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Europe Today: la Grecia farà saltare le ultime sanzioni UE contro la Russia?
L’UE corre per approvare un nuovo pacchetto di sanzioni contro la Russia, ma la Grecia lo blocca a sorpresa. A un anno dall’accordo commerciale con gli USA, analizziamo l’impatto sull’Europa e la decisione di Trump di imporre un dazio del 50% sui prodotti canadesi.
ALTRE INFORMAZIONI : http://it.euronews.com/2026/07/22/europe-today-la-grecia-fara-saltare-le-ultime-sanzioni-ue-contro-la-russia
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L’UE corre per approvare un nuovo pacchetto di sanzioni contro la Russia, ma la Grecia lo blocca a sorpresa. A un anno dall’accordo commerciale con gli USA, analizziamo l’impatto sull’Europa e la decisione di Trump di imporre un dazio del 50% sui prodotti canadesi.
ALTRE INFORMAZIONI : http://it.euronews.com/2026/07/22/europe-today-la-grecia-fara-saltare-le-ultime-sanzioni-ue-contro-la-russia
Abbonati, euronews è disponibile in 12 lingue.
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00:14Buongiorno, it's Wednesday 22nd July, I'm Maret Gwyn and you're watching Europe Today, your morning dose of European news and
00:24analysis broadcast live here from Brussels.
00:27Coming up on today's show, the European Union is in a race against time to approve a new package of
00:34economic sanctions against Russia.
00:36But Greece has unexpectedly vetoed the proposals over a separate ban on Russian liquefied natural gas.
00:44We'll bring you more details on that story.
00:47And also, it's been a year now since the US and the EU sealed a trade deal designed to put
00:52an end to disputes and tensions.
00:55That deal imposed 15% tariffs on European goods, while the EU removed duties on most US industrial products.
01:04But one year on, US President Donald Trump is renewing tariff threats against allies and rivals alike.
01:10We'll have more analysis on that for you.
01:13And also, the US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that the war with Iran has cost the US $37
01:20.5 billion as strikes continued for the 11th consecutive night last night.
01:27President Trump has meanwhile vowed support to Lebanon in a meeting with the country's president in the White House yesterday.
01:33We'll have the latest for you from the Middle East.
01:37In other news, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has replaced Oleksandr Sirsky with Mikhail Drapatiou as Ukraine's commander-in-chief.
01:47It follows days of widespread protests in Ukraine and also pressure coming from civil society.
01:55But first, this morning, we're going straight to our top story, because EU ambassadors are meeting today here in Brussels
02:01in a new attempt to strike a deal on fresh sanctions against Russia.
02:05But this entire package is being held up by one single country, and that's Greece.
02:11To explain more, Jorge Liborero, our correspondent, is here in the studio with us.
02:16Really good to have you this morning, Jorge.
02:18So, big story today in Brussels.
02:20Tell us first about Greece's demands here.
02:23Why are they blocking this package?
02:25Yes, hello, Mare.
02:26Big story indeed.
02:28But to understand this story, let me take you back to October last year.
02:32So, in October last year, member states, the 27th, unanimously agreed to ban the import and transport of Russian LNG.
02:41This was held as, you know, as a landmark decision.
02:44Pressure on Russia, you know, we're doing away with Russian LNG.
02:48As of 2027.
02:50So, as of January 2027, no more Russian LNG in the European market.
02:56Now, what's happening during the discussions of this new package of sanctions is that Greece has realised that the ban
03:04on transport is a problem for them.
03:06We need to remember that Greece is a coastal country which hosts the largest merchant fleet in the world.
03:12So, maritime industry is really big in Greece.
03:15And Greece is saying that they need to continue the transport of Russian LNG because this provides market opportunities, sustains
03:24local jobs, and obviously brings a lot of money every month.
03:27So, Greece is saying that the ban on transport needs to be revised and transport of Russian LNG needs to
03:34continue next year onwards.
03:36And, Jorge, we know that the Greek demands are closely linked to the industry, as you said, including Dynagas, which
03:44is a major shipping company.
03:45It's owned by a Greek billionaire, Jorge Prokopiou.
03:49And it's worth saying that he is also linked to another company that actually transports Russian oil.
03:55So, what does Dynagas say here about the LNG ban?
03:59So, indeed, Dynagas controls the market of LNG, but also transport of Russian oil.
04:05So, we need to keep that in mind.
04:06But when it comes to LNG, Dynagas provides very specialised tankers that go into Siberia.
04:14Because in Siberia, we have the Yamal facility, which is Russia's largest, and mainly provides European clients with LNG, but
04:22also clients worldwide.
04:23And Dynagas has chartered 11 vessels to Yamal in Siberia.
04:29So, these vessels are, as I said, highly specialised.
04:32They break the ice, they sustain sub-zero temperatures, so very complex conditions there.
