Speaking in the Federal Parliament on Thursday, the Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever (Flemish nationalist) reflected on his visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this week. Mr De Wever said that “We must prepare ourselves for stormy times ahead”.
The World Economic Forum was dominated by the tensions that exist between Europe and the US. On Wednesday evening President Trump announced that he had agreed “a framework for a future agreement with regard to Greenland” with the NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The US President also withdrew his threat to impose higher trade tariffs on countries that have sent troops to Greenland.
On Thursday afternoon, Prime Minister De Wever told the Federal Parliament that "Yesterday and today it has fortunately become clear that for the time being both the military threat and the trade restrictions are off the table. No one has anything to gain from a new trade war. We have escaped a true catastrophe".
Mr De Wever stressed once again that it is unacceptable for the US to threaten Denmark’s sovereignty.
Lessons to be learned
Mr De Wever warned that “We must learn lessons from this. In an ideal world, the bond between Europe and the US would remain strong. However, the world isn’t how we would like it to be. We live in the world as it is right now. The lesson is that we, as Europeans, must prepare ourselves for stormy times”.
“The US is by far the strongest member of NATO. But our dignity is not for sale. We are not slaves”.