Bart Szewczyk’s commentary was included in a Deutsche Welle article examining how President Biden’s decision to drop his reelection campaign will affect the European Union’s (EU) preparations for either a Harris or Trump administration after the U.S. presidential election.
Bart underscores the importance for the EU to manage relations with potential presidential administrations, saying that cooperation with the U.S. is important regardless of which parties are in power within both the executive and legislative branches, because “the broader West, together with Japan, South Korea, and Australia, accounts for 60 percent of global GDP.” He also noted that he believes shared priorities between the U.S. and EU, such as the defense of Ukraine and cooperation with Europe, will continue through the remainder of Biden’s term.
Speaking on the effects of a potential second Trump administration, Bart points out that Trump and his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, “will have to define their priorities and expectations with regard to Europe, with regard to partners and allies in other parts of the world, including the Pacific, and glue all these foreign policy vectors into a coherent plan.”
Bart gave an overview of what to expect from Biden’s final months in office, telling Deutsche Welle that “this will certainly be a very active period.” Bart also drew on his prior government experience as a senior policy advisor, saying, “When I worked in the Obama administration, the last six months were very intense, including the three months after the election. This machine is working, especially since in foreign affairs it is the president who decides. Rather, domestic legislation will be inhibited, because here congressional approval is required.”
“One should also not forget that governments have changed in many EU countries, and the EU itself will have a new High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy — Kaja Kallas. I assume that an effort will also be made on the part of the U.S. to establish good relations with the new team in Brussels, and depending on who wins in November, to push policy toward Russia or China in the intended direction,” Bart added.
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