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NewsTranscript
00:00Υπότιτλοι AUTHORWAVE
00:30to U.S. military presence in Germany
00:32after the Pentagon announced the withdrawal of 5,000 troops on Saturday,
00:37escalating tensions between Washington and Berlin.
00:41The decision follows comments made by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
00:45saying the U.S. was being humiliated by Iran.
00:49And the European Commission says it's keeping its options open
00:53after President Trump announced he would hike tariffs on EU cars to 25%.
00:59The announcement has left the U.S.-EU trade deal struck last summer
01:04hanging in the balance.
01:06We speak to the EU's top lawmaker on international trade, Bernd Lange.
01:11Also, 48 leaders are gathering in Armenia
01:14for a summit of the European political community
01:17with a non-European leader, Canada's Mark Carney,
01:21in attendance for the very first time.
01:24Carney is seeking to build new alliances with like-minded partners
01:28amid a rupture with the U.S.
01:31But first this morning to ask top story,
01:34because Europe is dealing with the fallout of U.S. President Donald Trump's
01:38latest verbal attacks against his NATO allies.
01:42Trump signaled over the weekend he would withdraw
01:45many more than the 5,000 troops the U.S. said it would remove from Germany on Saturday.
01:51We're going to cut way down and we're cutting a lot further than 5,000.
01:55Thank you very much.
01:56For more, I'm joined in the studio this morning
01:58by our correspondent, Seana Murray.
02:00Good morning, Seana. Great to see you.
02:02So this comes after a very public spat
02:06between Trump and the German Chancellor,
02:08Friedrich Merz. Tell us more.
02:10Yes, so there were pretty ill-fated comments from Friedrich Merz
02:13saying that the Iranians were humiliating the White House negotiators
02:16and then criticising Trump for his ill-conceived strategy in Iran.
02:20And people might say, well, that's actually a fair point
02:23because the war is not going well.
02:25Gas prices are skyrocketing.
02:27The economies, the global economy is not doing very well.
02:30Donald Trump knows this.
02:32And so this sort of added fuel to the fire.
02:34Immediately then, Donald Trump said he was studying whether,
02:36how to remove troops from Europe.
02:39He announced 5,000.
02:40And then the last few days has announced
02:42that he will remove even more than 5,000.
02:44There are around 80, over 80,000 US troops across Europe,
02:48about 36,500 in Germany.
02:51It has to be said that Europe has been preparing
02:53for a drawdown like this,
02:55but not in this sort of confrontational way.
02:57Now, take a listen to him over the weekend.
02:59He was also asked whether he would do the same
03:02in Italy and Spain.
03:04Why shouldn't I?
03:07Italy has not been of any help to us.
03:11And Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible.
03:15And Germany, I mean, he's doing a terrible job.
03:19He's got immigration problems.
03:21He's got energy problems.
03:23He's got problems of all kinds.
03:25And he's got a big problem with Ukraine
03:26because they're in that mess.
03:30and he criticised me for doing
03:34the whole thing with Iran.
03:37But I said, would you like to have a nuclear weapon
03:39in the hands of Iran?
03:40He said, no, I don't.
03:42I said, well, then I guess I'm right.
03:44A lot being said there.
03:46First of all, Italy and Spain.
03:47We know that Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister,
03:49has been very vocally critical of the war in Iran.
03:51But Giorgia Maloney, the prime minister of Italy,
03:54was once known as the Trump whisperer.
03:56So it shows you that these relationships are transactional
03:59and very much temporary.
04:00And, you know, he's criticising Friedrich Merz and the Germans,
04:02but at least they're allowing the US military access
04:05to their bases and the use of their skies
04:07for the war in Iran.
04:09But, you know, overall, this is yet another diatribe,
04:12another confrontation between the US and its allies
04:15at a very particular critical moment in Ukraine.
04:17And Shauna, in terms of this drawdown,
04:195,000 troops from Germany,
04:21what does that mean now for security and for NATO?
04:24Well, this is the issue because,
04:25speaking to NATO sources over the last few days,
04:27is they haven't been given any detail
04:28about what this will look like.
04:30Will it be a sort of a rotational issue
04:31where 3,000 troops are removed
04:33and they won't be replenished?
04:35Is it from a core group?
04:36Is it from the Air Force?
04:37They haven't got that detail.
04:38And we heard from NATO over the weekend
04:39saying that they're working with the US
04:41to figure this out.
04:42We heard from Mark Rutte,
04:43the NATO Secretary General, this morning.
