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NewsTranscript
00:14Good morning. It's Monday, the 4th of May. This is Europe Today and I'm Marit Gwynn coming to you
00:21live from Brussels with the news and analysis to start your day. Coming up on today's show,
00:26US President Donald Trump is threatening deeper cuts to US military presence in Germany after the
00:33Pentagon announced the withdrawal of 5,000 troops on Saturday, escalating tensions between Washington
00:39and Berlin. The decision follows comments made by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying the US was
00:47being humiliated by Iran. And the European Commission says it's keeping its options open after President
00:54Trump announced he would hike tariffs on EU cars to 25%. The announcement has left the US-EU trade deal
01:03struck last summer hanging in the balance. We speak to the EU's top lawmaker on international trade,
01:10Bernd Lange. Also, 48 leaders are gathering in Armenia for a summit of the European political
01:16community, with a non-European leader, Canada's Mark Carney, in attendance for the very first time.
01:24Carney is seeking to build new alliances with like-minded partners amid a rupture with the US.
01:31But first this morning to ask top story, because Europe is dealing with the fallout of US President
01:37Donald Trump's latest verbal attacks against his NATO allies. Trump signalled over the weekend he would
01:44withdraw many more than the 5,000 troops the US 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. Thank you very much.
01:56For more, I'm joined in the studio this morning by our correspondent, Shona Murray. Good morning, Shona.
02:01Great to see you. So this comes after a very public spat between Trump and the German Chancellor,
02:08Friedrich Merz. Tell us more.
02:10Yes. So there are pretty ill-fated comments from Friedrich Merz saying that the Iranians were
02:14humiliating the White House negotiators and then criticising Trump for his ill-conceived
02:19strategy in Iran. And people might say, well, that's actually a fair point because the war
02:24is not going well. Gas prices are skyrocketing. The economies, the global economy is not doing very
02:30well. Donald Trump knows this. And so this sort of added fuel to the fire. Immediately then,
02:35Donald Trump said he was studying how to remove troops from Europe. He announced 5,000. And then
02:40the last few days has announced that he will remove even more than 5,000. There are around
02:45over 80,000 US troops across Europe, about 36,500 in Germany. It has to be said that Europe has
02:53been
02:53preparing for a drawdown like this, but not in this sort of confrontational way. Now, take a listen
02:58to him over the weekend. He was also asked whether he would do the same in Italy and Spain.
03:04Why shouldn't I? Italy has not been of any help to us. And Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible.
03:16And Germany, I mean, he's doing a terrible job. He's got immigration problems. He's got energy
03:22problems. He's got problems of all kinds. And he's got a big problem with Ukraine because they're in
03:28that mess. And he criticized me for doing the whole thing with Iran. But I said, would you like to
03:38have
03:38a nuclear weapon in the hands of Iran? He said, no, I don't. I said, well, then I guess I'm
03:44right.
03:44A lot being said there. First of all, Italy and Spain, we know that Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish
03:49prime minister has been very vocally critical of the war in Iran. But Georgia Maloney, the prime
03:53minister of Italy, was once known as the Trump whisperer. So it shows you that these relationships
03:57are transactional and very much temporary. And, you know, he's criticizing Friedrich Merz and the
04:02Germans, but at least they're allowing the US military access to their bases and the use of their
04:07skies for the war in Iran. But, you know, overall, this is yet another diatribe, another confrontation
04:13between the US and its allies at a very particular critical moment in Ukraine.
04:17And Shauna, in terms of this drawdown, 5,000 troops from Germany, what does that mean now
04:22for security and for NATO?
04:24Well, this is the issue because speaking to NATO sources over the last few days is they haven't
04:27been given any detail about what this will look like. Will it be a sort of a rotational issue
04:31where 3,000 troops are removed and they won't be replenished? Is it from a core group? Is it
04:36from the Air Force? They haven't got that detail. And we heard from NATO over the weekend saying
04:40that they're working with the US to figure this out. We heard from Mark Rutte, the NATO Secretary
04:44General this morning, he's in Armenia at the European political community, saying that European
04:49allies have heard the message from Trump loud and clear. That is true. And they have been
04:52preparing for this. So Germans and other countries have bolstered their forces for the last year
04:57or so. So they're well prepared for this. They don't know. I mean, 5,000 is manageable.
05:01But the question is how many more. But crucial to this, Marad, is that even in the last year,
05:05I spoke to a NATO diplomat. He said, we're preparing for withdrawal of troops. But the worst case scenario
05:11would be if it happens out of the blue, without collaboration with NATO, and also if it comes
05:16after a phone call with Putin, which is exactly what happened here, almost a self-fulfilling prophecy.
05:22So it's, you know, Europeans are again sort of in a very, very difficult position with Trump.
05:27OK, Shauna, thank you so much for that update and for bringing us up to speed.
