Europe must make it clear to US President Donald Trump that “enough is enough,” Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday. “The more tolerance you show him, the bolder he becomes,” De Wever said, AA quotes him as saying. The Belgian prime minister said restoring Europe’s competitiveness should be an absolute priority, but stressed that Trump’s recent rhetoric on Greenland and threats of tariffs pose an additional challenge for the EU. He is due to meet Trump on Wednesday, along with Belgium’s King Philippe and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, although he expressed doubts whether the meeting will take place.
“Only if that meeting happens, with Trump you never know,” he said. On Monday, Trump threatened to impose 200% tariffs on French wine and champagne after French President Emmanuel Macron refused to join Trump’s proposed Peace Board, an international initiative initially focused on Gaza.
The move followed previous threats to impose import tariffs of up to 10% on European countries that have sent troops to Greenland, rising to 25% in June. De Wever said Europe must respond by strengthening the single market, increasing competitiveness and forging new alliances. “We must arm ourselves,” he said. “The European Council must lead the agenda and say: do this, and nothing else.” In a separate interview with Belgian broadcaster VRT NWS, De Wever said Europe must make it clear that it will not tolerate threats of military action against allied territory.
“We need to say to Trump, as Europe: ‘That’s it, and no more. Back off or we’ll go all the way,’” he said. De Wever acknowledged that Trump’s previous pressure on allies to increase defense spending was rational. “But the threat of NATO allies with military intervention on NATO territory is so unprecedented that we are approaching a breaking point,” he added. The issue is expected to be discussed at an informal meeting of the European Council on Thursday. De Wever said it was now clear that Europe must act decisively. “It seems clear to me that the knife must be put on the table now,” he said.