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Europe Today: Trump backs down as EU seals trade deal with Australia and Meloni suffers defeat
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00:14Good morning, it is Tuesday the 24th of March. I'm Maeve McMahan and you're watching Europe
00:20Today, your daily dose of European news and analysis live here on Euronews. Coming up,
00:26European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has touched down in Australia to revive
00:31long-running trade talks after a lengthy hiatus. We'll explain why this deal matters to you.
00:38And Italy's Prime Minister, George Maloney, has lost a high-stakes referendum on justice reform.
00:43We'll speak to our correspondent in Rome. But first, it is day 25 of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
00:50In an announcement that thrills financial markets, US President Donald Trump said that Iran and the
00:56US, quote, want to make a deal. And he's pushed his deadline to the end of the week.
01:01However, Tehran says claims of these talks are, quote, fake news. This comes as the EU sends
01:07millions in aid to Lebanon as clashes continue between Israel and Hezbollah in the south of
01:12the country. For the latest, we're joined here in the studio by Euronews' Stefan Krobey.
01:17Good morning, Stefan.
01:18Good morning, Mays.
01:18So what's going on? I mean, this seems like quite a surprise, what President Trump has said.
01:23Well, surprise is quite an understatement. It was a stunner for all of us professional
01:27Trump watchers. So just hours before his own deadline for Iran, he backed down from his threat
01:35of potentially devastating airstrikes against Iranian oil installations. And remember,
01:40May of on Saturday, he told Iran, if you don't unblock the Strait of Home Wars, I will answer
01:48with devastating airstrikes. I will obliterate Iranian oil installations. Then these 48 hours
01:55expired yesterday. And instead of bombs, Trump offered an olive branch saying that he would
02:03postpone this deadline by five days. And that was the stunner. He was in talks with the Iranian
02:10leadership over the end of the conflict. Here's Donald Trump yesterday speaking in Memphis,
02:16Tennessee. Take a listen.
02:18So we are now having really good discussions. They started last night, a little bit the night
02:26before that. And I think, you know, I think they're very good. They want to they want peace.
02:34They've agreed they will not have a nuclear weapon, you know, et cetera, et cetera.
02:38Yeah, et cetera, et cetera. This is all very vague. And we don't know anything about about
02:46contents or even who is talking to whom here. There's only one problem with this. Otherwise,
02:52it would sound too good to be true. The Iranians have denied that there were talks at all. And Trump
02:59has said we've been talking since Saturday. They said, no, there were no talks. So what do we make out
03:04of this? Now, we know there were at least some contacts through intermediaries, countries like
03:10Turkey, Egypt, Oman and Pakistan. And even the British government, Keir Starmer, yesterday
03:17confirming these talks. He said we were aware of these talks. But other than that, we know nothing.
03:22So very much, wait and see mode. Thank you so much for that update. Now, several strong explosions and
03:28air alert sirens rang out yesterday in Bahrain. That's the first to be heard in the Gulf since
03:33the US president said, in fact, that talks to end the war with Iran were underway. For more on the
03:38feeling across the region there now, we can cross now to our regional correspondent, Adil Khalim, who's
03:43in Doha for us this morning. Thanks so much for joining us. Just tell us what is the mood like
03:47there? And
03:48does anyone trust this new deadline of President Donald Trump?
03:53Maeve, here in Doha and across the Gulf, people are holding their collective breath this morning.
03:59That's because the 48-hour ultimatum issued by US President Donald Trump to potentially strike Iran's
04:04power infrastructure has come and gone. And for now, the worst case scenario seems to be avoided.
04:10And honestly, there's quite a bit of relief being felt here. People know just how potentially
04:13catastrophic this could have been with repercussions in Iran and felt here in the Gulf.
04:19Still, our Euronews colleagues in Dubai heard jets being flown overhead all night. Power lines were
04:25hit in Kuwait. Seltzer and play sirens were sounded in Bahrain. And Saudi Arabia's defense ministry says
04:31it intercepted 19 drones overnight. Also, Iranian media reported strikes on two energy facilities
04:37after the pause was called. So while people are cautiously optimistic, there's clearly deep
04:42uncertainty about what comes next. Here in the Gulf, everything is so closely tied to energy and
04:47water. So when there's talk of hitting Iran's power infrastructure and Tehran's possible retaliation,
04:52people here start to think about real-life consequences, about electricity, desalination,
04:57and just daily life. So while there are two very different stories coming out of Tehran and Washington
05:02this morning, behind the scenes, there are signs towards diplomacy. Countries like Turkey and Egypt are
05:07believed to be quietly passing messages back and forth. So right now, Maeve, the mood is cautious.
