Flemish minister president: EU must increase competitiveness to strengthen independence
Flemish minister president Matthias Diependaele wants Europe to strengthen its economic and strategic independence by boosting competitiveness, reinforcing defence capabilities and forging new international partnerships.
Diependaele reacted to Donald Trump's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday. The US president reiterated his ambition to acquire Greenland, saying he needs the territory for "national and international security".
"We will not tolerate threats to our sovereignty. President Trump’s speech at WEF 26 confirms once again what has been clear for some time: Europe must stand on its own two feet," Diependaele said on X. That means "more competitiveness, more military resilience and more strategic partnerships".
Despite rising political tensions, the US remains a crucial economic partner for Flanders. This message is echoed by American companies themselves, Diependaele said. "For them, the free market is still very important, contrary to the political rhetoric we hear from the US. A trade war is not good for anyone."
"Europe must do its homework"
In an interview published by De Standaard on Wednesday, Diependaele warned that many of the obstacles to greater competitiveness lie at the European level. "Flanders is doing its homework: we have a political agreement on a more efficient licensing policy. But for most matters we are dependent on Europe. It is essential that Europe now also does its homework and removes internal barriers to the European market," he said.
The minister-president also called for an urgent reassessment of Europe’s relationship with China. "Agreements must be made with China on fair trade," Diependaele said, to stop Chinese companies from flooding the market with subsidised overcapacity, which is putting pressure on European industry.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO JAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE
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