U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris attends the 2024 Munich Security Conference on February 16, 2024 in Munich, Germany.
Johannes Simon | Getty Images
European officials are feeling renewed excitement as U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris emerges as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination ahead of the most important election this fall.
A senior EU diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the political sensitivity of the topic, told CNBC on Monday that the U.S. election “has become more interesting.”
An EU official, who also requested anonymity, added: “(President Joe) Biden is a great man and his life is impressive, but he is not the future.” They also expressed disdain for former President Donald Trump, 78 Yi Gu, adding that “America needs young leaders.”
Many EU figures remember their dealings with Trump and his team during his tenure as U.S. president from 2017 to 2021. At the time, transatlantic relations were at historic lows, with the two sides clashing over trade, defense and technology – to name just a few tensions.
Therefore, EU institutions welcomed Biden to the White House and called it a new chapter in European and American relations. Biden’s style and policy priorities are more consistent with those of Brussels, including how to deal with Covid-19 pandemicclimate change and the need to support Ukraine.
However, EU officials have been preparing for the possibility of Trump returning to the White House for at least a year. If he wins the election, they expect to introduce deeper “America first” policies, which could mean reducing financial support for Ukraine and possibly imposing tariffs on some European goods.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said in a speech last week that “our top priority will be prosperity and competitiveness” over the next five years.
“Those who are not competitive will be dependent. The competition has begun and I hope Europe changes its strategy. And that starts with making business easier and faster,” she said.
Trump said in a speech last week that he was concerned about a potential trade war. Interview with Bloomberg Businessweek He wants to impose a comprehensive 10% import tax on goods from other countries.
‘Obviously there are doubts’
While Harris is felt to have a better chance against Trump than Biden, who dropped out of the race over the weekend, preparations in Europe for a possible Trump victory continue.
Asked whether he was hopeful about Harris’ prospects, the top diplomat who spoke to CNBC said, “It’s hard to say, it really depends on how she fills the void.”
They added: “Obviously, there are doubts, but she has a very different image compared to Trump, which is good.”
However, Europe’s views on the US election are not unanimous, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban outspoken supporter of trump.
However, one thing is clear: Europe has learned to be pragmatic about working with the United States
“We will not discriminate between the two candidates,” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Monday.
“I met with Kamala Harris and her people, but I also met with colleagues of Donald Trump, and in my meeting with the (European) Commission representatives, I suggested that we should maintain a dialogue with both parties,” he said .