05:31Now we're moving on because on Friday, President Trump also said he would hike tariffs on EU cars
05:38and trucks to 25 percent. It's left the trade deal struck between the EU and the US last summer
05:46hanging in the balance once again. That deal had set a baseline tariff of 15 percent on most EU goods,
05:54including cars, while completely removing EU tariffs on US industrial goods. For more,
06:00we're joined live now by the chair of the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade,
06:05Bernd Lange. Mr. Lange, really good to have you with us this morning. Can you tell us first,
06:11is this announcement, do you think, a political manoeuvre from Trump directed specifically perhaps
06:18at Germany? Yes, sir. Good morning. And I think you are quite right. This is a political
06:25decision. He is really angry against Germany. We just heard it. And I'm convinced that in this
06:35context, he also targeting specifically German car manufacturers. And this will perhaps lead
06:44to an extra tariff volume from around 15 billion. So that's really, and of course, there are no legal
06:54or no economic reasons for that. This is really politically against Germany. And I think the big
07:01question now, Mr. Lange, is how should the EU respond to this? Is it time to move from appeasement
07:07to retaliation? That's really the question we will discuss on Wednesday. So it's totally clear. We saw
07:15a lot of breaches or a lot of breaking of the deal of Scotland by the United States. Even some
07:22weeks
07:23after, we saw that more than 400 products were lifted from 15 to 50 percent because they are
07:29containing steel and aluminum. There's now on the 2nd of April, where also these products are still
07:37in average tariff by 26 percent. And we saw the Greenland exercise and we saw that the Supreme Court
07:45decided the legal basis was illegal. So I guess now we will reflect and make an assessment about this
07:53one year of breaking by the United States. I'm not sure that we can really go on. And of course,
07:59we have a toolbox of possible reaction and we will discuss it quite intensively and we will be
08:07serious. You mentioned a toolbox. We know that there is this kind of trade bazooka, the anti-coercion
08:14instrument. Will that be on the table as one of the options? We have the toolbox and of course all
08:21tools are in. But in this case, of course, we will look also to other elements like countermeasures,
08:32like counter tariffs or export restrictions. So I guess all options are on the table.
08:38But as you said, Mr. Lange, we have been here before. There could be more to come. So far,
08:44the EU has not had the political courage, some would say, to introduce, for example,
08:51retaliatory tariffs. Do you think that now the time has come and that this will happen?
08:57I'm sure that the mood in the European Union has changed specifically after this Greenland
09:03exercise. And if you read the statement by the commission yesterday, it was much more clear.
09:11And also there was a mentioning of the reaction and all options are open. So it's there's a change
09:20inside the attitude of the European Union after this long story of unpredictable reaction in the
09:28United States. And Mr. Lange, you've been urging EU governments to attach more conditions to the
09:34Scotland deal agreed last year, including making EU preferential tariffs conditional on the US,
09:40respecting its side of the deal. Germany has been pushing against that. Do you think
09:44they could now get on board? In the council, indeed, there are different positions. Some are
09:52more outspoken. Some are really trying to de-escalate. Germany, unfortunately, was more in the camp of
10:00the second. Now, I guess also here is a change. And we will have also a discussion with the council
10:07on Wednesday. And after that, I can give you a concrete answer what we will do.
10:12OK, thank you so much, Mr. Lange. That's all we have time for. I'm afraid we will be following
10:18those discussions on Wednesday, as you mentioned. Bern Lange, the chair of the European Parliament's
10:24Committee on International Trade there. Moving on now, the European political community, a forum
10:29considered the brainchild of France's Emmanuel Macron, is meeting for summit in Armenia today.
10:35Around 48 leaders are expected to attend, including for the very first time a non-European,
10:40Canada's Mark Carney, as our reporter Jakob Janus explains.
10:47Mark Carney has arrived in Yerevan, Armenia, heading to the European political community summit,
10:52as he spearheads efforts to create a middle powers alliance. This Canadian prime minister,
10:58holding both Canadian and British passports, represents a unique bridge between the Anglo world
11:03and a Europe increasingly wary of American isolationism. And this forum could offer Canada
11:09a vital opening to build new European ties. But could the world's most European, non-European
11:16country actually become the 28th EU member state?
11:21Almost 60% of Canadians now support joining the bloc, with over 80% prioritizing stronger economic
11:28ties as a buffer against US political turmoil. And the latest surveys show most Germans and Spaniards
11:35of the United States back Canadian accession. While in Poland, France and Italy, proponents
11:39significantly outweighed those in opposition. And hey, Ottawa is no geopolitical lightweight.
11:46Canada's population is around 41 million, which is roughly 10% of the current EU bloc.
11:52And while being a founding NATO member, it remains outside the European economic area.
11:57However, and that's interesting, its GDP per capita remains significantly higher than the EU average.
12:04So, if Ottawa ever entered the Union, it would be a wealthy net contributor.
12:10All right, but despite the public enthusiasm, the Brussels bubble has just issued a polite reality check.
12:16Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos recently confirmed that while Canada is a state, it fails the European
12:23state requirement of Article 49 of the Treaty on the European Union. And unlike Ukraine or Turkey,
12:30Canada lacks the geographic and ancient cultural connections necessary to satisfy current treaties
12:36without a total legal overhaul. However, this relationship could evolve toward a bespoke model,
12:43mirroring Norway or Switzerland. A close family bond that provides deep integration into the single
12:49market and security programs, while stopping just short of a formal marriage.
