The President of the European Council, António Costa, rejected US interference in EU politics. He was reacting to a new strategy that criticizes Europe for a lack of self-confidence.
European Council President António Costa on Monday rejected any attempt by the United States to interfere in the politics of the European Union. He was reacting to the new security strategy of the US, which criticizes Europe, TASR informs, according to an AFP report.
“What we cannot accept is the threat of interference in European politics,” Costa declared at a press conference in Brussels. The White House released its new national security strategy last week, describing Europe as an over-regulated, censorship-ridden continent that lacks “self-confidence” and faces “civilizational extinction” due to migration.
Criticism of American strategy
At the same time, the strategy indicates that the United States under the leadership of President Donald Trump will aggressively pursue similar goals in Europe, which are in line with the agenda of far-right parties, reports AFP.
“The United States cannot replace European citizens in deciding which parties are good and which are bad… The United States cannot replace Europe in its vision of freedom of expression,” the head of the European Council emphasized.
Europe as a sovereign ally
Costa pointed out that there are longstanding differences between Europe and the Trump administration, such as on climate change issues, but the new strategy “goes beyond that”.
“The strategy still talks about Europe as an ally. That’s fine, but if we’re allies, we have to act like allies… The United States remains an important ally, the United States remains an important economic partner, but Europe must be sovereign,” Costa added.
