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http://www.dpa-international.com/to...werful-eu-davos-braces-trump-180124-99-785983
Merkel, Macron call for more powerful EU as Davos braces for Trump
Albert Otti
Jan 24, 2018
Davos, Switzerland (dpa) - The European Union must become a stronger international player, the leaders of Germany and France said at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday, reflecting on the policies of US President Donald Trump ahead of his arrival at the annual summit.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on the bloc to adopt a more coherent foreign policy.
EU diplomacy will fail unless the bloc starts sending unified messages to countries like the United States, China, India and Russia, she warned.
"We need to take more responsibility, we need to take our destiny into our own hands," Merkel said at the annual gathering of political and business leaders in the Swiss town of Davos.
French President Emmanuel Macron proposed an even more ambitious vision for Europe when he outlined a 10-year strategy to turn the EU into a major power.
The plan would build a Europe that champions universal freedom, fairness and justice, offering an alternative to the way that the US and China are governed.
"If we want to avoid this fragmentation of the world, we need a stronger Europe," he said.
Different EU members might adopt this plan to tackle digital technology, migration, energy and investments at different speeds, Macron proposed.
In his speech, the young French leader also promoted his country as an attractive destination for foreign investors, and he announced a 10-billion-euro (12-billion-dollar) French innovation fund.
Merkel and Macron renounced efforts to unravel free-trade rules, in an indirect rebuke to Trump's isolationist trade policies.
"Protectionism is not the answer," Merkel said.
Washington this week decided to impose punitive tariffs on washing machines and solar power equipment, arguing that the US was merely reacting to unfair trade policies in other countries.
Countries complaining about unfair trade relations should seek multilateral rather than unilateral solutions, Merkel noted.
While Merkel and Macron called for a more dominant EU, frictions among the bloc's countries were on display in Davos as the leaders of Italy and Greece lashed out at Central and Eastern European countries over their lack of solidarity on the migration crisis.
These countries may suffer for it in upcoming EU budget negotiations, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras warned.
Merkel warned that the EU should not close itself off to migration.
"Ever since the Roman Empire, ever since the Great Wall of China, we know that only shutting yourself off doesn't help," the chancellor said, advocating international cooperation, adherence to global treaties and development.
"We as Europeans have a great debt from colonial times to fulfil to Africa," she said, proposing stronger economic cooperation with African countries.
Merkel also called for efforts to fight rising far-right populism. Such movements are "poison" for societies, she said.
In Europe, the unsolved migration crisis has been one of the reasons why populists are gaining support, she acknowledged.
Numerous country leaders attending the Davos meeting have expressed their support for a world order that is based on cooperation rather than narrow national interests.
Trump is set to arrive in Davos on Thursday, and to hold a speech on his "America First" policy on Friday.
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.dpa-international.com/to...werful-eu-davos-braces-trump-180124-99-785983
Merkel, Macron call for more powerful EU as Davos braces for Trump
Albert Otti
Jan 24, 2018
Davos, Switzerland (dpa) - The European Union must become a stronger international player, the leaders of Germany and France said at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday, reflecting on the policies of US President Donald Trump ahead of his arrival at the annual summit.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on the bloc to adopt a more coherent foreign policy.
EU diplomacy will fail unless the bloc starts sending unified messages to countries like the United States, China, India and Russia, she warned.
"We need to take more responsibility, we need to take our destiny into our own hands," Merkel said at the annual gathering of political and business leaders in the Swiss town of Davos.
French President Emmanuel Macron proposed an even more ambitious vision for Europe when he outlined a 10-year strategy to turn the EU into a major power.
The plan would build a Europe that champions universal freedom, fairness and justice, offering an alternative to the way that the US and China are governed.
"If we want to avoid this fragmentation of the world, we need a stronger Europe," he said.
Different EU members might adopt this plan to tackle digital technology, migration, energy and investments at different speeds, Macron proposed.
In his speech, the young French leader also promoted his country as an attractive destination for foreign investors, and he announced a 10-billion-euro (12-billion-dollar) French innovation fund.
Merkel and Macron renounced efforts to unravel free-trade rules, in an indirect rebuke to Trump's isolationist trade policies.
"Protectionism is not the answer," Merkel said.
Washington this week decided to impose punitive tariffs on washing machines and solar power equipment, arguing that the US was merely reacting to unfair trade policies in other countries.
Countries complaining about unfair trade relations should seek multilateral rather than unilateral solutions, Merkel noted.
While Merkel and Macron called for a more dominant EU, frictions among the bloc's countries were on display in Davos as the leaders of Italy and Greece lashed out at Central and Eastern European countries over their lack of solidarity on the migration crisis.
These countries may suffer for it in upcoming EU budget negotiations, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras warned.
Merkel warned that the EU should not close itself off to migration.
"Ever since the Roman Empire, ever since the Great Wall of China, we know that only shutting yourself off doesn't help," the chancellor said, advocating international cooperation, adherence to global treaties and development.
"We as Europeans have a great debt from colonial times to fulfil to Africa," she said, proposing stronger economic cooperation with African countries.
Merkel also called for efforts to fight rising far-right populism. Such movements are "poison" for societies, she said.
In Europe, the unsolved migration crisis has been one of the reasons why populists are gaining support, she acknowledged.
Numerous country leaders attending the Davos meeting have expressed their support for a world order that is based on cooperation rather than narrow national interests.
Trump is set to arrive in Davos on Thursday, and to hold a speech on his "America First" policy on Friday.
