Biden president-elect of the EU and Europe breathes

It has been ninety-six hours on the knife's edge, with the eyes of the world fixed on the dramatic post-election soap opera in the United States. Every vote counted in favour of Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate, was a sigh of hope in a Europe that is still quite battered by the still President and Republican candidate, Donald Trump.

For a moment, we came to believe that Trump and his machinery of lies would be capable of stealing American democracy, taking with him all moral authority and turning the largest liberal democracy into a banana republic. 

The victory announced in cascade by the US media after Biden's triumph in Pennsylvania was publicised filled his voters with euphoria and they took to the streets on a historic 7 November to celebrate the change of cycle at the White House. 

It was the most closely contested election in the history of the American Union, not only because of the speed of the moment but also because of the division between American citizens and the candidates' personalities, particularly that of Trump.

Both candidates have exceeded the voting quotas in any other presidential election: Biden with 74 million votes and Trump with over 70 million.

The European Union (EU) has set out to congratulate President-elect Biden and his Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris, who is also making history as the first woman to hold such a high position of political power.

Ursula von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission, wrote on her Twitter account that she was very pleased with the victory of Biden and Kamala: "The EU and EU are friends and allies our citizens share strong ties, we are ready to work with President-elect Biden".

NATO, led by Jens Stoltenberg, sent a press release to journalists and the media congratulating Biden and Kamala and calling for a strong Alliance "because it also benefits Europe and the United States against Russia, terrorism, cyber and missile threats and will help balance power against China".

From the British Prime Minister, Boris Johson, to the leaders of France, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Italy, Austria and even Hungary, whose leader Viktor Orbán is an open supporter of Trump.

The Hungarian István Hollik, head of communications for the Fidesz party, stated that "they hoped that Joe Biden's administration would not ruin these common achievements for ideological reasons".
 

On the contrary, in Spain, President Pedro Sánchez, tweeted that "we are prepared to cooperate with the United States and face, together, the great global challenges. The American people have elected their 46th president".

The EU is eager to redirect its relations with its traditional partners, to see them as strong global players who believe in multilateralism, respect for international laws and standards and inclusion in international organisations.

There is much to be settled: while the United States was counting the votes in its presidential election amidst a haze of uncertainty and suspicion, on 4 November the American Union's definitive withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement was made official in Europe.

The decision, announced on 1 June 2017 by President Donald Trump, has completed the entire administrative process for removing the United States from a major global pact signed by 195 countries and endorsed by the then-Democratic administration of Barack Obama in 2015. 

The hope, particularly of France and Germany, lies in achieving America's return to the agreement, which aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28% by 2030.

The American position, in order to assume its responsibility and acquire the level of commitment, in the battle against climate change is very relevant for the coming years. 

In the still powerful first decade of the 21st century, many of its geopolitical and geoeconomic decisions are counterbalanced by power in the House of Representatives and the Senate; preliminary results indicate that the Democrats would retain delegated control from 2018-although they ceded five seats-while the Senate would remain in the hands of the Republicans. The election of 132 women in Congress is a sign of the new times.

For Europe, what has been at stake recently in the US elections goes beyond its domestic politics; it is four years of a relationship with minimal understanding with the European Union (EU) and the negative effects of the trade war between the United States and China.

At the same time, the Nuclear Treaty with Iran, which has the EU's backing, is hanging by a thread following Trump's exit order as it is considered ineffective; the future relationship of the United States with the United Kingdom, which has already completed the Brexit, and the strategy of the island nation with its European counterparts are also pending.

Security and defence plans under NATO for the coming years are also on the back burner, with the Pentagon setting up new bases in Poland and taking its army out of Germany.

It should not be forgotten that the EU is in the middle of the peace agreement proposed by Trump for Israel and the Palestinians which, in addition to recognising Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state as it did last year after moving the headquarters of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, envisages not granting the Palestinians the formation of a state, as the European Council intends to do with its foreign policy.

In the coming months, the EU will continue to reaffirm its rejection of the peace plan proposed by the White House and in which Jared Kushner, husband of Ivanka Trump, would be behind it; in contrast, several European foreign ministers are advancing official recognition of the State of Palestine.

Then there is China: there is a clear rapprochement with the Asian giant, not only commercially speaking but also in terms of investment and with technology multinationals, which are positioning themselves strongly by doing business in various countries of the continent with 5G fibres. The European Council's position in defence of human rights and freedom of expression likewise clashes with the interference that Washington is making in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the South China Sea, which is causing so much displeasure in Beijing. 

The day after the US elections it was announced that the Trump administration had approved the sale of four weapons systems to Taiwan for $600 million.

Simply put, under the Republican's watchful eye, ten military shipments have been sold to Taiwan in the past four years, together with state-of-the-art defence equipment.

The American Union has accelerated its rearmament and solidified its advantage as a supplier of world military weapons; according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), military expenditure in the American Union rose from $600 billion in 2016 to $732 billion today. 

The immediate future of the arms race hangs on the election result; Trump's trump card is to increase it again by 2021 to $740 billion.