05:13Relief? Absolutely. But still a tremendous amount of uncertainty. People here aren't just assuming
05:18that things are over, just thankful that it hasn't gotten worse yet.
05:23Okay. Adil Helene, thank you so much for that live update there from Doha.
05:27Now, during their EU summit last week right here in Brussels, European leaders were clear that this was not
05:32their war. In a statement, they called for, quote, de-escalation, maximum restraint, the protection
05:38of civilians, and full respect of international law by all parties. Euronews' EU editor, Maria Tadeo,
05:44had the chance to get the view from Israel on this by speaking to the former Israeli Prime Minister,
05:49Naftali Bennett. She asked him how he qualified. This reaction from European leaders.
05:54You know, it's a bit cowardly. We are fighting their war. I'll tell you why. Iran shot two missiles,
06:02to Diego Garcia, which is almost 4,000 kilometers from Iran. That's a range that reaches Brussels,
06:10that reaches Madrid, that reaches Paris. And we, in fact, had we not acted, all of Europe would be
06:18under a terrible nuclear ballistic missile menace. So we're fighting your war. And we expect not to be,
06:28you know, criticized in and on. But we expect your backing. That would be the decent thing to do.
06:35But we get it. We have to do the hard job. We're used to it. And we'll do what's right.
06:40But let me pick up on that point. So at this point, you'd say the reaction from the Europeans is
06:44that
06:44they are cowards.
06:45Many, not everyone. Some European countries have stepped up to the plague, but many others.
06:51I'm not going to name names. I think you know exactly who. I think any European leader who sort of
06:57says,
06:58this isn't our problem. So when will it become your problem? When they have a nuclear weapon?
07:04When the missile is on its way to Madrid? When it hits Madrid or Barcelona? Is that when you're going
07:09to wake up? So we're doing the fighting. We didn't ask you for any help. Nothing. All we're doing is
07:15fighting against this horrible, radical Islamist menace. We're reducing and hopefully eliminating
07:23this threat. And instead of thanking us, you're criticizing us. And what's the deal there?
07:29Well, since you mentioned Madrid, of course, there's other governments led by the Spanish government
07:33that say this war is entirely illegal and, by the way, has destroyed any sort of diplomacy in the
07:37Middle East. Is that fair criticism? No, it's just foolish criticism. Spain's leadership has been
07:45just abhorrent, I have to say. Incredibly disappointing. Because here's how it works.
07:52If you allow a threat to grow and grow, at some point it becomes so big that you can't manage
08:00the
08:00threat anymore. Like North Korea, where the world did not act, and now no one can take care and
08:06eliminate those nuclear weapons. Like Hitler, who became so big and everyone wanted to avoid war
08:14until it was too late. So this time we acted on time. But what about when a U.S. top
08:20official
08:20resigned because he says there was no imminent threat to the U.S.? Regarding that guy who quit,
08:26well, he's a schmuck. I don't care about him. He's irrelevant. He's going to go down in the dustbin
08:33of history. We're fighting the most just war ever. And we should be getting your backing and not your
08:41criticism. We've seen the president of the U.S. now seems to want to make a deal. He suggests five
08:46days still of talks. And he says the Iranians wants to make a deal. The U.S. also wants to
08:51make
08:51a deal. What about Israel? Is a deal a good thing for Israel at this point? It depends. We have
08:55objectives. Our objective is to totally dismantle the nuclear program and ensure they never achieve a
09:00nuclear weapon. Same with the ballistic missiles and same with dismantling the terror proxies.
09:06So we have to see what the deal is. If it achieves those goals, that's wonderful.
09:10OK, and this is my final question, however, and it is the question at this point. What happens if
09:14the U.S. decides this war is over for us? We leave now. Goals have been met. But Israel considers
09:20no.
09:20Those three key goals have not been met. Will you go on fighting alone without the support of the U
09:25.S.?
09:25We're going to have to take a look at the actual results if this indeed turns into a full-blown
09:33agreement, and then we'll make our decisions. Based on those points, and what are those points,
09:37are you working in tandem with the U.S.? That is really the question, because it seems
09:41from the outside, Israel believes this is not going to get done in a week. The U.S. is now
09:45talking
09:46about a five-day until Friday. That's a big gap in the timeline. Yeah, we'll have to see. Our
09:50objectives are to dismantle the nuclear and ballistic programs, dismantle the global terror
09:56proxy network.