04:37So, what Dynagas is saying is that if we stop the transport of Russian LNG, this would be a self
04:42-inflicted blow to Europe's maritime capacity.
04:46This is a literal quote from a statement that the company sent last week.
04:50The company also said that the ban will fail to achieve its geopolitical objectives, meaning the crippling Russia's war machine.
05:00And the company, very notably, has raised the prospect of defaulting on its debt agreements if this ban on transport
05:08takes place.
05:09And we can now see the quote, indeed, sent by the company last week, which, by the way, these arguments
05:16that we see on camera closely align with the Greek government just now saying here in Brussels.
05:23So, we see a lot of synchrony between Dynagas and Athens.
05:27And Jorge, we know then that Greece, for now, is holding firm on its demands.
05:32What has been the reaction from other EU countries?
05:35Look, how could I put this kindly?
05:38Well, I'm not going to put it kindly.
05:40I'm just going to say that there's a lot of frustration, even fury, with Greece, because I need to really
05:45stress this.
05:46Greece is trying to revise a ban that was unanimously agreed last year and became EU law.
05:52This is EU law.
05:53It's not part of the new package of sanctions that is on the table.
05:56It's already EU law.
05:59And Greece now wants to retroactively challenge the content of this legislation.
06:05So, for all the member states, this is a massive problem because they fear that if we grant Greece's request,
06:12then there will be a dangerous precedent set.
06:15And, you know, all the member states will come up with similar requests.
06:19Oh, I want to revise this.
06:20I want to check this law.
06:22Reopen this text.
06:23Give me this.
06:24Give me that.
06:24So, it could be a massive problem.
06:26Cascade of requests.
06:27And finally, Jorge, you know, we know there's also this price cap on Russian oil, which will be automatically revised
06:35up tomorrow, I believe, unless the EU actually agrees on this new package of sanctions.
06:40So, I guess this Greek veto is also threatening that and could see Moscow even gain more revenues on its
06:48oil purchases.
06:48Yes, indeed.
06:49All things are coming together.
06:51Now, the Greek veto and this revision of the price cap that, as you said, will go up if we
06:55don't delay it, which is the intention to delay it.
06:58But for the time being, it's still there.
07:01The revision will take place on Thursday.
07:03But what I can see is that if the Greek veto remains in place, proves insurmountable, you know, that Athens
07:11really holds its ground and doesn't allow this to pass unless it gets an exemption.
07:17I think the price cap on Russian oil could be delayed just to September.
07:22So, then in September, after the summer break, we'll come back to this, the unfinished business, and try to have
07:27a deal and try to have Greece on board.
07:30But as I said, there's a lot of uncertainty right now.
07:32The Greek veto is really powerful because this maritime industry is essential for the country.
07:38But at the same time, the other 26 member states do not want to grant this request because of the
07:43precedent that it could set.
07:44So, we're in for a fight today with the ambassadors.
07:47Okay, Jorge.
07:48Well, we will keep an eye out on those talks happening today, of course, in Brussels.
07:52Thank you so much for that analysis and for bringing us up to speed there.
07:57Now, we're moving on to the Middle East next.
07:59The U.S. has continued to attack Iran for the 11th consecutive night, as the U.S. Defense Secretary, Pete
08:05Hegseth, revealed that the war has now cost the U.S. $37.5 billion.
08:11Let's get the latest now from our correspondent, Adil Halim, who is in Qatar for us.
08:17Good morning, Adil.
08:18Great to see you again.
08:20Listen, also yesterday, President Trump met Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun at the White House.
08:26Tell us what came out of that meeting.
08:30Good morning, Mara.
08:31This is the biggest diplomatic development we've seen in the Israel-Lebanon conflict in months.
08:36President Joseph Aoun came to Washington looking for U.S. support to stabilize Lebanon after months of fighting between Israel
08:42and Hezbollah.
08:43The focus was the U.S.-backed ceasefire framework.
08:46Lebanon wants a full Israeli withdrawal from the south, more support for the Lebanese army, and for the Lebanese state,
08:53not Hezbollah, to control southern Lebanon.
08:56Now, President Trump says Washington remains committed to this process.
08:59And he also added that Lebanon has been a very mistreated country for a long period of time.
09:05And, quote, we're going to solve a lot of problems.
09:08Marit?
09:08Okay, so big promises from the U.S. president there.
09:12Meanwhile, Adil, I know you're following developments there across the region.
09:17What's the latest this morning?
09:21That's right.
09:22The U.S. has now completed 11 consecutive nights of attacks on Iran.
09:26And there are a few signs that this conflict is easing anytime soon.
09:30Perhaps the biggest development came overnight in Washington.
09:33President Trump says the U.S. has no interest in talks with Iran, and even though he insists, Tehran is
09:39desperate to negotiate.
