The hope that the president, after the first months of his term, will be more friendly to the European Union, is expressed by speaking to “Vima” Jean-Claude Junckerformer president of the European Commission (2014-19).
We observe a trend of increasing interference in the internal politics of EU member states by the camp of Donald Trump. Do you think this is a temporary situation just before the inauguration or does Trump this time really want to overthrow the EU establishment?
“I don’t think so. After a few months in his new role I hope he will reconsider his position on the EU. Formerly. He always believed that the EU was an invention of the Europeans to fight the US, while we thought, like his predecessors, that there is a strong alliance between the US and the EU.
Therefore, in his first term he had an incomplete view of the EU because he did not really understand how the EU works. I think that after the first months of his term he will turn towards the EU in a more friendly way. This also depends on the way Europe will approach it. Trump has been elected by the American people to be the president of the USA. He has not been elected by the Europeans to be the best possible ally of the Europeans. Therefore, I do not share the great concerns of most Europeans. I dare not say that everything will be fine, but it will not be as bad as it seems today.
We see Trump’s right-hand man, Elon Musk, meddling in Germany’s domestic politics by supporting the far-right AfD.
“. He’s not even a member of the US government, but a guy who works with the US president to cut red tape in the country. I don’t think we should pay too much attention to what Musk says because he is not our natural interlocutor. He is someone who has his own interests, mainly business.”
We also see in the EU some far-right politicians trying to get Trump’s blessing, such as Georgia Meloni or Viktor Orbán. They have chances to become Europe’s “bridge” with Trump;
“I think that since they seem to have a good relationship with Trump, they can be useful not to build bridges between the US and the EU, but to explain European things to Trump as he trusts them. They do not represent the whole of the EU, but if they can help to explain the European reality to the US president, that should be welcomed. But they are not the presidents of the European institutions.”
You know them. Trump even said that even force could be used. How do we react?
“We have to tell President Trump that we stand by our core principles. This means that the territorial sovereignty of countries must be respected. I don’t think Trump will behave the same way Putin behaves. Nations are nations, territories are territories and must be respected.”
Austria has shown that the European Center Right can work with the Far Right. We also have examples in Sweden and Italy. The German elections are coming. Given that the Trump wave is expanding globally, do you really see this as the future of the European People’s Party?
“No, I don’t think so. I am really worried about the progress that far-right forces are making within the EU in various countries. I warn the classic European political families of Christian Democrats, Socialists, Liberals and Greens: we must prevent this return to extremist positions in the EU, not by repeating them but by opposing them with our more democratic views.”
Trump recently called Turkish President Erdogan a “friend.” Do you think Greeks should feel uncomfortable with the Trump administration regarding
with Turkey?
“I think that, not even Greece’s best friend. But he is not a cruel enemy either, although his behavior sometimes gives us that impression. I think that, although Turkey will not join the EU in the next decade, we should work closely with it because it is one of our closest neighbours.
However, regarding the EU’s position in the eternal conflict between Greece and Turkey, the EU and all member states must be unreservedly on Greece’s side. We must try to give a definitive answer to the Cyprus issue.”
In Ankara, however, we see that Erdogan advertises that he has good relations with Trump.
“No one is saying right now that they have a bad relationship with Trump because he has been elected by the American people to be the president of the United States. But I know that at the end of the day no choice can be made against Greece, Cyprus and the EU, either by Trump or by Erdogan or by both of them.”
January 25 marks 10 years since the victory of Alexis Tsipras. How do you see the events of that period from a distance now?
“The Tsipras government started to take public finances more and more seriously, not at the beginning but after some hesitations and some mistakes, mainly the referendum that was organized on the wrong basis. It was a difficult moment because we had to explain thousand by thousand to Alexis Tsipras, who became my friend by the way, how things are and how they are understood outside of Greece. He understood them better after two years in power.
I wasn’t happy with his behavior at all times, but at the end of the day it went well because Greece was able to lay a foundation that allowed them to overcome the difficulties they had set for themselves.”
How close have we come to the exit of Greece from the eurozone?
“Some member states, if not all, were trying to expel Greece from the eurozone. I strongly objected to this ahistorical view of EU member states. It was a difficult period, but we managed to find an agreement on the basics so that Greece can envision a better future.
Although life is still difficult for many Greeks, Greece has an impressive growth record. She made a huge effort to put her house in order thanks to the courage of the Greek people.”