04:45He's in Armenia, the European political community,
04:47saying that European allies have heard the message
04:50from Trump loud and clear.
04:51That is true.
04:52And they have been preparing for this.
04:53So Germans and other countries
04:55have bolstered their forces for the last year or so.
04:58So they're well prepared for this.
04:59They don't, I mean, 5,000 is manageable,
05:01but the question is how many more.
05:02but crucial to this marriage
05:04is that even in the last year,
05:06I spoke to a NATO diplomat.
05:07He said, we're preparing for withdrawal of troops,
05:09but the worst case scenario would be
05:11if it happens out of the blue
05:13without collaboration with NATO
05:15and also if it comes after a phone call with Putin,
05:18which is exactly what happened here,
05:20almost a self-fulfilling prophecy.
05:22So it's, you know, Europeans are again
05:24sort of in a very, very difficult position with Trump.
05:27Okay, Shauna, thank you so much for that update
05:30and for bringing us up to speed.
05:32Now we're moving on because on Friday,
05:34President Trump also said he would hike tariffs
05:37on EU cars and trucks to 25%.
05:41It's left the trade deal struck
05:43between the EU and the US last summer,
05:46hanging in the balance once again.
05:48That deal had set a baseline tariff of 15%
05:52on most EU goods, including cars,
05:54while completely removing EU tariffs
05:57on US industrial goods.
05:59For more, we're joined live now
06:01by the Chair of the European Parliament's Committee
06:03on International Trade, Bernd Lange.
06:06Mr. Lange, really good to have you with us this morning.
06:09Can you tell us first,
06:11is this announcement, do you think,
06:13a political manoeuvre from Trump
06:16directed specifically perhaps at Germany?
06:20Yes, good morning, and I think you are quite right.
06:23This is a political decision.
06:26He is really angry against Germany.
06:30We just heard it.
06:32And I'm convinced that in this context,
06:36he also targeting specifically German car manufacturers.
06:42and this will perhaps lead to an extra tariff volume
06:47from around 15 billion.
06:50So that's really serious.
06:52And of course, there are no legal
06:54or no economic reasons for that.
06:57This is really politically against Germany.
07:00And I think the big question now, Mr. Lange,
07:02is how should the EU respond to this?
07:05Is it time to move from appeasement to retaliation?
07:09That's really the question we will discuss on Wednesday.
07:12So it's totally clear.
07:14We saw a lot of breaches,
07:17a lot of breaking of the deal of Scotland
07:20by the United States.
07:21Even some weeks after,
07:23we saw that more than 400 products
07:26were lifted from 15 to 50 percent
07:29because they are containing steel and aluminium.
07:32There's now on the 2nd of April
07:35where also these products
07:36are still in average tariff by 26 percent.
07:40And we saw the Greenland exercise
07:42and we saw that the Supreme Court
07:45decided the legal basis was illegal.
07:48So I guess now we will reflect
07:51and make an assessment
07:52about this one year of breaking by the United States.
07:55I'm not sure that we can really go on.
07:59And of course,
07:59we have a toolbox of possible reaction
08:02and we will discuss it quite intensively
08:06and we will be seeing it.
08:08You mentioned a toolbox.
08:10We know that there is this kind of trade bazooka,
08:13the anti-coercion instrument.
08:15Will that be on the table as one of the options?
08:19We have the toolbox
08:20and of course all tools are in.
08:23But in this case, of course,
08:25we will look also to other elements
08:29like countermeasures
08:31like counter tariffs
08:33or export restrictions.
08:34So I guess all options are on the table.
08:39But as you said, Mr. Langer,
08:40we have been here before.
08:42There could be more to come.
08:44So far, the EU has not had the political courage,
08:47some would say,
08:48to introduce, for example,
08:51retaliatory tariffs.
08:52Do you think that now the time has come
08:54and that this will happen?
08:57I'm sure that the mood
08:59in the European Union has changed
09:01specifically after this Greenland exercise.
09:04And if you read the statement
09:06by the Commission yesterday,
09:08it was much more clear.
09:11And also there was a mentioning
09:13of the reaction
09:14and all options are open.
09:17So there's a change
09:20inside the attitude
09:22of the European Union
09:23after this long story
09:25of unpredictable reaction
09:27in the United States.
09:29And Mr. Langer,
09:30you've been urging EU governments
09:31to attach more conditions
09:33to the Scotland deal
09:35agreed last year,
09:36including making EU preferential tariffs
09:38conditional on the US,
09:40respecting its side of the deal.
