EU Parliament urges firm response against Trump on tariffs; Right attacks Green Deal

Brussels – Diplomacy, and at the same time, firmness; a negotiating pause, but to work on countermeasures and decisive response and perhaps new European policies that challenge the old ones, whether reviving a single market or canceling the Green Deal. In Strasbourg, the debate on the tariffs imposed by the US administration on EU goods becomes an opportunity to step out of the box and put the European Commission and its president, Ursula von der Leyen, under scrutiny.

Putting pressure on the EU executive is precisely the People’s Party (EPP) group, the same to which von der Leyen belongs, granting her only ‘temporary’ support. “The 90-day pause on tariffs is wise, but inaction cannot become our policy,” warns Jorgen Warborn, who expects a “response” from the EU to US President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The EPP would like it “balanced” and still “respectful” of the traditional alliance between the two sides of the Atlantic: essentially, no confrontation.

L’Ue sceglie la “risposta graduale” ai dazi di Trump: negoziare e solo dopo colpire

Instead, a Socialist-Liberal-Green-Left alliance emerges in the hemicycle, pushing for a strong response. S&D group leader Iratxe Garcia Perez calls for it when she talks about “negotiating from a position of strength, without being blackmailed.” Bas Eickhout (Greens) makes it even clearer when he punctuates that “Trump is playing a stupid and dangerous game, and it is necessary to respond decisively to those who are bullies.” Renew’s group leader, Valerie Hayer, reiterates this when she says the line must be “not to close the door to negotiations, but the EU Commission must be ready for the decisive response.” Co-chair of the Left, Martin Schierdewan, insists on imposing digital taxes on web giants, which are all American.

The debate sees convergences within convergences. Thus, Greens and Left call for an all-European strategy for the EU so that in the immediate future, there could be a rule that  Eickhout summarizes as “produce European, buy European, and protect European.” This is the recipe of the Greens, who are relaunching the Green Deal, with the Left calling for the same thing, namely “strategic independence for our industry,” Schierdewan points out. For the head of the 5 Star Movement’s delegation, Pasquale Tridico (the Left), this independence should occur through greater “ties with new global partners, the emerging countries, the BRICS.” The latter choice is not easy since the BRICS group includes Vladimir Putin’s Russia, with which the EU’s relations have deteriorated.

A vision of a European Union capable of responding to global trade tensions is also on the Right’s political agenda, which, however, has different ideas on how to proceed. The Sovereignists (Patriots for Europe, PfE) have no doubts: less dependence means “reducing all the rules of the Green Deal,” Jordan Bardella said. And then, “nuclear must play a greater role in the energy mix, and domestic industries should have preference in procurement.” The conservatives’ view is similar: “We need to revise the green strategy,” said Nicola Procaccini (Fdi), co-chair of the ECR, with his group colleague, Jaak Madison, who insists on the need to “reform our economy, not to punish Trump.” In this vein, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni receives praise from Poland’s Dominik Tarczynski: “Thanks to Meloni for traveling to Washington in the name of confrontation and showing leadership, something that cannot be said of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.”

The House debate then becomes a time to discuss domestic policy issues and other topics unrelated to the main issue. René Aust (AfD) of Sovereign Europe provides proof of this: “Our motto is ‘Germany first,’ but not Germany alone,” he stresses that in the face of Trump’s tariffs, one should try to avoid moving in short order. Except to then hurl criticism at the EU executive: “The European Commission should stop attacking AfD in Germany, interfere with Hungary’s internal affairs, and accept the Romanian election results.“

Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic confirms that the main option to the tariff issue remains the solution agreed to and negotiated with Washington and reassures the hawks and doves in the House. “We will use the 90-day suspension of tariffs to prepare counter-tariffs.”