Macron calls for the EU to rearm after Trump’s victory

Did he keep his promise to pop several bottles of champagne to celebrate Trump’s return to the White House? “Only partly, because I was in Kyrgyzstan and the tradition is different there, so we draw on our vodka reserves with great joy“, Orbán responded. A euphoria that contrasts with the displeasure that Trump’s victory has caused among most European leaders: the tycoon defends tariffs of up to 20% on community products and is considering cutting military support to kyiv.

“We all agree that there is no time to lose. History is accelerating. With the American elections, one chapter has closed and another has opened. The world is going to change faster than before,” Orbán said at the final press conference of the summit. The Hungarian Prime Minister admits that there are still “divergent opinions” about the war in Ukraine, but he assures that Trump’s victory strengthens the side of those who in his opinion “defend peace”, which, according to what he has said, also has more and more militants in Europe.

“Europe must be an active player in the negotiations” on Ukraine to “influence future decisions,” says Orbán. He has also questioned whether Trump is going to pay the quota that corresponds to the United States of the 50 billion dollar loan agreed by the G7 for kyiv, which would force the EU to assume it in its entirety, something that he rejects.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskywho also participated in the Budapest summit, has attacked those who ask him to make “concessions” to the Kremlin. “It is unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for all of Europe,” he said. The best response the EU can give to Trump is to remain united in defending its common interests, Zelensky said.

What all heads of State and Government have agreed on is that “Europe must assume greater responsibility to guarantee its own peace and security.” “We cannot wait for the Americans to protect us”Orbán said. “The future of Europe is in our hands, we have to act now“says the president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

“Our security is not something we want to outsource to others, particularly the United States. Europe must be able to do it itself. US and EU security would be better if we worked together and I hope we can work together. But we are not going to outsource our security,” agrees Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo.

But the leader who has defended most passionately that Europe should become independent from the United States is the French president. “Your Majesty” Emmanuel Macron – again according to the ironic definition of the Albanian prime minister – was the one who coined at the beginning of his mandate the concepts of strategic autonomy and European sovereigntywhich were initially welcomed as an eccentricity of Paris, but have now become a roadmap to respond to Trump’s return.

“Our role in the EU is not to comment on the election of Donald Trump or to say whether it is a good or bad thing. He has been chosen by the American people and he is going to defend American interests. It is legitimate and it is a good thing. The question is whether we are prepared to defend Europe’s interests“said Macron during his speech at the summit of the European Political Community (EPC), a forum that was created two years ago precisely by French inspiration.

“Do we want to read the story written by others? The wars launched by Vladimir Putin, the American elections, China’s decisions in technological or commercial terms. Or do we want to write the story? I think we have the strength to write it. “Our economies are strong, our countries have sophisticated defense systems and we represent something,” alleges the French president.

“The world is made of herbivores and carnivores. If we decide to remain herbivores, the carnivores will win and we will be a market for them. I think we must choose to be omnivores: we do not want to be aggressive but we do want to know how to defend ourselves. But I don’t want Europe to be a huge theater inhabited by herbivores that carnivores, according to their agenda, come to devour,” Macron concluded.

Crisis in Germany

The challenge facing the EU is move from words to actionsa challenge in which he has already failed in the past. For example, during Trump’s previous term. The first litmus test comes this Friday: European leaders will debate the report prepared by Mario Draghi, which estimates the extra annual investment that the EU needs to avoid falling behind the United States and China at 800 billion euros.

The former president of the European Central Bank (ECB) has proposed that part of this effort – particularly to boost the defense sector – be financed with a new eurobond issuefollowing the example of Next Generation. But Germany and the ‘frugal’ club, led by the Netherlands, are strongly opposed to another round of joint EU debt and have managed to eliminate from the conclusions any allusion to “new instruments” of financing.

Precisely, the political crisis in Germany has also sneaked into the Budapest summit, to which the chancellor Olaf Scholz He has arrived late due to the breakdown of his traffic light coalition government. A collapse that further aggravates the leadership problems suffered by the EU, precisely at the worst of times.

“It is very important that Germany holds elections soon, because we need a strong and united German government and a strong Germany in the European Union. We have many important issues on the table,” said Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. “Europe is not strong without a strong Germany,” admits the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.