09:40At the same time, Defense Secretary Pete Hegsitt told Congress that the war has already cost $37.5 billion
09:47and asked lawmakers to approve another $67 billion in funding for our campaign.
09:53The dialogue between him and Democratic senators was very testy during this exchange.
09:58And that request is likely to raise questions about how long Washington expects this conflict to continue.
10:04Meanwhile, Iran says it carried out new attacks on military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait,
10:09while both countries say they intercepted missiles and drones overnight.
10:14Now, also, the Iran-backed Houthis are also threatening commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
10:18And that's already adding to the concerns over in the Strait of Hormuz, where vessel traffic continues to fall.
10:24So, while diplomacy is making some progress between Israel and Lebanon,
10:29the wider regional situation is definitely moving in the opposite direction.
10:34We're seeing more military action, increasing economic pressure,
10:39and there's no clear sign that the fighting between Washington and Tehran will slow down anytime soon.
10:44Marit?
10:45Okay. Adel Halim in Qatar for us.
10:48Thank you so much for bringing us up to speed this morning.
10:51Now, moving on.
10:53One year after the EU struck a controversial trade deal with the United States,
10:58imposing 15% tariffs on European goods under Commission President Ursula von der Leyen,
11:04what has been the impact on Europe's economy?
11:07Well, new data suggests the cost of those tariffs has been felt on both sides of the Atlantic.
11:13European companies have, of course, taken a hit,
11:16but so too, and to a significant extent, have American firms.
11:20For more on this, let's bring in our EU editor, Maria Tadeo, who's with me in the studio this morning.
11:25Listen, this deal was meant to draw a line under disputes, uncertainty, tensions.
11:30Can we say that it's done that?
11:32Look, it's a difficult question to answer, and also just how time flies.
11:36Because it was this time last year that Ursula von der Leyen got on a plane,
11:40she landed in Scotland, went to President Trump's golf complex in the country,
11:45and agreed to these new terms.
11:49And in a way, I find it difficult to call it a trade deal, because we know it was not
11:53a negotiation.
11:54You've spoken to European officials, I've spoken to European officials,
11:58many of which will tell you privately, even though the Commission and the EU still defends the deal,
12:03they'll say it really wasn't a negotiation.
12:06Ultimately, there was a binary choice that the Europeans had to face, confront, and ultimately decide.
12:12One was, should we enter this trade war with the U.S.?
12:17Of course, this is a big market.
12:18The EU does have trade power behind it, and they could enter a tit-for-tat,
12:23the same way that China did, ultimately, or just take this 15% tariff,
12:27which is not a trivial thing.
12:30Tariffs tripled on European companies going into the U.S. market.
12:34Remember, before Liberation Day, you were looking at around 5%.
12:37That was certainly the average.
12:39But again, the choice that Europeans faced was to enter this trade war,
12:43ultimately accept the 15%, but also setting up this precedent in which it can never go above 15%.
12:48Obviously, that had a hit for European companies.
12:51We've spoken about some of the extra difficulties that they faced.
12:55But when you look at the data, this is very striking.
12:57The turnover in terms of trade between the U.S. and the European Union actually increased in 2025 to hit
13:041.8 trillion euros.
13:06The number, of course, is enormous, and it really reflects just the magnitude of this bilateral relationship.
13:12One thing that I would say, given, again, who is foot in the bill, that's ultimately the question,
13:17is numbers may have gone up because companies were really rushing to get a lot of their stuff across the
13:23Atlantic before the tariffs kicked in.
13:25So, 2026 should give us a complete picture.
13:28But to go back to your question, I think ultimately at this point, yes, tariffs tripled on European companies.
13:33The exemptions that the Europeans were hoping to get on real staple products like cheese, milk, pastes,
13:39about 115 euros that they're looking to get in exemptions did not manifest.
13:44So, obviously, that means prices have to go up.
13:46But what is interesting, as European officials tell us, a year later, it's actually the U.S. importers that have
13:52paid the most in this tariffs.
13:54Before the Liberation Day tariffs came in, it was around 8 billion euros, the duty cost.
13:58Now it's standing at over 31 billion.
14:01So, you're looking at almost four times the amount that they were paying.
14:04So, yes, it hits both sides, but also you see that the Americans have also taken a hit,
14:09and it's American companies that ultimately also pay for this.
14:13And Maria, we know that there's still 50% tariff, for example, on steel and aluminium.
14:18And the U.S. continuing to link this to some regulatory movements on the U.S. side?
14:23Yeah, absolutely, because there's a number of issues, of course, that came along with the 15%.
14:28The Europeans insisted that they wanted to see steel and aluminium go down for 50%.
14:33One thing to keep in mind for our viewers is once you go above that 5-0, it's a huge
14:38number,
14:39basically it becomes impossible to sell anything because it is just too expensive.