09:41Germany has been pushing against that.
09:44Do you think
09:44they could now get on board?
09:48In the Council, indeed,
09:50there are different positions.
09:51Some are more outspoken.
09:53Some are really trying
09:55to de-escalate.
09:57Germany, unfortunately,
09:58was more in the camp of the second.
10:01Now, I guess,
10:03also here is a change.
10:04And we will have also a discussion
10:06with the Council on Wednesday.
10:08And after that,
10:10I can give you a concrete answer
10:11what we will do.
10:12OK, thank you so much, Mr. Langer.
10:14That's all we have time for.
10:16I'm afraid we will be
10:17following those discussions
10:19on Wednesday,
10:20as you mentioned.
10:22Bernd Langer,
10:23the chair of the European Parliament's
10:24Committee on International Trade there.
10:26Moving on now,
10:27the European political community,
10:29a forum considered
10:30the brainchild of France's
10:32Emmanuel Macron,
10:33is meeting for summit
10:34in Armenia today.
10:35Around 48 leaders
10:36are expected to attend,
10:38including for the very first time
10:39a non-European,
10:40Canada's Marc Carney.
10:42as our reporter
10:43Jakob Yanis explains.
10:47Marc Carney has arrived
10:49in Yerevan, Armenia,
10:50heading to the European
10:51Political Community Summit
10:52as he spearheads efforts
10:54to create a middle-powers alliance.
10:56This Canadian prime minister,
10:58holding both Canadian
10:59and British passports,
11:01represents a unique bridge
11:02between the Anglo world
11:03and a Europe increasingly wary
11:05of American isolationism.
11:07And this forum could offer
11:09Canada a vital opening
11:10to build new European ties.
11:13But could the world's
11:14most European,
11:15non-European country
11:16actually become
11:17the 28th EU member state?
11:21Almost 60% of Canadians
11:23now support joining the bloc,
11:25with over 80% prioritizing
11:27stronger economic ties
11:28as a buffer
11:29against U.S. political turmoil.
11:31And the latest surveys
11:33show most Germans
11:34and Spaniards
11:35back Canadian accession,
11:36while in Poland,
11:37France and Italy,
11:38proponents significantly
11:40outweighed those in opposition.
11:42And hey,
11:43Ottawa is
11:44no geopolitical lightweight.
11:46Canada's population
11:47is around 41 million,
11:49which is roughly 10%
11:50of the current EU bloc.
11:52And while being
11:53a founding NATO member,
11:55it remains outside
11:56the European economic area.
11:58However,
11:59and that's interesting,
12:00its GDP per capita
12:02remains significantly
12:03higher than the EU average.
12:05So,
12:05if Ottawa
12:06ever entered the Union,
12:08it would be
12:08a wealthy net contributor.
12:10Alright,
12:11but despite the public enthusiasm,
12:13the Brussels bubble
12:14has just issued
12:14a polite reality check.
12:16Enlargement commissioner
12:18Marta Koss
12:18recently confirmed
12:19that while Canada
12:20is a state,
12:21it fails the
12:22European state requirement
12:24of Article 49
12:25of the Treaty
12:26on the European Union.
12:28And unlike Ukraine
12:29or Turkey,
12:30Canada lacks
12:31the geographic
12:32and ancient
12:32cultural connections
12:33necessary to
12:35satisfy current treaties
12:36without a
12:38total legal overhaul.
12:39However,
12:40this relationship
12:41could evolve
12:42toward a bespoke model
12:43mirroring Norway
12:44or Switzerland.
12:45A close family bond
12:47that provides
12:48deep integration
12:48into the single market
12:49and security programs
12:51while stopping
12:52just short
12:53of a formal marriage.
12:54If Europe
12:55wants to become
12:56more independent,
12:58yes, indeed,
12:59we need partners
13:00like Canada.
13:01And for that,
13:02Canadians
13:03could one day
13:03say yes.
13:05Or we,
13:06as both English
13:07and French,
13:07are Canada's
13:09official languages.
13:14Now,
13:15as Armenia
13:16hosts
13:16the eighth
13:17European
13:18political
13:18community
13:18summit
13:19today,
13:20it's also
13:20seeking
13:20closer ties
13:21with European
13:22nations
13:23amid a rift
13:24with its
13:24traditional ally
13:25Moscow.
13:26For more
13:27on the
13:27significance
13:28of this,
13:28I'm joined
13:29by our
13:29Ukraine
13:30correspondent
13:30Sasha
13:30Vakulina.
