00:00European Parliament in Strasbourg, where MEPs are meeting this week and where this growing
00:05diplomatic crisis between the European Union and also the United States is being felt.
00:10A vote on a resolution on EU-US relations has been postponed in order, of course, to reflect
00:15the latest developments.
00:17Your news is correspondent, Vincenzo Ginovese, is on the ground.
00:21Good morning, Vincenzo.
00:24Good morning, Maeve.
00:26Good morning for Strasbourg.
00:27Yes, indeed, as you said, Donald Trump's ambition to annex Greenland and his threats
00:32to impose tariffs on European countries are dominating this plenary session of the European
00:38Parliament.
00:39We are here today with Valérie Ayer.
00:42She is the chair, the president of Renew Europe, one of the political groups of the Parliament.
00:48Good morning.
00:48Thank you for being with us.
00:50How do you should respond to Trump?
00:52We should be strong and stronger than we have been until now.
00:57We should acknowledge that the appeasement strategy is over and that we should now play
01:04hardball because Donald Trump only understands the balance of power and the language of strength.
01:11Play hardball.
01:12What does it mean in concrete?
01:13Which tools the European Union have to care to be strong against Trump?
01:19We have different tools that we should use to pass, to go from appeasement to deterrence.
01:27I think deterrence is key vis-à-vis Donald Trump.
01:31We have already decided not to vote the Turnberry Agreement.
01:35Do you know this EU-US deal that has been signed last year in Turnberry?
01:41We decided not to vote, to postpone it and not to vote it.
01:45So first tool that we've already used.
01:47We have different tools from an economical point of view.
01:50We could decide new tariffs.
01:52We could decide to sell American debt.
01:55Do you know that we have more than one billion, trillion dollars of American debt?
02:02And we could also use the anti-coercion mechanism that has never been used until now.
02:08Do you see any unity, any appetite to trigger these tools?
02:11I must tell you that I'm quite worried because I see in some groups some appetite to play hardball.
02:21But I see also in other groups, also in pro-European groups, some people who said just keep calm, keep calm.
02:28But we have been keep calm and we have been calm until the very one day, the very first day with Donald Trump.
02:35And we have to acknowledge that it doesn't work.
02:37Yes.
02:39Can you imagine other ways of retaliation or use leverage against Donald Trump in this case?
02:47I was writing, for example, the possibility that European countries can boycott the FIFA World Cup.
02:52Is this an idea that you will support?
02:54Yes, why not?
02:55We can use all the possible leverage.
02:58This is a very symbolic one with the FIFA World Cup.
03:01So I think we also have to be clear right now that we have this economical leverage and that we are ready to use it.
03:10Nightmare scenario.
03:11Donald Trump decides to invade Greenland.
03:14It's a nightmare scenario, but it's not that impossible at this stage.
03:19What can the European Union do in this case?
03:23We have everything should be on the table.
03:25Of course, linked and decided with our Danish and Greenland friends, of course, but we should be ready.
03:32Do you know that Greenland is under Article 42.7 from the teachers?
03:38So this mutual defense clause, no ambiguity on that.
03:43So we should be ready for a clear military and economical sanction on that.
03:49But why I am speaking, talking about deterrence, to avoid that situation.
03:55We have to be strong now to avoid that situation.
03:57Let's see. Thank you very much, Valérie Ayer.
03:59Let's see if this could be the way.
04:02Thank you very much.
04:03We'll keep you posted from here, from Strasbourg.
04:05Maif.
04:06Thank you so much, Vincenzo Genovese.
04:08And to your guest there, Valérie Ayer, the head of...
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