14:44So, the Europeans have been asking for relief on that front,
14:46and they've also been asking for a quota for duty-free, essentially, to go bigger, to become incremental.
14:52That has not happened, and it is crucial for the Europeans to ease some of those tariffs.
14:58The Europeans also insist, and this is the case that they made before the U.S. administration,
15:01that this is about really together tackling China.
15:05They argue the issue, especially when it comes to steel overcapacity, is the Chinese,
15:09it's not the Europeans, so they should work together.
15:12The problem that they face is, A, the administration has not moved an inch on those two items.
15:18This is part of the Make America Great Again agenda,
15:20to bring in those industrial jobs into the U.S.
15:23This is what the President of the U.S. wants to see, manufacturing jobs back in the United States of
15:28America.
15:29And then three, as you say, the administration, in a way that is cunning, but it's also ruthless,
15:34and at times, frankly, it seems to work, is to say,
15:38if you want any form of relief, then you need to also give us regulatory relief.
15:43The issue for the Europeans is that this has nothing to do with tariff rates.
15:47It really is about politics, it's about sovereignty, and it's also how you interpret and apply the law of the
15:53land.
15:54And, of course, Merit, we could see another flashpoint, because, as you know,
15:57speculation is rampant in the city, that we could see a fine announced,
16:01maybe even this week, on Google around $1 billion.
16:04That could certainly escalate tensions between the two of them.
16:07Indeed. And, meanwhile, also this week, we are, in fact, hearing reports, at least,
16:12that Donald Trump, the U.S. President, is thinking, at least, of unleashing more tariffs.
16:17Canada already in the line of fire.
16:19Are the Europeans worried about this?
16:21Well, certainly, because this is part of a bigger strategy.
16:24The 15% tariff, and just really taking that hit to a relationship that, basically,
16:29when you looked at the numbers before the tariffs came into being last year,
16:32it was pretty broad, right?
16:34And it was balanced between the Europeans.
16:35They accepted this in exchange for a form of relief.
16:38They always argued, look, it wasn't just straight.
16:41There were a lot of things on the table.
16:43The geopolitics were also there.
16:44And this was a way of, quote, unquote, paying for insurance.
16:47The issue that we see is that the U.S. has a strategy that is clearly bait and switch.
16:52They will turn them on enough, depending on the kind of concessions that they want from allies,
16:58from the Canadians have been complaining that they do not buy enough U.S. products,
17:02that their relationship is stilted in favor of Canada.
17:03and now they've been hit with 50% tariffs.
17:05At that point, that is prohibitive.
17:07This is a real political crisis now for the Canadian prime minister.
17:11When it comes to the Europeans, as you say, the administration said it overnight yesterday,
17:15yes, expect action coming in in the tariff front because they've had to tweak some of the construction,
17:22the structure of the tariffs because some of them were struck down by the U.S. Constitutional Court.
17:26So they now expect to put forward new tariffs using different sections that could see more products.
17:31And also the Europeans hit by it.
17:33I think one of the things that the Europeans know, and they know this very well,
17:37is that ultimately this is going to be a constant with the Trump administration.
17:41What you can do is hope for the best, but also say we have a capacity and an ability to
17:45retaliate.
17:46We talked about the anti-coercion instrument.
17:48That is certainly on the table that the Europeans can use.
17:50The question is, are they ready to use it, given that they did not want to fight a trade war
17:54last year,
17:55but also, Merit, the focus for the Europeans now is China.
17:58Do you want to take on two big blocks?
18:00And very, very briefly, Maria, on China, we are expecting by October some movement.
18:06Massive deadline, yes.
18:07Look, it's a deadline October by the Europeans.
18:10They want to see the trade relationship become more balanced.
18:13There's been a massive trade deficit with the Chinese.
18:15The trade surplus from the Chinese to the world is now a trillion dollars.
18:19that is unsustainable, and mathematically, it simply cannot continue at some point.
18:24It would be too tilted in favor of China.
18:26The Europeans, however, they've set out this deadline, but it's a difficult deadline,
18:29because if there's no rebalancing and there's no action from the Chinese,
18:32and they take no action, they will look weak.
18:35If they decide to put forward measures to protect industries in Europe,
18:39well, the Chinese, you best believe, will retaliate.
18:41So both ways, you're looking at a difficult fall.
18:44We are indeed.
18:44Thank you so much, Maria, for that analysis for us one year on
18:48after that trade deal was struck between the US and the EU.
18:52But that brings our program for today to an end.
18:55Thank you so much for your company this morning.
18:57Remember, we also love to hear from you.
18:59You can send us comments, feedback, or tips.
19:01Our email address is eruptoday at euronews.com.
19:05In the meantime, see you soon here on Euronews, and take care.
19:36We'll see you soon.
19:37We'll see you soon.
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