The self-duties that Europe doesn't care about

On the same topic:

Donald Trump threatens tariffs on copper, pharmaceuticals, batteries, and allies. He roars at Europe, treating it like an unfair competitor, scorning its strategic weakness and geopolitical naivety. All true. But if Europe reacts only with indignation or waiting for the next tweet, it ends up confirming what Jamie Dimon , head of JPMorgan, bluntly said: “You're losing.” You're losing. And not because America is bigger or China more aggressive. But because Europe, despite everything, continues not to do what it needs to do to live up to its potential . Dimon explained it bluntly: in fifteen years, we've gone from representing 90 percent of American GDP to 65 percent. And yet we pretend that a few regulations, a few green bonds, and a handful of summits are enough to remain relevant in the world. The truth is that Europe should start worrying less about Trump and more about itself . Not to give in to the illusion of strategic autonomy as an escape from the West, but to restore some order to its own house.

If Trump's tariffs shock us, why don't we raise our voices about a customs union that's still incomplete? If we fear US protectionism, why don't we seriously invest in a common industrial policy , as Mario Draghi suggested, when he identified €800 billion a year as the minimum figure to remain competitive? Instead, we often disagree on every detail, we let individual governments cultivate their own relationships with Beijing or Moscow, and we lull ourselves into the idea that having the most regulated market in the world is enough to be a power . That's not enough. The real question, therefore, isn't just what Trump will do with Europe. The real question is what Europe will do with itself. And what will it do to combat its own tariffs, which keep our continent's competitiveness at the level of an engine without gas. And today, unfortunately, the answer is far from clear. Listen to Dimon. Before it's too late.

More on these topics: