The EU responds to Trump's plan to boost the European far right: "It is unacceptable"

BrusselsNo matter how absurd, how threatening, or even how drastic the measures taken by the Donald Trump administration against the European Union are, EU leaders always avoid conflict and, fearing an escalation of tensions with the White House, usually keep their heads down without a peep. However, the new US security strategyThe statement, which advocates for boosting far-right forces in Europe, has provoked a reaction from António Costa, the president of the European Council, the institution representing member states. "We cannot accept a threat of interference in European politics," the former Portuguese prime minister remarked at a conference at the Jacques Delors Institute. These words are, indeed, just words, but they represent a shift in tone within European institutions. Since Trump's return to the helm of the United States, European leaders have aimed to gain autonomy and, above all, to reduce their military dependence on the US. However, they have ended up yielding to almost all of the White House's demands, from the trade agreement to the massive rearmament program, including assuming all aid to Ukraine and, to add insult to injury, sending US weapons. In fact, the former Portuguese prime minister is calling for a reaction against the Trump administration and an acknowledgment that the transatlantic alliance is no longer what it was in the aftermath of World War II. "Now it's clear," Costa insisted, citing Vice-President JD Vance's speech in Munich and Trump's statements to argue that the "United States doctrine" is no longer what it once was. "And therefore, we must act accordingly," the President of the European Council added.

At this point, Costa highlighted Emmanuel Macron's 2017 speech at the Sorbonne, in which he first advocated for a more united and sovereign EU, especially in the face of the United States, which is distancing itself from European interests and the democratic values championed by the bloc. The EU leader even stated that, for the sake of protecting the continent, "Europeans must take over from the US in the leadership of NATO," an organization controlled by the US. de facto by the Pentagon.

Costa has not been the only leader to speak out against the threats from the Trump administration. This weekend, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and his Polish counterpart, Radoslaw Sikorski, several members of the European Parliament, and former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta have all spoken out in the same vein.

Open war over technology

Costa also lashed out at the White House over threats from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio following the European Commission's €120 million fine against X for violating European Union digital and competition regulations. Although this is in no way an attack by Brussels specifically against Elon Musk's social network, but rather a procedure and sanction applied to any company that violates EU law, Washington considers it an attack on American companies. "It's an attack on the American people. The days of censorship against Americans are over," the US official tweeted.

In fact, the Republican administration continues to pressure the European Union to deregulate the EU's digital sector, a market where American tech companies reap huge profits. However, European leaders refuse to reform their own regulations to secure, for example, a trade agreement. This is their red line, even though Trump refuses to back down.