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In this crucial week for relations between United States and the European Union, Euronews’ weekly podcast, Brussels, My Love? explores what lies ahead for the transatlantic partnership.
Senior adviser at the European Policy Centre Ricardo Borges de Castro, correspondent Teresa Kuchler, and Wilfried Martens Centre researcher Teona Lavrelashvili join the show to discuss US President Donald Trump’s criticism of European leaders, which he voiced on Tuesday in an interview with Politico.
The experts agreed that the criticism should not come as a surprise to Brussels, which continues to struggle to take a clear stance on many topics, including migration.
Kuchler underlines that Trump’s words were strikingly similar to the vocabulary used during the Brexit campaign, suggesting that he is simply trying to cast Europe in a negative light.
Borges de Castro highlights that the remarks were filled with paradoxes, as if the president was trying to “make Europe stronger by dividing it” – a message that ultimately creates uncertainty in Brussels.
Another factor central to the EU-US relationship is a fine imposed by the European Commission on Elon Musk’s social media platform X under the Digital Services Act.
The move, which was later followed by X banning the European executive from advertising on the platform, drew criticism from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called the fine a censorship attempt and an “attack on all the American tech platforms and the American people”.
According to Lavrelashvili, it is now important that the European Commission continues to explain the reasons behind the fine, which are not related to censorship but to transparency and verification rules that X failed to comply with.
And last but not least, Brussels, My Love? dives once again into the debate over the corruption scandal that shocked Europe and the prestigious College of Europe last week, when the now-former rector and former EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini was identified as a suspect in a fraud investigation.
Lavrelashvili, who is also the president of the College of Europe Alumni, did not comment on the investigation, but affirmed that the students and former students still appreciate the work Mogherini has put into the school.
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Additional sources • David Brodheim and Johan Breton, sound editing and sound mixing. Alice Carnevali journalist.
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