EU fears Trump will reverse Biden’s executive orders on sanctions against Russia - FT
European Commission officials have initiated an analysis of hundreds of presidential decrees introduced by Joe Biden to assess their impact on the EU if Donald Trump cancels them.
This is reported by the Financial Times, Censor.NET informs.
The biggest concern is the sanctions against Russia imposed because of its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to sources in Brussels, the EU is concerned that Trump may cancel Biden's decrees simply because of his authorship, without taking into account the potential consequences for European allies.
"The concern is he decides to reverse things just because Biden had done them. We need to know how that could affect us," one source said.
In addition to sanctions, Brussels is considering the risks associated with possible trade conflicts, reduced support for Ukraine, and changes in cooperation on European security and defence.
Presidential decrees
Presidential decrees are personal decisions of the current head of state and can be cancelled by his successor at any time. In the past, Donald Trump, after taking office in 2017, cancelled rapprochement with Cuba, withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement, and suspended the US participation in the nuclear deal with Iran.
In the summer of 2024, the European Commission reportedly set up a special group of senior officials to assess the potential consequences of a second Trump presidency. Brussels also hopes that even if the decrees are cancelled, Trump may keep sanctions against Russia as a lever for possible negotiations with Moscow.
A representative of Trump's transition team stressed that the newly elected president has been given a mandate to change the status quo in Washington and fulfil his election promises.
As a reminder, the European Union will be talking to the incoming US administration led by Donald Trump about the importance of containing the Russian threat, as it is also linked to the situation in the Indo-Pacific region.