13:31Good morning,
13:31Sasha.
13:32Tell us
13:33how significant
13:34this is,
13:35Armenia
13:35hosting the
13:36EPC
13:36for the
13:37first time.
13:37It is
13:38absolutely
13:39unprecedented,
13:40Marit,
13:40for anybody
13:41who's been
13:41following the
13:42region and
13:42the developments
13:43there for
13:43years,
13:44I would say.
13:44Now,
13:45there's some
13:45of the
13:45scenes on
13:46Monday
13:46morning
13:47where it
13:48used to
13:48be absolutely
13:49unimaginable,
13:50like NATO
13:51Secretary-General
13:52Mark Ruter
13:53arriving to
13:54the EPS
13:55in Yerevan
13:57and there
13:57and shaking
13:58hands with
13:59Armenia's
14:00Prime Minister
14:00Nikol
14:01Pashinyan,
14:02Armenia,
14:02the country
14:03that for
14:03decades had
14:04been seen
14:05as Russia's
14:06closest
14:06ally,
14:07the country
14:07that still
14:08has some
14:08standing
14:10treaties
14:10with Moscow
14:11and is
14:11officially
14:12considered
14:12Moscow
14:12ally.
14:13Now,
14:13Nikol
14:14Pashinyan,
14:14Prime Minister,
14:14he tweeted
14:15prior to
14:16the meeting
14:16and he
14:16said about
14:17the importance
14:18of Armenia
14:18hosting it
14:19and he
14:20said,
14:20I'm looking
14:20forward to
14:21discussions
14:21with European
14:22partners
14:22on the
14:22vital topics
14:23including
14:24democratic
14:25resilience,
14:25regional
14:26stability
14:27and
14:27connectivity.
14:28Now,
14:29this,
14:30of course,
14:30also reflects
14:31a lot
14:31here of
14:32Iran's
14:32intentions
14:32voiced
14:33last year
14:34about them
14:34trying to
14:35go on the
14:36European path
14:37and finally
14:38join the
14:38European Union.
14:39But in a
14:40bigger picture,
14:40this fact that
14:42Yerevan is
14:43indeed hosting
14:44the EPS and
14:45then tomorrow
14:45the EU-Armenia
14:46summit,
14:47cements the
14:48fact and
14:48this U-turn in
14:49Armenia's
14:50foreign policy,
14:50which we have
14:51been observing
14:52since a couple
14:53of years,
14:54but specifically
14:55since Armenia
14:56and Azerbaijan
14:56found this
14:58treaty and the
14:59peace agreement
14:59and put an
15:00end to decades
15:01of bloody
15:02conflict in
15:03Karabakh.
15:03Yes,
15:04really fascinating
15:04Sasha,
15:05but also
15:05the Ukrainian
15:06president,
15:07Volodymyr
15:07Zelensky,
15:08also at
15:09the EPC
15:09summit today.
15:10How
15:10significant
15:11is that?
15:12I would
15:13say that,
15:13you know,
15:13same as
15:14with Mark
15:14Ruter
15:15arriving to
15:15Yerevan,
15:16Volodymyr
15:16Zelensky,
15:17the scene
15:17of Volodymyr
15:18Zelensky
15:18arriving to
15:18Yerevan,
15:19that's sort
15:19of another
15:20nightmare
15:20that is
15:21definitely
15:22very closely
15:22watched
15:23in Moscow.
15:24Now,
15:24this is
15:25Zelensky's
15:25first ever
15:26visit to
15:26Armenia
15:27and he
15:28was rather
15:29cautious
15:29commenting
15:30on it
15:31when he
15:31tweeted
15:32and he
15:32said many
15:34meetings ahead.
15:35The key
15:35priority is
15:36more security
15:37and coordination
15:38for all
15:39of us.
15:40Now,
15:40he's of
15:40course talking
15:41about more
15:41and better
15:42security deals
15:43and cooperation
15:43between Ukraine
15:44and other,
15:45not only
15:46European countries,
15:47but the fact
15:48that he is
15:49visiting indeed
15:49the country
15:50where there is
15:50still a Russian
15:51military base
15:51is very
15:53important.
15:54And of
15:54course,
15:54also this
15:55visit comes
15:56just a week
15:56after he
15:57visited
15:57Azerbaijan
15:58as well
15:59discussing
15:59security
15:59deals.
