Europe is waking up to the reality of its divorce from the United States. The President of the European Council, António Costa, on Monday criticized the new national security strategy of the Donald Trump administration, which last Friday set as its objective supporting far-right, Eurosceptic, and reactionary political groups, which it calls “patriotic forces.” “We cannot accept this threat of interference in the political life of Europe. The US cannot replace European citizens in choosing which parties are good and which are bad,” Costa stressed in a speech at a conference at the Jacques Delors Institute in Paris. Costa was referring to the document in which the US government proposed to “cultivate resistance” to “help Europe correct its current trajectory.”
“Allies do not interfere in the political life or political decisions of their allies; they respect their sovereignty,” declared the President of the European Council, the first of the European leadership to speak out—and very clearly—about Washington’s attacks on the European Union. The choice of venue also seems unlikely. Jacques Delors, President of the European Commission between 1985 and 1995, played a key role in the creation of the single market and the euro, and was a fervent advocate of postwar European integration and an architect of the European Union as we know it today.
Costa's words—the former Portuguese prime minister and now president of the European Council, the body that defines the EU's political priorities and strategic direction by bringing together the heads of state and government of the member states—come after an intense weekend in which political figures such as the foreign ministers of France, Jean-Noël Barrot, and Poland, Radoslaw Sikorski, MEPs, and former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta have defended the EU against attacks from Washington.
Little by little, European leaders who hadn't yet grasped it are beginning to understand that, although the US still considers the EU an ally in theory, its rhetoric and actions send a different message. “Now it's clear. Vice President J. D. Vance's speeches in Munich and President Trump's numerous tweets have officially become US doctrine. And therefore, we must act accordingly,” Costa stated, calling for a strengthened commitment to building a Europe that understands that the relationships between allies and the alliances forged after World War II have changed.
The President of the European Council has called for strengthening the single market and addressing all the concerns of European citizens, such as the lack of affordable housing. He also urged the EU not to become insular but to leverage its commercial power as a member of 27 countries and a potential of 450 million citizens who can help the Union forge new alliances and look to other regions, as it is doing by signing new trade agreements with countries like Indonesia and Mexico. If all goes according to plan, it will also do so with the Mercosur countries before the end of the year. This pact would create the world's largest free trade area.
Costa also concluded that Russia must accelerate its efforts to take responsibility for its own security, which it currently outsources to the United States. This dependence on Washington must be reduced. “What is happening also has consequences for our security and the proper functioning of our Armed Forces,” the president said, emphasizing that if Russia shares the doctrines of the US security strategy regarding Europe, as the Kremlin has acknowledged, that should already provide some insight.
“We already know that Europe and the United States do not share the same vision of the international order. In Europe, we remain defenders of multilateralism, we believe in a rules-based international order, we believe in science, we believe in scientific freedom, and we do not ignore global challenges such as climate change. The United States no longer believes in multilateralism, it doesn't even believe in a rules-based international order, and it believes that climate change is a hoax,” Costa pointed out. “We have different worldviews. This strategy continues to consider Europe as an ally, but if we are allies, we must act as allies,” said Costa, who called for respect for European political life.
Trump's new national security strategy, which asserts that Europe, due to its diversity and immigration policies,"faces the disappearance of its civilization," has been accompanied by an intense anti-EU campaign from tech oligarchs in the US president's inner circle, such as Elon Musk, who have directly called for its abolition after the European Commission fined him €120 million for a lack of transparency regarding advertising on the social network X (formerly Twitter). On Sunday, the owner of X and Tesla withdrew the European Commission—which uses that social network very actively for its advertisements and even to broadcast its live appearances—from its control panel for buying and tracking ads.
Musk's messages, praised even by EU rivals like Russia, follow a serious attempt at blackmail by the US administration, which has demanded that the EU relax its technology and data protection rules in exchange for reviewing its tariff policy."The United States cannot replace Europe in its vision of freedom of expression," Costa said."Our history has taught us that there is no freedom of expression without freedom of information. And freedom of information requires the utmost respect for pluralism. Therefore, there will be no freedom of information if someone has a monopoly on software. There will be no freedom of expression if citizens' freedom of information is sacrificed to defend US tech oligarchs," the President of the European Council concluded.
