Europe’s responses to Trump’s threat: avoid a “stupid” commercial war, buy more ‘made in use’ and fear that China will benefit

The commercial threats of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, have shaken Europe. In an informal summit, this Monday, which was designed to talk about a capital theme such as defense spending, European leaders have wanted to give their solutions to avoid or, failing that, dealing with the possible commercial war . But there are no concrete measures and there will not be today. For now, only proposals and statements of intentions while the American tycoon accelerates in his ordago.

“Of course, we are also preparing on our side, but what is clear is that there are no winners in the commercial wars,” said the high representative of the European Union (EU) for foreign affairs, Kaja Kallas, However, it did give an important key: that if war is unleashed, “Who will laugh on the other side will be China“.

Donald Tusk, Polish president and, very important, responsible for the rotary presidency of the Council, he has directly described the possible “stupid and unnecessary” war. And, like the head of the European diplomacy and successor of Josep Borrell in the position, he pointed out to the East. “It would be a cruel paradox if at this time of direct threat by Russia and expansion of China We found a reason to conflict with our allies, “he said.

“We can design our own issues and We can also react with tariff measures To tariff measures, “said the German Foreign Minister, Olaf Scholz, while French president, Emmanuel Macron, added that if Europe is attacked in the commercial plane” must be enforced and reacting. ” Intentions but nothing more, although in any case it is more than Pedro Sánchez has pointed out, which has avoided serving the media so as not to explain his position on defense expense.

He has also caught the attention that Prime Minister Danish, Mette Frederiksen, has pointed out a tariff war between the US and the EU would be a war between “allies” after Trump has publicly expressed interest in Greenland. That is, it wants a territory that is part of the kingdom of Denmark. And among the few concrete measures, the president of Lithuania, Gypsy Nauseda, has pointed to a specific issue: that Brussels propose “something that could be interesting and attractive“To Washington. For example, free trade on automotive, buy more liquefied natural gas or raise purchases of military material.

Buy more made in USAin short, that it was something that the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), Christine Lagarde, already proposed in November. “We could offer to buy certain things to the United States and imply that we are willing to sit at the table and see how we can work together,” he said in an interview with Financial Times after Trump had won the elections and before the already more than probable possibility that he would impose tariffs on the EU.

And that scenario has done nothing but certify, as Trump himself confirmed it last night: “They will definitely happen,” he said when asked about the EU tariffs. “Our cars are not worn, our agricultural products are not carried. They are not carried almost anything, and we take everything, millions of cars, huge amounts of food and agricultural products,” he said. That is, just what Nauseda or Lagarde proposes.