Strasbourg, 1 April 2025
Member of the European Parliament Željana Zovko participated today in the plenary debate on the conclusions of the European Council meeting held on 20 March. The debate was attended by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Council President António Costa and Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič.
Ahead of the announced implementation of a series of new US tariffs and the so-called “Liberation Day”, as US President Donald Trump called it, Zovko warned that for many Europeans tomorrow will mean the end of the illusion of the “social heaven” that Europe has enjoyed in recent years, expecting someone else to provide everything.
“The news coming from the other side of the Atlantic is not at all encouraging. We must finally rely on ourselves, support our own production and significantly improve trade within the European Union. Only in this way will we achieve greater security and stop looking elsewhere for the culprits for the decline in living standards”, Zovko pointed out.
Europe is entering a new era of trade relations in which the era of preventive diplomacy has ended.
“Reciprocity will become a tool to respond to trade pressures, and traditional friendships could suffer”, she stressed.
Zovko also called for the urgent adoption of the Omnibus package, assessing that only then will the European Union send a clear and decisive message that it is ready to do business seriously. In her address, Zovko welcomed the recently concluded trade agreements and called for their swift ratification, particularly highlighting the importance of the agreements with Mercosur, Norway and Switzerland, as well as the numerous other partners that are to follow.
The multilateral order is changing and Europe must firmly position itself alongside partners with whom it shares democratic values and a long-term strategic vision.
“It is time to get down to business and stop wasting precious time on addiction to social media and tech giants. This could be the path to reducing our trade deficit with the US. Citizens elected us to provide them with quality living conditions and prosperity for their families. Let’s not waste their time”, she concluded.