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Back off, Trump. Germany wants to Make Europe
Strong Again
Berlin’s EU presidency motto has echoes of MAGA.
By JOSHUA
POSANER AND HANS VON DER BURCHARD 5/29/20, 1:10 PM CET Updated 5/29/20, 1:19 PM
CET
BERLIN —
Forget Make America Great Again. Here comes Make Europe Strong Again.
The German
government has settled on “Gemeinsam. Europa wieder stark machen" — which
translates into English as "Together. Making Europe strong again" —
as its slogan for the country's upcoming presidency of the Council of the EU,
which kicks off on July 1.
The official English motto is a less Trumpian
"Together for Europe's recovery," however.
Chancellor
Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Friday that the motto —
launched along with a Möbius strip logo and website — aims to illustrate the
German presidency will have to "find compromises and solutions to tackle
the challenges posed by the corona pandemic" across Europe.
The logo is
meant to symbolize "joint action emerging from the EU's diversity again
and again," he said.
Merkel said earlier this week that China would be one
of the priorities of the German presidency.
Merkel said
earlier this week that China would be one of the priorities of the German
presidency. On Friday, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Berlin wants to develop
“a robust EU strategy on China” during the coming six months, with a flagship
summit of all EU leaders and Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled for
September 14.
“I believe
that the best way to influence China is to make it clear that the European
Union is very united … and that it will not be possible to break individual
countries out of this unity,” Maas said.
Authors:
Joshua
Posaner and Hans von der Burchard
|
Merkel rebuffs Trump invitation to G7 summit
US president wants landmark event but chancellor
‘cannot agree’ to travel due to ongoing pandemic.
By MATTHEW
KARNITSCHNIG, DAVID M. HERSZENHORN, JACOPO BARIGAZZI AND ANDREW GRAY 5/29/20,
6:10 PM CET Updated 5/30/20, 12:40 AM CET
BERLIN —
Angela Merkel has rebuffed Donald Trump’s invitation to attend a G7 summit,
which the U.S. president is keen to portray as a symbol of a return to
normality from the upheaval of the coronavirus crisis.
"The
federal chancellor thanks President Trump for his invitation to the G7 summit
at the end of June in Washington. As of today, considering the overall pandemic
situation, she cannot agree to her personal participation, to a journey to
Washington," German government spokesman Steffen Seibert told POLITICO
Friday.
"She
will of course continue to monitor the development of the pandemic."
Merkel's
refusal to accept Trump's invitation is the latest in a long line of examples
of the difficult relationship between the two leaders. Trump has repeatedly
criticized Germany, and Merkel specifically, over issues ranging from Berlin's
trade surplus to its defense spending and commitment to NATO. Merkel has
pointedly and publicly taken issue with the Trump administration's unilateral
approach to a range of foreign policy issues, from climate change to the Iran
nuclear deal.
In a call
between Trump and Merkel this week, the two leaders had heated disagreements on
topics including NATO, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and
Germany, and relations with China, according to a senior U.S. official, who
declined to be named. Seibert, the German spokesman, did not respond to a question
about whether the conversation was heated.
The White
House had not commented by the time of publication.
Merkel's
refusal to attend the summit in person risks scuppering Trump's attempts to
present the gathering as a landmark moment drawing a line under the lockdowns
and travel bans imposed to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump
canceled the summit in March due to the crisis and said he would host a
videconference instead. But in a tweet on May 20, he said he might reschedule
the summit, proclaiming, "It would be a great sign to all —
normalization!"
The White
House said this week it plans to hold the summit in late June in Washington,
rather than the original venue of Camp David, the presidential retreat, where
Trump moved the event after facing an outcry over plans to hold it at one of
his own golf resorts in Miami.
"The
president thinks no greater example of reopening in this transition to
greatness would be the G7, and G7 happening here," White House Press
Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Tuesday.
"We
will protect world leaders who come here, just like we protect people in the
White House," McEnany added. "So we want to see it happen. We think
it will happen. And, so far, foreign leaders are very much on board with the
idea."
But Merkel,
who is a research scientist by professional training, has said that she believes
June is still too soon to hold large gatherings given that the virus is still
circulating, and experts are urging continued vigilance and social distancing,
even as economies begin to open up again.
Officials
aware of the transatlantic discussions said Trump was furious over Merkel's
reluctance to attend the summit and on Thursday he phoned French President
Emmanuel Macron in a pique.
In a
readout of Trump's call with Macron on Thursday, the White House said:
"President Trump and President Macron discussed progress on defeating the
coronavirus and reopening global economies. The two leaders agreed on the
importance of convening the G7 in person in the near future. President Trump
and President Macron also discussed critical global and bilateral issues."
Officials
aware of recent transatlantic discussions said Merkel had voiced similar
opposition to EU leaders gathering in person for a summit in Brussels on June
19, and said face-to-face talks should not resume until July.
The EU is
under extreme pressure to reach a deal on its new seven-year budget, which is
due to start on January 1 and now includes a huge rescue and recovery package
to help address the economic shock of the pandemic. Most leaders believe an
agreement can only be reached by getting everyone together in the same room.
But while
officials said Merkel's reluctance to attend the G7 summit was primarily based
on the ongoing health situation, they also said European G7 leaders are
concerned that Trump may simply want to use their visit for an election-year
photo op, and as a basis for declaring the world is getting back to work —
thanks to him.
Officials
said that there had been very little of the traditional preparation that
precedes the annual G7 summit, including detailed discussion about the agenda,
and often intensive negotiation over the drafting of formal conclusions. Those
negotiations were expected to be particularly tough given Trump's divergence
from the others on a number of issues, especially trade and climate change.
Macron has
said he would be willing to attend the summit.
One
official said the lack of preparation had heightened concerns among EU leaders
about the potential political drawbacks of traveling to the U.S. — especially
if they had not yet had a chance to meet in person in Brussels to discuss their
own affairs.
Merkel, who
will turn 66 in July, is the second-oldest G7 leader after Trump, who is about
to turn 74, and they, along with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, who is 65,
would be considered at high risk of complications from coronavirus.
U.K. Prime
Minister Boris Johnson, aged 55, is the only G7 leader known to have contracted
COVID-19 and had to be hospitalized in an intensive care unit.
In a
readout of a call between Johnson and Trump on Friday, 10 Downing Street said:
“On the upcoming G7 Summit, the Prime Minister and President discussed the
importance of leaders meeting in the US in person if possible."
Macron has
said he would be willing to attend the summit. France is easing most of its
lockdown restrictions on June 2, and travel between EU countries is expected to
resume on June 15. But a ban on nonessential travel from outside the EU remains
in effect, and a decision on when to lift it is expected by mid-June.
Abe has
expressed similar openness, though Japanese media have noted that under current
guidelines, the prime minister and his entourage would be required to
quarantine for 14 days upon returning to Tokyo. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe
Conte has also voiced a willingness to travel to Washington, as has Canadian
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. European Council President Charles Michel has
said that he, too, would be up for the trip — if health conditions permit it.
Privately,
however, one official familiar with the situation said that other EU leaders
would support Merkel and would not attend Trump's summit if Merkel thought it
was a bad idea.
Meridith
McGraw in Washington and Charlie Cooper in London contributed reporting.
Authors:
Matthew
Karnitschnig , David M. Herszenhorn , Jacopo Barigazzi and Andrew Gray
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