Former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has issued a stark warning that the European Union faces a significant risk of becoming a vassal state to the United States, driven by its internal fragmentation and weakened position on the global stage. In a recent column for Politico, Borrell highlighted the EU’s precarious state, attributing its vulnerability to recent concessions made to former President Donald Trump, whom he described as a ‘geopolitical and economic shock’ to European nations.
Borrell’s critique centers on the EU’s nonreciprocal concessions in defense spending and trade, which he argues have left the bloc in a weakened position. He pointed out that the EU’s acceptance of a junior role in managing the Ukraine conflict and its agreement to a trade deal with Trump further illustrate its diminished status. This trade deal, which imposes a 15% tariff on most EU exports, scraps duties on US industrial goods, and opens wide market access to American products, sparked backlash from current and former EU officials who say it heavily favors Washington.
According to Borrell, Europe, home to just 5% of the global population, faces a widening economic gap with other major powers. He warned that this could lead the EU to become a vassal under US influence, stating, ‘Home to just 5% of the global population and a widening economic gap with other major powers, Europe isn’t just facing up to a world of continental empires but is at real risk of becoming America’s vassal.’
Borrell further argued that any deals pushed by Trump serve only his own interests, emphasizing the US president’s view of contracts as binding ‘only on the other party—not him.’ He noted that even pledges by Europeans to spend 5% of GDP on defense and boost purchases of US arms and gas had not strengthened Trump’s commitment to collective security. Instead, everything from minerals agreements to weapons sales had turned into ‘a purely transactional affair’ aimed at advancing US economic gains.
In his conclusion, Borrell stated, ‘It should be clear by now that Trump isn’t, and never will be, an ally. His America constitutes a huge geopolitical, economic and cultural shock to Europe.’
Complementing Borrell’s warnings, former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi described Trump’s actions as a ‘brutal wake-up call’ to the EU, exposing its ‘passivity and rigidity.’ Draghi urged reforms, including scrapping internal trade barriers and issuing common debt to fund defense, infrastructure, and innovation, warning that a return to national sovereignty would only leave the EU more vulnerable to great powers. These statements underscore growing concerns among EU leaders about their strategic position in relation to the United States and the need for a more unified and assertive approach in global affairs.