HOW EUROPE SHOULD DEAL WITH THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY?
Submitted by christian on Mon, 01/23/2017 - 16:06
- Do not assume the worst. Don’t lament. Instead, look for ways to engage President Trump and his team and try to shape your views to support U.S. engagement and trans-Atlantic cooperation.
- Do not push for big decisions early on. As President Trump gains experience on foreign policy, he will increasingly rely on the counsel of his cabinet primarily his Secretary of State Mr. Rex Tillerson and his Secretary of Defence General James Mattis. Also cultivate good relations with Vice President Mike Pence.
- Show President Trump that you are serious about boosting your defense spending.
- Understand that NATO membership comes with financial obligations and that members have to contribute to the organization’s core budget based on gross national income. More importantly, they are also expected to meet a defence spending target of 2% of GDP.
- Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Spain are failing to reach the 2% level.
- Shape a unified European voice and show that the European Union can be a robust partner in tackling the challenges that confront both sides of the Atlantic. A Europe that engages President Trump in four or five different national voices will not command the attention of a Europe that speaks at one.
- Show that Europe accounts for nearly 70% of the $ 2.9 trillion invested in the United States in 2014 and that the total assets of European affiliates in the U.S. are an estimated $ 8.4 trillion.
- Show that European companies in the U.S. employ millions of American workers (4 million in 2013). Top five U.S. States in terms of jobs provided directly by European affiliates in 2013 were California (378,000), Texas (317,600), New York (299,500, Pennsylvania (216,300) and Illinois (192,500)
- Shape proactive policies to deal with external challenges if you want to capture President Trump’s interest and engagement.
- Show that you want to contribute to America’s success and the Trump presidency in areas such as cooperation in energy research and innovation including energy efficiency, smart and resilient energy grids and storage, advanced materials including critical materials for safe and sustainable energy supply, nuclear energy and interoperability of standards for electric vehicle and smart grid technologies, knowledge sharing on carbon capture and storage, and on the sustainable development of unconventional energy sources, new emerging technologies, protection of intellectual property rights, digital economy and cyber security. In other words, become an indispensable partner for America.
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