Watch: ‘Europe Can Be More Than The USA’s Little Brother’ – MEP On EU-US Relations And Potential Tariffs On Musk-Owned Businesses
PN MEP Peter Agius said that US President Donald Trump’s outrageous comments since he took office could be a good thing because it’s pushing the European Union to “realise its potential”.
“I’ve never seen such a sense of urgency in Brussels for Europe to get its act together and play a more prominent international role as I’ve seen these last couple of weeks,” Agius told Lovin Malta last week, having spent 20 years working within EU institutions.
He explained that Trump’s volatility may actually be forcing the EU to actualise its potential.
“For too long, Europe has been seen as the little brother of the US. But maybe there’s something good coming out of this.”
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Agius added that while he wouldn’t have necessarily picked Trump to lead the US, one cannot forget that the country is an important ally of Europe.
“Even after seeing the shameful things he’s said in the Oval Office, we cannot for a moment forget that we are allies, we are friends with the American people,” he said, referring to the remarks Trump has made about the war in Ukraine.
“The US is more than just Trump, but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how Europe should behave.”
Speaking on Trump’s desire to annex Greenland, Agius said this would only be acceptable if it followed a democratic process wherein citizens decided their fate.
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“However, when he says that this is necessary for international security, that does not hold much weight. He does not have much authority to be the spokesperson for international security after saying that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was the fault of Ukraine.”
Overall, however, Agius believes that the EU must now actualise its potential and push back when necessary.
“They sometimes call Europe a soft power, but Europe is a power and there is a lot of determination on the table,” he continued, adding that he is certain that Europe will react strongly against tariffs.
“We are very well equipped to act where it hurts. There’s already talks to impose tariffs on Tesla, X and SpaceX and I don’t think Europe will shy away from being strong on the economic front.”
When it comes to foreign policy, Europe does not speak with one voice because each state determines its own foreign policy. However, it does have the capacity to unify against a collective, imminent threat if all member states unanimously agree at the European Council.
“I don’t exclude it. However, as Malta we need to ask a few questions ourselves given our policy of neutrality,” he concluded.
Do you think the EU is powerful enough to challenge the US?
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