European nations need to do more to show the US the EU is still its most “important and reliable ally”, argues Poland’s government.
Warsaw is urging the EU to “boost its strategic communication” to ensure Washington does not lose interest in the “critical” months ahead of November’s US elections.
National governments and the Brussels-based EU institutions both urgently need to counteract “disinformation” circulating in the US during the election campaign, says the Polish foreign ministry.
The EU’s member states “should actively engage, through a division of labour and after mapping the economic cooperation with the US, in reaching out to representatives of US administration, US Congress, local politicians, academic centres, media and think tanks,” the foreign ministry wrote in a briefing for other capitals.
There was a need to “demonstrate that we are still the most important and reliable partner for the US”, it added.
The memo, designed for discussion during a July 22 meeting of EU foreign ministers, continues: “At this critical moment in history, it is imperative that we collectively take a swift and robust action to effectively counter mis- and disinformation about the EU and its Member States in the US”.
Poland says its foreign minister will set out several suggestions how to achieve this at the meeting.
The memo follows a separate briefing from Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán, who told Charles Michel, outgoing president of the European Council, “the US is at the moment heavily preoccupied with the presidential campaign”.
Talks with Donald Trump revealed “foreign policy will play only a small role in his campaign, which is dominated by internal political questions”, Orbán wrote.
If Trump becomes the next US President, “the proportion of the financial burden between the US and the EU will significantly change to the EU’s disadvantage when it comes to the financial support of Ukraine, says Hungary’s PM.
