Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo has issued a stern warning that if Donald Trump wins in 2024, Europe will be on its own.
In a speech he gave at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday (January 16) to commemorate Belgium’s inauguration as the next EU president, Mr. He said it would be a significant challenge for the company.
“There’s a lot at stake for Europe. There’s a lot at stake for the West,” he said. “If America First becomes a reality again in 2024, Europe will become more self-reliant than ever before.”
Last week, EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton also revealed that Europe had already been warned of such a potential scenario in 2020.
Speaking at an EU Parliament event, Breton said in 2020 that then-US President Donald Trump told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that if Europe were attacked, the US would “never come to the rescue.” “It’s not coming,” and said NATO was “dead.”
Trump’s words were a “huge wake-up call” for Europe at the time, Brereton said, and “Trump may be back.”
The French secretary wants to expand the production of defense equipment in Europe through a new European defense investment program scheduled for February 27th.
Meanwhile, Mr. Descroux laid out his priorities to the Belgian president, reviving the spirit of Jacques Delors, opening up markets and investing in energy, artificial intelligence, defense and capital markets to make Europe “stronger and stronger. “To make the country more sovereign and more independent.” rely on”.
He also said Europe had a “duty” to support Ukraine against Russian aggression and to find a long-term solution to the Israel-Hamas war.
“For the United States and other allies, supporting Ukraine is a strategic issue. It is a geopolitical consideration. For us Europeans, supporting Ukraine is an existential matter, at the heart of our security and prosperity. It’s a matter of concern,” he warned.
His comments came after EU leaders failed in December to provide Ukraine with a 50 billion euro aid package due to a veto from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and in February. This comes amid intense negotiations to prevent Prime Minister Orbán from blocking an agreement at a special European Council meeting.
The Belgian Prime Minister said it is essential that the EU provides this assistance and military assistance quickly.
Mr Orbán’s veto, seen as a threat, has sparked widespread criticism of member states that have not proceeded with Article 7 proceedings against Hungary and could result in the suspension of Hungary’s voting rights.
Nevertheless, Mr. De Croo also praised his country for upholding the rule of law during his time as EU president. “We will continue to apply Article 7 procedures,” he said.
The Middle East war has driven a wedge between Western allies such as the United States and Germany, which unconditionally support Israel, and allies critical of Israel’s Spanish-led military operations in Gaza, such as Belgium and Ireland.
However, Belgium is gaining a stronger voice in the conflict.
“We need to ensure that Israel and Palestine and the innocent people of Palestine are protected,” Decroo said, noting the need to establish humanitarian corridors and respect international law.
In a surprising move, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Petra de Sutter recently called on the Belgian government to take Israel to the International Court of Justice, similar to South Africa.
In this regard, possible measures for Belgium include verbal or written intervention in the South African case, EU observers said.
Will the Green Deal be paused?
In his speech, Decroux also said that one of Europe’s biggest challenges is to strengthen its economy.
“Europe cannot become an economic museum,” he said, insisting that 27 countries were united behind the United States and China. “The problem is that Europe is strong in innovation, but weak in scaling up that innovation,” he said.
“Alongside the Green Deal, we need an industrial agreement. This is crucial not only for our prosperity, but also for winning the fight against climate change,” he said, adding that EU companies need to innovate. He warned that there was “too little room” for this to happen.
De Croo said that while China and the United States’ climate policies are full of positive incentives and rewards for their industries, Europe tends to take a more punitive approach.
Europe should not just focus on “just revising its climate change targets”, but also on “clarifying how we need to achieve these targets”, the prime minister said.
His words echoed an earlier call he had made for a “pause of regulation” in mid-2023, prompting criticism from Green MPs.
“Europe is struggling to compete with the US and China in the green transition.” [but] Now is not the time to stand still,” replied Belgian Green Party lawmaker Philippe Lamberts.
“My legs sometimes hurt a little when I run, but I think our society is ready to continue this marathon,” he added.
The Belgian president’s office is expected to produce a report on competitiveness from former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi, and has also asked former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta to produce a report on the European single market.
Meanwhile, Belgium will also submit a roadmap for the reforms the EU needs to undertake to expand into a group of more than 30 countries.
“It’s good not to be alone. In a world more chaotic than ever, are we happy to be in a class of 27 protecting each other?” he asked.