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In the hot seat
This week we are joined by Mika Aaltola, a Finnish MEP representing the centre-right European People’s Party, Dorota Bawolek, a seasoned EU correspondent for Polish broadcaster TVP and Ian Lesser, Vice President of the German Marshall Fund, the transatlantic think tank.
EU-US trade tensions
US President Donald Trump’s renewed trade offensive has left Brussels rather stressed with sweeping tariffs hitting European steel, aluminium, and car exports — and threats of more to come.
European Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič is trying to defuse the crisis, warning that retaliatory EU measures could kick in as early as July 14.
MEP Mika Aaltola blasted the US approach as “unfair treatment”.
The OECD also warned this week that Trump’s tariffs are dragging global growth to its weakest levels since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Polish Presidential elections
In a very tight presidential race, Poland elected conservative Karol Nawrocki, a nationalist and eurosceptic, narrowly defeating pro-EU candidate and Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski. The result marks a blow for Prime Minister Donald Tusk who has called for a vote of confidence in his government early next week.
Nawrocki’s rhetoric — emphasizing national sovereignty, anti-migrant policies, and a rejection of “Brussels diktats” — has alarmed Europhiles. However, his nationalist platform resonated with a rather divided electorate.
“He’s not very presidential”, Dorota Bawolek told the panel adding that history shows Poles prefer an ‘ordinary guy’.
EU Rejects Spain’s Bid for More Official Languages
Finally, the panel discuss the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’ diplomatic setback after the EU Council rejected his proposal to make Catalan, Basque, and Galician official EU languages. The move, promised to Catalan separatists in exchange for political support, was rejected by member states over fears of a domino effect involving other regional languages.
Watch the full episode in the player above.