10:01We're going to say they're speaking to Naftali Bennett, the former ultra-nationalist Prime
10:05Minister of Israel and businessman. You can catch the full interview on euronews.com. But
10:10now moving on, the EU Commission President is down under this week. She's just clinched a trade
10:14deal with Australia amid conflict and instability in the Middle East and trade tensions with the
10:19U.S. and China. Jakob Janus reports.
10:23It's an over-20-hour flight to Sydney, but the price at the end might just be worth it.
10:28European Commission President is in Australia right now, trying to push a long-delayed free
10:32trade deal across the finish line. With U.S. tariffs rising and trade tensions heating up with China,
10:38both Brussels and Canberra urgently need reliable partners.
10:42Because trade is not just economics. It is power.
10:46And that's quite interesting. So let's take a look.
10:50The economic ties are already massive. The EU is currently Australia's third largest trading
10:55partner, exporting almost 28 billion euros more in goods than in imports. And for the EU,
11:02Australia ranks just 20th. But this deal is not about selling more machinery. It is about securing
11:08the green transition. A goal that the current war in Iran has turned into a matter of sheer energy
11:14security. Australia is the world's third largest producer of rare earths. And Brussels wants to remove
11:21trade barriers to critical raw materials like lithium and cobalt to limit its reliance on China.
11:27But the big sticking point is agriculture. Fearing a repeat of the Mercosur farmer protests,
11:33Brussels is putting a hard ceiling on Australian meat imports, demanding strict quarters and food protection
11:39for European food names. But hey, there's also a bigger picture. Brussels is on a roll sealing recent
11:47pacts with Mercosur, India, Mexico, Switzerland and Indonesia to become the ultimate reliable partner.
11:55And according to von der Leyen, the message is clear.
11:58The world wants to trade with Europe. And if you're thinking that there is somebody missing in this
12:04beautiful picture, it is the United States, which happens to be the EU's biggest trading partner.
12:09For now, European lawmakers are trying to implement a limited trade deal. But between Donald Trump's
12:1515% tariffs and recent US Supreme Court chaos, progress is slow. And one would say that the biggest
12:23obstacle to an EU-US trade deal seems to be the US itself.
12:32Jakob Janos there. And in fact, this Thursday, the European Parliament will be voting on that
12:36EU-US trade deal that would impose 15% tariffs on EU goods. The EU also agreed to buy almost
12:42650
12:43billion euro of US energy exports until 2028. To get the view now from the Trump administration,
12:49we're joined here in the studio by the US ambassador to the European Union, Andrew Puzder.
12:53Lovely to have you back with us.
12:55Great to be here, Maeve. Thanks for having me.
12:56So all eyes on this vote finally taking place this Thursday. Will it pass, do you think?
13:02All the signs seem to be good. You hate to take anything for granted. And I don't want to prejudge
13:06the result. We're going to keep working with people to make sure we address any issues that
13:10they have. But I say the signs are good. And really, it would be economic malpractice not to pass
13:15this. It's a great deal for the United States and a great deal for the European Union. So
13:19hopefully, we'll see it passed.
13:21We'll keep a close eye on it. You heard in that report that some think that the US is the
13:25biggest
13:25obstacle to doing trade with the European Union. How would you react to that argument?
13:29Well, I'd say, you know, we signed this agreement in, I think, yeah, we signed it in August,
13:34late August of this year. And every day since then, the United States has been in compliance with
13:40what it agreed to do under the agreement. We have yet to have a day where the Europeans are in
13:45compliance because they had a process to go through. I guess the second to the last step
13:49will be, or maybe the third to the last step is Parliament approves, then they go to Trilog,
13:54and then they vote again. But we're anxious to see it approved. But I don't think the United
13:58States is the obstacle. Like I say, we've been complying. We're waiting for Europe to get through
14:04its process.
14:04Well, there's anxiety, of course, among European lawmakers. There's anxiety among European business
14:09due to the fact that every second week, we hear different announcements from the White House
14:13when it comes to potential tariffs that would hurt our economy here in Europe.
14:16So, as I said, despite what you're hearing, despite the political talk, the United States
14:21has been in compliance every day. There's not one day where we haven't been in compliance under
14:26the agreement. And we're waiting for Europe to be in compliance like one day. So, I mean,
14:30I don't think this is a one-sided issue. We're ready to go.
14:34And can the Europeans trust you?
14:36Of course they can. They've trusted us for 250 years, I think. At least many of them have.
14:41And what happens if this is signed, but then in a couple of weeks, Trump gets angry with Spain,
14:46for example, due to their stance on certain geopolitical issues and decides to cut off trade
14:50with them?
