site.btaMEP Eva Maydell: Trump Will View EU as Excel File, Political Agreements Will Become Increasingly Difficult

MEP Eva Maydell (GERB/European People's Party), Vice-Chair of European Parliament's Delegation for relations with the United States, gave a press conference for Bulgarian journalists in Brussels on Wednesday after Donald Trump's US presidential elections win. "Trump will view the European Union (EU) as an Excel file," she said.

"In his first term in office, Trump rarely looked to Europe. We are not his first priority. He's likely to put us on the table as an Exel file. From now on we have to talk business with him", the Bulgarian MEP added. 

Maydell argued that on many issues Europe will no longer be able to rely on the US as a partner and will have to take its own responsibility. She described Trump's victory as emphatic. 

"Purely political agreements on major issues will become increasingly difficult. When we talk about Ukraine, Lebanon, China," Maydell said. 

"As far as NATO is concerned, I think, a lot of countries have realized that 2% is the bare minimum that should be spent on defense. The question now is whether we can devote more than that percentage. We do not know what Donald Trump's attitude to NATO will be, whether he will want to reform it, whether he will want to stay in NATO. We have to be prepared for tough negotiations," she added.

In response to a question by BTA, Eva Maydel commented that in the last few days connections were being made between the US and Bulgarian elections. "The responsibility for forming a government in Bulgaria lies only on the Bulgarian parties. The decisions about what happens in our country should be taken in Sofia, I believe they are taken in Sofia," said the GERB/EPP MEP.