It is  highly unusual for foreign diplomats and political leaders to express concern, even privately, about candidates in the midst of a U.S. presidential campaign. Yet, senior leaders in several European countries have made public comments criticizing Trump’s positions and some have openly endorsed Hillary Clinton. Beside being seen meddling in U.S. domestic politics, the same people should be mindful that they will have to work with whoever wins. Recent history is replete with examples where the world's opinion of a US presidential candidate backfired against those same critics. 

2016

1. Germany: Berlin (Abgeordnetenhaus, Bezirksverordnetenversammlungen) (18 September 2016)
2. Austria : Presidential elections re-run (2nd October 2016)
3. Hungary: Referendum on whether to accept EU imposed migrant quotas( 2nd October 2016)
4. Italy: Constitutional Referendum to reform the Senate  (Date to be set on 26 September2016)

2017

Delivering on its Digital Single Market strategy, the Commission’s proposal  is to allow Europeans to travel with their online content and to modernise EU copyright rules. At present, Europeans travelling within the EU may be cut off from online services providing films, sports broadcasts, music, e-books or games that they have paid for in their home country. The  proposed Regulation on the cross-border portability of online content services addresses these restrictions in order to allow EU residents to travel with the digital content they have purchased or subscribed to at home.

Adapted and edited from an original article entitled 'The Relationship Market: How modern lobbying gets done' Authors: Maggie McKinley and Thomas Groll, Center for Ethics, Harvard University, USA.