12:54If Europe wants to become more independent, yes indeed, we need partners like Canada.
13:01And for that, Canadians could one day say yes. Or we, as both English and French, are Canada's official languages.
13:14Now, as Armenia hosts the 8th European Political Community Summit today, it's also seeking closer ties
13:21with European nations amid a rift with its traditional ally, Moscow. For more on the significance of this,
13:28I'm joined by our Ukraine correspondent, Sasha Vakulina. Good morning, Sasha.
13:32Tell us how significant this is. Armenia hosting the EPC for the first time.
13:37It is absolutely unprecedented for anybody who's been following the region and the developments there
13:43for years, I would say. Now, there's some of the scenes on Monday morning where it used to be
13:48absolutely unimaginable, like NATO Secretary General Mark Ruter arriving to the EPS in Yerevan and there,
13:57and shaking hands with Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashanian, Armenia, the country that for decades had been
14:04seen as Russia's closest ally, the country that still has some standing treaties with Moscow and is
14:11officially considered Moscow ally. Now, Nikol Pashanian, Prime Minister, he tweeted prior to the
14:16meeting and he said about the importance of Armenia hosting it. And he said, I'm looking forward to
14:21discussions with European partners on the vital topics including democratic resilience, regional stability,
14:26and connectivity. Now, this, of course, also reflects a lot of Yerevan's intentions voiced last year about
14:34them trying to go on the European path and finally join the European Union. But in a bigger picture, this
14:41fact that Yerevan is indeed hosting the EPS and then tomorrow the EU-Armenia summit cements the fact and
14:48this U-turn in Armenia's foreign policy, which we have been observing since a couple of years, but specifically
14:55since Armenia and Azerbaijan found this treaty and the peace agreement and put an end to decades of
15:02bloody conflict in Karabakh. Yes, really fascinating, Sasha, but also the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
15:08also at the EPC summit today. How significant is that? I would say that, you know, same as with Mark
15:14Ruter arriving to Yerevan, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the scene of Volodymyr Zelenskyy arriving to Yerevan,
15:19that's sort of another nightmare that is definitely very closely watched in Moscow. Now,
15:24this is Zelenskyy's first ever visit to Armenia, and he was rather cautious commenting on it when
15:31he tweeted and he said, many meetings ahead, the key priority is more security and coordination for
15:38all of us. Now, he's, of course, talking about more and better security deals and cooperation between
15:44Ukraine and other, not only European countries, but the fact that he is visiting indeed the country,
15:50whether it's still a Russian military base, is very important. And of course, also this visit comes
15:56just a week after he visited Azerbaijan as well, discussing security deals.
16:00Okay, Sasha, thank you so much. And we'll, of course, keep an eye out on the EPC in Armenia today,
16:06and as well as that EU Armenia summit taking place tomorrow. But moving on now, last week,
16:12a coalition of European mayors met with European Council President Antonio Costa to discuss the
16:18housing crisis gripping many parts of Europe. The issue is back on the agenda this week,
16:23with the Commission and Parliament co-hosting a high-level meeting on the housing crisis tomorrow.
16:29Our correspondent, Angela Scugins, caught up with the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri,
16:34and started by asking him why Brussels should dedicate political capital to tackling the crisis.
16:42This is an issue of social justice, an issue of inclusion. It's also an issue of competitiveness
16:48growth, because labour mobility is key. And if workers have difficulty to move to cities,
16:55to big cities, that also affects our economic growth. So it's a priority, it's an emergency. And this is the
17:03reason why we created this alliance of mayors for affordable housing. We elaborated proposals,
17:11very concrete proposals, not just slogans. And we are here to present them to the European Commission.
17:17You say that it's an emergency. Do you think the European Commission is taking you seriously?
17:22They did, because this commission has introduced a very important new element, which is a commission
17:29with a dedicated to housing, because they are listening to us. But of course, now is the time
17:35to move from listening to deliver results. Could you argue that the short-term rentals are causing
17:42the most issue? What are the other points that are causing contention here?
17:47The short-term rentals are a component of this tension, not the only one. That's very important,
17:52because the main problem is that public housing policies have been put in the, you know,
18:00out of the policy tool of Europe and Italy for a lot of time. So let's go back to the
18:08re-founding of a European nation state after World War II, and with a welfare state, European social
18:15model. This is composed in four pillars, health, public health, education, pensions, and housing.
18:24Now, the fourth part of this, you know, social model policy tool is out. That is not anymore.
18:33So we don't have public housing policies significant of significant magnitude. And so that's the reason.
18:40So we need first to recreate a robust pillar of public housing, public policies. Then, of course,
18:47we have also to address the tension that short-term rentals create on housing markets, especially in
18:54very touristic cities.
18:58The mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, speaking to our correspondent, Angela Scugins there.
19:03But that's it from us for today. Thank you so much for tuning in. If you have comments or questions
19:09for us, remember, you can email us at eruptoday at euronews.com. We'll be back at the same time
19:16tomorrow. See you then.
19:24Bye.
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