“Europe is open to trade”
Fearing the deleterious effects of intense competition, the President of the Commission considers joint action necessary.to avoid a race to the bottom. Because no one has an interest in the links of the global economy being broken.”. And certainly not an open economy like that of the EU. “L’Europe”Ursula von der Leyen insisted, “is open to trade”. And to give as proof the recent conclusions of the trade agreement (controversial and not yet approved by the Twenty-seven) with the Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay), those concluded with Switzerland and, last Friday, with Mexico. On Monday, the President of the Commission announced the resumption of negotiations with Malaysia.
gullEven in times of fierce competition, the EU will continue to advocate cooperation
Selling point: the EU is “a large attractive market“450 million people, but in addition”[ses] agreements hide nothing”defends Ursula von der Leyen. Unlike “other actors who only seek to export and extract”she underlines, in a transparent allusion to China, “we want to see local industries in partner countries, because that is our interest”.
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The cooperation that the EU offers goes beyond the simple commercial field. If the United States once again dissociates itself from the global effort to combat climate change, the Union considers that the subject “is still at the top of global priorities” and that “the Paris Agreement remains the best hope for all humanity”. With the Green Deal (or Green Deal), the Union launched its green transition strategy in 2019 which should, among other things, bring it to carbon neutrality by 2050. Europe “will stay the course”ensures the number one position in the European executive “and will continue to cooperate with all nations who have the will to protect nature and stop global warming”.
The partnership offer also applies to the exploitation of the possibilities of artificial intelligence and management, “risks associated with it.says UvdL. Let it be said: “Even in times of fierce competition”l’Europe “will continue to advocate cooperation, not only with our long-standing friends, but also with all countries with whom we share common interests.”.
-Appeal to China and the United States
India, where UvdL will make the first trip of its second term, is among them. Just like China, despite persistent frictions. Ursula von der Leyen, however, criticized “overcapacity financed by the State” which creates a “second Chinese shock” and distortions in the global market. Distortions which have led the Union to take defensive measures targeting Chinese electric vehicles exported to Europe. The President expressed the European desire to deepen ties with China, with a view to “rebalance our relationship in a spirit of fairness and reciprocity”. It remains to be seen how the message will be received.
In the United States, now led by a president who plans to overtax European products, Ursula von der Leyen proposes increased cooperation. His speech recalled that the two economies are the most integrated in the world. “European companies employ 3.5 million Americans in the United States, and another million American jobs depend directly on trade with Europe.underlined the German. She also highlighted the extreme overlap of the EU and US supply chains and the fact that their “trade volume weighs 1.5 trillion euros, or 30% of world trade”. Implicit message: it is not in the interest of the United States to open a trade conflict with its main partner from which it would suffer boomerang effects.
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For the EU, which does not want this confrontation with the United States, the “top priority” East “to initiate a dialogue without delay” with Washington,“examine our common interests and prepare ourselves for negotiation”. “We will be pragmatic, but we will not abandon our principles to protect our interests and defend our values”said Ursula von der Leyen.
This passage can be read as a warning, coated with all the necessary oratorical precautions, that the EU will not agree to comply without further ado with American demands. European countermeasures are already ready to be put in place should the United States start a tariff war. The German has said nothing about possible conflicts with large American platforms, such as Elon Musk’s X network and Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, over compliance with European legislation.
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