“We are witnessing (…) the complete submission of the European Union to the impositions coming from the United States, from the Trump administration. We have been observing a situation where, at the EU level, what Trump says is criticized, yet what Trump commands is followed,” stated the former deputy and candidate for President of the Republic supported by the PCP.
António Filipe made this position known during a meeting with leaders of the Porta a Porta Movement, in front of the former Ministry of Education building in Lisbon. He expressed this after being questioned about the trade agreement between the EU and the United States reached on Sunday, which sets U.S. customs tariffs on European products at 15%.
The communist underscored that this agreement is “a surrender of the European Union to the impositions coming from the United States,” continuing what he described as a pattern of concessions, such as the NATO countries’ agreement to increase defense spending.
António Filipe described the understanding between Europe and the U.S. as a “pseudo-agreement” that is merely a “submission to American impositions” with “negative consequences for the European peoples.”
“This supposed agreement corresponds to what are the impositions of the dominant political and economic power of the United States, with severe detriment to the economies of the European Union countries,” he added.
When asked about the role of the Portuguese government in response to this agreement, António Filipe asserted that the government “has an obligation to express itself” at the European level regarding the “negative consequences of this agreement for the Portuguese economy” and should “seek to diversify economic relations” so the country does not depend on the relationship with the United States and the European Union.
The agreement between Brussels and Washington also includes the EU’s commitment to purchase American energy worth $750 billion (approximately €642 billion) – aiming notably to replace Russian gas – an additional investment of $600 billion (€514 billion), and increased acquisitions of military equipment.
The U.S. and EU countries exchange about €4.4 billion in goods and services daily.
