Concern about the relations between the EU and US
The US wants to withdraw a quarter of its troops from Germany. Monday' video conference between the EU's foreign ministers and their US counterpart Pompeo ended without results. Recently there were also tensions over the G7 summit planned to take place in Washington in June, which Angela Merkel cancelled citing the coronavirus pandemic. Are we in for a freeze in transatlantic relations?
Germany equals chaos for Trump
Dziennik Gazeta Prawna is concerned:
“Tensions between President Trump and Chancellor Merkel have increased again in recent weeks. And this has led to what are probably the worst relations between the US and Germany since World War II. ... Trump's image of Germany is like that of the far right in the United States. For them Europe remains a bomb with a fuse that lies somewhere between the Oder and the Rhine. They believe that if the US isn't careful, chaos will return, and with it the sleeping demons of German and European history.”
The world needs transatlantic cohesion
Europe and America must find a way to come together again, EU Parliamentarian and journalist Bernard Guetta warns in La Repubblica:
“This is necessary because our ties are too old, too deep and too necessary for both the United States and Europe to let them fray even more. It is necessary because there are so many fires smouldering around the world that they force us to act together lest they spread everywhere. It is necessary because the rule of law, the Enlightenment and the international consensus are openly contested by an ever-increasing number of states and political movements. It is necessary because the European Union is still far from being able to do without the protection of the United States. In a word, it is necessary for the stability of the world, for upholding democracy and our own security as Europeans.”
Relations would be no better under Biden
Even if the Democratic candidate wins the presidential election, the paths of the US and the EU will continue to diverge, the Financial Times believes:
“No doubt, a Biden White House would collaborate with Europe over climate change and de-escalate the trade schism. It would not undermine the EU as a heresy against the nation state. Beyond this welcome defrosting, however, the two sides are not going to be much closer. Their relationship is reverting to its late-19th century phase, when the US and Europe had little to do with each other outside the flow of people and goods. As soothing as it is to blame Mr Trump for the divergence, he just gives an existing process a malicious nudge.”
Europe needs to organise its own defence
Europe must learn to stand on its own two feet as it crosses the threshold into a new, multi-polar world order, Magyar Nemzet demands:
“Europe must not rely entirely on the US's military protection. Trump's earlier statement that Nato is outdated should be taken seriously. With these words, the US President sent the message that Europe should organise its own protection or pay for the services provided by the American military. Trump's proposal is justified and has is clearly having an inspirational impact on our continent: Europe is trying to strengthen European defence cooperation, without the United States.”