DEFIANT EUROPEAN UNITY

Portugal is in close harmony with the rest of the European Union about the three major global concerns - Trump’s tariffs, Israel’s killing of aid workers, and Putin’s relentless war in Ukraine.

 

After the European Union, the United States has long been Portugal’s largest market for goods and services, with exports growing by around 10% annually. Last year, the U.S. imported €5.76 billion worth of Portuguese products, including pharmaceuticals, mineral fuels, oils, electronic equipment, and clothes. The Douro region in the northwest of the country has been exporting plenty of its quality wine to American consumers.

 

The present worry is that this may all dramatically change for the worse as a result of Trump’s astonishing announcement of tariffs on countries around the world.

 

On Monday this week, Portugal’s finance minister said he expected the E.U. to respond to the tariffs in “a measured and balanced manner,” showing “willingness to negotiate” with the United States. On Tuesday, Portuguese government officials discussed the situation with business leaders. On Wednesday—the day Trump’s tariffs were supposed to came into force across Europe and dozens of .other countries—E.U. leaders concluded a three-day meeting in Brussels, agreeing to launch countermeasures next week. In doing so, the E.U. would join China and Canada in retaliating and escalating a global trade war.

 

Speaking on behalf of Portugal and the rest of the 27 members of the E.U., European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this week offered the U.S. a “zero for zero” tariffs scheme on industrial goods in the hope of avoiding a devastating tit-for-tat trade war between the two continents.

 

Trump is so unpredictable that things could suddenly change – and on Wednesday evening they did. He announced a turnaround by suspending tariffs on the E.U. and most other nations except China for 90 days. Meanwhile, more confusion and more discussions are inevitable.

 

Regarding Israel’s lies and excuses about the brutal killing and burial of 15 medical aid workers on duty in southern Gaza last week, Portugal expressed deep shock, as did U.N. humanitarians. The truth was revealed to the world by top media reality checks. Portugal continues its long-standing condemnation of Israel’s brutal treatment of Palestinians, especially women and children. Israeli forces have killed more than 400 aid workers since October 2022.

 

The United Nations Secretary-General, former Portuguese Prime Minister António Guterres, this week condemned Israel’s continuing blockade of aid to Gaza, saying it had “opened the floodgates of horror.” No food, fuel or medicine has entered Gaza in more than a month, he said.

 

Along with nearly all other European Union countries, as well as the United Kingdom, Portugal remains firmly supportive of Ukraine's right to peaceful independence and is firmly opposed to Russia’s ongoing bombardments in a war that Trump bragged he would end within a day of his re-election.

 

Written by Len Port

Edited by Catriona Anderson.