
“The country has courageously defended itself with the help of his friends,” said Von Der Leyen when asked if Europe could support Ukraine alone. “And it is extremely important that we take the power of the stay because, from the start, Putin's calculation was that support for Ukraine would collapse. In fact, the reverse has happened.”
