EU-US relations on the dawn of the Trump era

This article was exclusively written for the Sting by Mr Krisztian Ivan, Treasurer of the European Confederation of Junior Enterprises (JADE).  JADE is a cordial partner of The European Sting. The opinions expressed within reflect only the writer’s views and not The European Sting’s position on the issue.  After the 8^th November, when the results of the US presidential election became final, most of Europe became increasingly anxious about the future of the country with the biggest economic and military power. Then some days passed and a noticeable shift occurred in the patterns of communication of Mr Trump, the new President-elect of the United States. Was all that xenophobia, racism, and nativism just a well thought out PR-stunt, to win over America’s fed up masses? Well, the inaugural address gave a disturbing answer to this question. The well-known slogans about Muslim terrorists and foreign trade competitors ^[1] returned and there is no question anymore how Mr Trump plans to make America great again. A country, mind you, that had been built on the foundations of the premise of free religious practice and free trade. The question is, how Mr Trump’s ‘buy American, hire American’ rule ^[2] will influence the trade relations with the EU when deciding about foreign policy. America faced several protectionist phases during its history, none of which were particularly beneficial for the country’s economy. Mr Trump’s slogans suggests that there is a chance that we are on the dawn of a new protectionist era again. Some of the most influential investors, including George Soros, are already picturing a fighting cabinet and a coming recession on the stock markets in the near future. ^[3] There is a chance, that the TTIP negotiations will come to an end as well, as the deal with the European Union has already been removed from the White House’s website. ^[4] EU-US relations therefore aren’t seeming particularly bright for the years to come. Nevertheless, the youth and especially the more entrepreneurial part of the millennial generation stays open to learn and work in a global context. Members of American Junior Enterprises recently confirmed to attend on JADE’s Spring Conference to learn about best practices from the European network and create connections. It appears that rigid slogans in politics still cannot block the freedom of mind. ^[1] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/20/reaction-to-donald-trump-speech ^[2] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/buy-american-and-hire-american-means-donald-trump-a7538231.html ^[3] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-19/george-soros-says-markets-will-falter-as-uncertainty-takes-over ^[4] http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/756970/donald-trump-ttip-eu-white-house