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Juncker: Trump May Upset US-EU Ties

Juncker: Trump May Upset US-EU Ties
Juncker: Trump May Upset US-EU Ties

Donald Trump’s election risks upsetting EU ties with the US “fundamentally and structurally”, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has warned.

“We will need to teach the president-elect what Europe is and how it works,” Juncker told students in Luxembourg.

The commission chief predicted that two years would be wasted while Trump “tours a world he doesn’t know”.

His remarks contrasted with other EU leaders’ more muted reaction to the Tuesday’s shock election result, BBC reported.

American cities have seen angry protests since Trump’s election victory over the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton.

In New York, Trump set about forming the team that will see him through to his inauguration on 20 January, when he replaces Barack Obama in the White House.

Juncker had offered his formal congratulations to Trump on Wednesday in a joint statement with Donald Tusk, head of the European Council.

Speaking on Friday, he said: “In general, the Americans take no interest in Europe...

“During the campaign, Mr Trump said Belgium was a village somewhere on our continent...

“He raises questions which could have harmful consequences because he calls into question the trans-Atlantic alliance, and thus the model on which Europe’s defense rests.

“He takes a view of refugees and non-white Americans which does not reflect European convictions and feelings.”

During the election campaign, Trump caused alarm in EU circles with his sharp criticism of NATO, the cornerstone of Western Europe’s defense structure, and calls for better relations with Russia.

His promise to “cancel” the Paris Climate Agreement within 100 days of taking office and protectionist stance on trade have also caused concern, as have his controversial comments about ethnic and religious minorities.

While EU leaders congratulated the Republican on his shock victory over Hillary Clinton, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed in her message to him that the US and Germany shared “the values of democracy, freedom, respect for the rule of law and human dignity, regardless of origin, skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political belief”.

Germany, France and the Netherlands all face elections in the new year, with populist and far-right parties poised to capitalize on discontent with the EU’s continuing migrant problem and its slow recovery from the eurozone debt crisis.

 

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