16:00Okay,
16:01Sasha,
16:01thank you
16:01so much
16:02and we'll
16:02of course
16:03keep an
16:03eye out
16:03on the
16:04EPC
16:04in Armenia
16:05today
16:05and as
16:06well as
16:06that EU
16:07Armenia
16:07summit
16:07taking place
16:08tomorrow.
16:09But moving
16:10on now,
16:11last week
16:12a coalition
16:12of European
16:13mayors
16:14met with
16:14European
16:15Council
16:15President
16:16Antonio
16:16Kosta
16:17to discuss
16:18the housing
16:18crisis
16:19gripping
16:20many parts
16:20of Europe.
16:21Bishu is
16:22back on the
16:22agenda
16:23this week
16:23with the
16:24Commission
16:24and Parliament
16:24co-hosting
16:25a high-level
16:26meeting on
16:27the housing
16:27crisis
16:28tomorrow.
16:29Our
16:29correspondent
16:30Angela
16:30Scugins
16:31caught up
16:32with the
16:32mayor of
16:33Rome
16:33Roberto
16:34Gualtieri
16:34and started
16:35by asking
16:36him why
16:37Brussels
16:37should
16:38dedicate
16:38political
16:39capital
16:39to tackling
16:40the crisis.
16:41This is
16:42an issue
16:42of social
16:43justice,
16:44an issue
16:44of inclusion,
16:45it is also
16:46an issue
16:47of competitiveness
16:48growth because
16:49labour
16:50mobility is
16:50key and
16:52if workers
16:53have difficulty
16:54to move
16:54to cities,
16:55to big
16:56cities,
16:57that also
16:58affects our
16:59economic
16:59growth.
17:00So it's a
17:01priority,
17:01it's an
17:02emergency and
17:03this is the
17:04reason why
17:04we created
17:06this alliance
17:06of mayors
17:07for affordable
17:08housing,
17:09we elaborated
17:10proposals,
17:11very concrete
17:12proposals,
17:12not just
17:13slogans and
17:14we are here
17:14to present
17:15them to the
17:16European Commission.
17:17You say that
17:18it's an
17:18emergency,
17:19do you think
17:19the European
17:19Commission
17:20is taking
17:20you seriously?
17:22They did
17:23because this
17:24commission has
17:25introduced a
17:26very important
17:27new element
17:28which is a
17:28commission
17:29dedicated to
17:30housing because
17:31they are
17:31listening to
17:32us but of
17:33course now
17:34is the time
17:35to move from
17:35listening to
17:37deliver results.
17:38Could you argue
17:39that the short-term
17:40rentals are causing
17:41the most issue?
17:43What are the other
17:44points that are
17:45causing contention
17:46here?
17:47The short rentals
17:48are a component of
17:49distinctions,
17:50not the only one,
17:51that's very important
17:51because the
17:53main problem
17:54is that
17:55public housing
17:56policies have
17:58been put
17:59out of the
18:01policy tool
18:02of Europe
18:03and Italy
18:04for a lot
18:05of time.
18:06So let's go
18:07back to the
18:08re-founding
18:10of a European
18:11nation-state
18:12after World War
18:13II and with
18:13a welfare state,
18:14European social
18:15motor.
18:16This is composed
18:17in four pillars,
18:18health,
18:19public health,
18:20education,
18:22pensions and
18:23housing.
18:23Now the
18:25fourth part
18:26of this
18:29social model
18:30policy tool
18:31is out.
18:32There is not
18:33anymore.
18:33So we don't
18:34have public
18:35housing policy
18:36significant of
18:37significant magnitude
18:38and so that's
18:39the reason.
18:40So we need
18:40first to recreate
18:42a robust pillar
18:43of public
18:44housing,
18:45public policies.
18:46Then of course
18:47we have also
18:48to address
18:49the tension
18:50that short-term
18:52rent has created
18:53on housing markets
18:54especially in
18:54very touristic
18:55cities.
18:58The mayor
18:58of Rome,
18:59Roberto Gualtieri,
19:00speaking to our
19:01correspondent
19:02Angela Scugins
19:03there.
19:03But that's it
19:04from us for
19:05today.
19:05Thank you so
19:06much for tuning
19:07in.
19:07If you have
19:08comments or
19:09questions for
19:09us, remember
19:10you can email
19:11us at
19:12europetoday
19:12at
19:13euronews.com.
19:14We'll be back
19:15at the same
19:16time tomorrow.
19:17See you then.
19:18out.
19:28Υπότιτλοι AUTHORWAVE
19:59Υπότιτλοι AUTHORWAVE
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