Unlike the reaction of the Israeli government, which welcomed Trump’s victory, the response from European Union countries ranged from panic to uncertainty to some joy.
The panic stemmed from the fact that Trump’s victory finds the EU unprepared to face the implications of the incoming administration’s policies. This lack of readiness is also due to the hope that Trump’s first term had been an “anomaly” or a “deviation,” one that the Biden administration had “corrected” by bringing the United States back to a familiar path of multilateralism, the importance of alliances, support for maintaining the liberal order, values, and more.
Instead of paying attention to the first wake-up call during Trump’s first term, EU countries focused on climate action over growth and competitiveness. Instead of increasing investment in security more than they have since the war in Ukraine began, they invested in welfare policies. In other words, the EU countries haven’t done enough to reduce their dependency on the US. Will the talk of “European sovereignty”—a mantra largely repeated by President Macron—start to take shape?
The EU countries will need to hope that Trump’s campaign positions on security, trade, the war in Ukraine, and more won’t fully materialize. Regardless of the uncertainty that will accompany the EU for some time, it (both at the union and member-state levels) must move from declarations of intent to concrete actions to reduce dependency on the US.
It should be noted that Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his allies might put obstacles in the path of efforts to craft policies that address the needs and challenges the Trump administration will present. It was Orbán who opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate Trump’s victory. There is no doubt that Trump’s win will energize the anti-democratic populist right.
In summary, Trump’s election catches the EU at a critical moment. The engine of the union—namely, Germany and France—is stalling, economic growth is faltering, the issue of illegal immigration remains unsolved in a way that addresses public concerns, and political fragmentation is eroding the democratic fabric. All of this undermines public trust in elected democratic institutions and their representatives. Will this second wake-up call bring the necessary paradigm shift, or will a Trumpist wave also sweep through Europe?
Unlike the reaction of the Israeli government, which welcomed Trump’s victory, the response from European Union countries ranged from panic to uncertainty to some joy.
The panic stemmed from the fact that Trump’s victory finds the EU unprepared to face the implications of the incoming administration’s policies. This lack of readiness is also due to the hope that Trump’s first term had been an “anomaly” or a “deviation,” one that the Biden administration had “corrected” by bringing the United States back to a familiar path of multilateralism, the importance of alliances, support for maintaining the liberal order, values, and more.
Instead of paying attention to the first wake-up call during Trump’s first term, EU countries focused on climate action over growth and competitiveness. Instead of increasing investment in security more than they have since the war in Ukraine began, they invested in welfare policies. In other words, the EU countries haven’t done enough to reduce their dependency on the US. Will the talk of “European sovereignty”—a mantra largely repeated by President Macron—start to take shape?
The EU countries will need to hope that Trump’s campaign positions on security, trade, the war in Ukraine, and more won’t fully materialize. Regardless of the uncertainty that will accompany the EU for some time, it (both at the union and member-state levels) must move from declarations of intent to concrete actions to reduce dependency on the US.
It should be noted that Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his allies might put obstacles in the path of efforts to craft policies that address the needs and challenges the Trump administration will present. It was Orbán who opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate Trump’s victory. There is no doubt that Trump’s win will energize the anti-democratic populist right.
In summary, Trump’s election catches the EU at a critical moment. The engine of the union—namely, Germany and France—is stalling, economic growth is faltering, the issue of illegal immigration remains unsolved in a way that addresses public concerns, and political fragmentation is eroding the democratic fabric. All of this undermines public trust in elected democratic institutions and their representatives. Will this second wake-up call bring the necessary paradigm shift, or will a Trumpist wave also sweep through Europe?