Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1529555
11 EDITORIAL maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 20 NOVEMBER 2024 DONALD Trump's picks for his future cabinet so far confirm the US president-elect will em- bark on a policy of international withdrawal, economic isolationism and climate scepticism. This spells bad news for European Union at a time when the bloc lacks leadership. It is clear that Trump will re-assess Ameri- ca's role in the world, starting with the war in Ukraine. He is likely to adopt the politics of appeasement towards Russia and scale down, if not withdraw, America's military support for Ukraine. This will leave the EU on its own to shore up Ukraine's defensive capabilities, a prospect that will most definitely fall short of existing efforts. The EU's ability to supply Ukraine with the military assistance it needs to stand up to Russia's aggression is severely hampered by Germany's weak position. In these circum- stances, the EU will have to make a strategic de- cision where it stands on the issue – tag along with Donald Trump's appeasement strategy that will most definitely require Ukraine to give up sovereignty on some of its territory; or stand by Ukraine all the way in the hope that Russian forces will someday be pushed back. It is not an easy choice. Allowing Russia to prevail by accepting its territorial gains in Ukraine is akin to giving the unpredictable Vladimir Putin a carte blanche to pursue his expansionist ideals elsewhere in Europe. At the same time, a weak EU can hardly dig deep- er and further into its coffers and military sup- plies to prop up Ukraine on its own, let alone provide increased assistance that will allow the Ukrainians to mount a decent fight-back. Within this context, the EU must chart its own course, using its economic and diplomat- ic power in combination with a more cohesive military strategy. The same sticky situation will arise in trade, where Trump is prospecting new tariffs on imports to prioritise American manufactur- ing and production. The EU must remain the bulwark of international free trade but to do so it must find a way of countering American protectionism. The upshot of this impending crisis is that the EU must strive more towards strategic autonomy in several key areas, in- cluding food production, energy, high-end manufacturing, research and innovation, the bio-medical industry, artificial intelligence and military investment. Achieving strategic autonomy will undoubt- edly take years and in some instances, it is doubtful whether the EU can truly be self-re- liant for everything. This is why the EU must forge new, closer partnerships with like-mind- ed countries and those in its immediate neigh- bourhood. The third worrying aspect of a Trump presi- dency will be its lack of belief in climate change and the actions needed to slow down this glob- al phenomenon. The EU must step up its efforts to be a world leader in climate change action through poli- cy measures that limit CO2 emissions, invest- ment in mitigation measures and enforcement. However, in adopting this course of action the EU must not ignore those who cannot afford replacing old appliances, cars and machinery with environmentally sound products. The imposition of changes that are likely to cause a financial burden, risks creating push back in society, irrespective of how deeply concerned people are with climate change. The transition to a carbon-less economy must be accompa- nied by a social transition. The problem at this stage is that the EU lacks cohesion at a time when it requires solid lead- ership. Member states must realise that they have to pull together to create a union that is dynamic, competitive and able to assert its soft and economic power on the world stage. At the same time, the EU must beef up its spending in strategic areas such as energy, logistics and transport, military and defence, chip-making, AI, biomedical engineering, pharmaceutical production, scientific research, robotics, food production and farming, and other areas nec- essary to make the bloc less dependent on out- side forces in critical areas. The Trumpian storm ahead will undoubted- ly create geopolitical uncertainty, especially in Europe. Unfortunately, the EU appears unpre- pared to sail through this storm, unless Euro- pean leaders quickly understand the need for cohesive action across several fronts. EU unprepared for Trumpian storm ahead maltatoday MaltaToday, MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 MANAGING EDITOR: SAVIOUR BALZAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR: KURT SANSONE EDITOR: PAUL COCKS Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt ceedings. Freedom from direct government interference in the adjudication process has been recognised as a basic require- ment of an independent tribu- nal system in the development of constitutional and Europe- an law. However, the govern- ment, by design or by default, is adversely impairing the in- dependence and impartiality of the tribunals in more covert ways. If our tribunals continue to face political pressure, with their appointments and reap- pointments continuing to be politicised, with a system de- valued and disrespected, there will be pervasive impacts that will make a mockery of justice. Our tribunals need collegi- al members who will support their tribunal's institutional goals of adjudicative excel- lence, productivity, timeliness, accessibility and accountabili- ty. Will the government finally take the cue? If our tribunals continue to face political pressure, with their appointments and reappointments continuing to be politicised, with a system devalued and disrespected, there will be pervasive impacts that will make a mockery of justice.