14:51Well, if you're saying what happens if somebody breaches the agreement, then I think the parties
14:54have to analyze where they are. I don't know that that particularly would be a breach. We'd have to
14:59wait and see how the agreement comes out. We're still waiting to go through amendments that the
15:04parliament's proposed and whether the council will accept those amendments and there'll be a different
15:08bill out of the trilog. And so we're waiting to see what the final bill says. But it's like any
15:13other agreement. If one party breaches, the other party reacts.
15:16And of course, the big news that we're reporting on this morning is Commission President Ursa
15:20von der Leyen in Australia clinching a brand new trade deal for the Europeans with Australia.
15:25What's the view from the White House on this?
15:27I look at two of our two of our closest allies come to an agreement on trade. I think that
15:32that
15:33helps the world. It doesn't hurt the world. We just want to make sure we get our deal done.
15:37Of course, you're not jealous of the other friendships that the European Union has across
15:41the world. We have other agreements as well. We have agreements with South Korea, with Japan.
15:46We're we're we're moving forward on a number of different tracks. I don't think we could
15:50lecture somebody else about doing the same.
15:53And is that a warning shot to Brussels to get that vote across?
15:55I don't make warning shots. I'm just hopeful that they'll get it across. I think it's in their
15:59best interest. I think it's in our best interest, best interest of the people of Europe and the
16:04people of America. So let's get it done. Let's move on. Let's really build the kind of economic
16:08relationship and the kind of joint prosperity that we could and should share.
16:12OK, we'll keep a close eye on it. Ambassador Andrew Posner,
16:14thank you so much for coming in to us here.
16:16Now we turn to Italy, where a two day referendum on judicial reform has concluded. The proposed changes
16:22triggered deep political divisions across the country and united the centre left opposition.
16:27The government argued that splitting the career paths of judges and prosecutors was essential to
16:31strengthening judicial independence. But critics say it could upset the balance of powers established
16:36after the fall of fascism. For more, we can head now to Rome and bring in our correspondent,
16:41Georgia Orlandi. Good morning. So the referendum has actually failed. What more can you tell us?
16:48Good morning, Maeve. Well, indeed, it looks like the majority of Italians rejected that key
16:53judicial reform. This was one of Maloney's main political pledges. The most controversial element
17:00of the reform was the proposal to change the way members of this body overseeing judges careers are
17:07selected. So under the proposal, they would have been chosen by selected by lottery move that the
17:14critics say undermines merit. And as you mentioned there undermines the balance of powers, despite
17:20the fact that this reform was promoted as a way to limit political influence. Now, 50 million
17:25Italians were called to say yes or no to the reform. The no camp won just by a few points.
17:31That's not a
17:32landslide, but that's enough to block the reform. Also considering that no turnout threshold was required.
17:39The most interesting aspect of the referendum was the fact that we saw a very high voter turnout,
17:46almost 60 percent higher than expected level seen in 2022 during the general elections that brought
17:54Maloney to power. Something that makes us think that this was seen as a political test for Maloney and
18:00her government. Maeve? Well, this is it. It feels a little bit like a big test for Georgia Maloney's
18:05government. Did she fail it then? Well, indeed, Maeve, she had already ruled out
18:13resigning over the results. She wanted to avoid the path taken by former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi,
18:22who resigned after losing that constitutional referendum in 2016. Reacting to the outcome,
18:29she said that of course she respects the decisions taken by Italian voters, but that she also says
18:36she's determined to continue now, hinting to the fact that she doesn't see this as a major political
18:42defeat. But it's clear, as analysts say, that this outcome has made her more vulnerable. So the next few
18:50months will be challenging, given that the next general elections will take place in 2027. The referendum
18:57took place at a challenging time. Maloney has faced a criticism over a handling of the war in the
19:03Middle East, especially when it comes to this very close relationship with Donald Trump that critics
19:08say, quote, it's very risky for Italy. The main takeaway from this outcome, though, Maeve, is the fact
19:14that Maloney will have to review its reform plan and most importantly try to strengthen the ruling
19:20coalition unity within that coalition ahead of what looks like a very uncertain political phase. Maeve?
19:27Okay, George Orlandi, thank you so much for that live update there from Rome. And thank you so much
19:32for watching Europe today. For more on any other stories breaking across Europe today, including the
19:38general elections taking place in Denmark, you can always visit euronews.com. Thank you so much again
19:43for tuning in. Take care and see you very soon here on Euronews.
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