Europe under pressure: Trump demands higher military spending - what now?

Von WOM

In view of the tense relationships between Europe and the United States under Donald Trump's government, more intensive cooperation in defense is required. The director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Dan Smith, emphasizes that a stronger standardization of military efforts by the European countries is of crucial importance. "The maintenance of these separate national armed forces causes enormous costs that are unnecessary," said Smith. In view of the increased tensions, especially due to the harsh statements by Vice President J.D. Vance at the Munich Security Conference, Smith sees both risks and opportunities for Europe to redesign relationships about the Atlantic. "We really have to look around for a different kind of relationship about the Atlantic," he said.

economic threats from Trump's tariffs

In addition to military challenges, Trump's policy could also have economic consequences for Germany. If he actually implemented his announced import tariffs of up to 20 percent, numerous industries would be affected, in particular the German auto industry. Around 30 percent of the Porsche models and 16 percent of the BMWs are sold in North America. Calculations of the Hans Böckler Foundation show that up to 300,000 jobs in Germany could be threatened, depending on the tariff. These economic tensions could also trigger a trade war between the EU and the USA, since the EU could react to Trump's measures with its own tariffs, as the chairman of the European Commercial Committee, Bernd Lange, expresses

In this tense atmosphere, Trump also calls for a drastic increase in defense spending. While Germany recently reached the two percent of GDP for defense, Trump pushes to five percent. However, Chancellor Olaf Scholz pointed out that such high expenses would only be possible with significant tax increases. Meanwhile, the former chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, warned against the fact that the EU must appear closed to be taken seriously internationally. The European states present the geopolitical tensions and economic inappropriate challenges in working with the USA, such as krone.at and Deutschlandfunk reported.

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OrtMünchen, Deutschland
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