As the presidential inauguration approaches donald trumpthe mood in Brussels and across European capitals ranges between panic and resignation, with many hoping that some kind of consensus will be found. His reelection is, without a doubt, bad news for those who believe that we all have a duty to the common good. Trump is a staunch nationalist, who only thinks about American primacy. Rather than adhering to clear principles and rules, their approach is entirely transactional. Threatens Canada and Mexico with tariffs unless they stop fentanyl and migrants from entering the United States; warns the BRICS that any attempt to create a rival to the dollar will be met with harsh retaliation or warns Europe that it must increase defense spending to 5% of GDP and buy more American oil and gas or face American sanctions .
But the problems don’t end there. His main advisor, the billionaire Elon Musksets social networks on fire with interested statements about politics, such as support for the far-right AfD on the eve of the German elections or the accusations against the British Prime Minister for being an accomplice to rape or the complaint to judges in Italy.
The wave of messages from the richest man in the world has become a headache for European politicians. The publications of tweets addressed to his 211 million followers on X, the social network he owns, mark the news agenda in several of those countries, making it impossible to ignore them.
Musk thinks that, with the exception of the US, much of the West is in decline. Japan seems to be experiencing an awakening, but Europe does not generate the new technologies or companies that the 21st century demands because it is obsessed with its social welfare policies. He also despises the adoption of climate policies because he considers them ruinous and that they reduce competitiveness and growth.
European states are too small and when they try to act together, they are not up to the task. The EU bureaucracy moves slowly and the massive failure in managing migration policy polarizes society. Many of these problems are included in the reports prepared by former Italian prime ministers, Enrico Letta and Mario Draghiwho predict that the EU will not prosper until it creates a true Single Market.
Europe needs the US more than ever. Their leaders tremble at every tweet from Musk, who despises them
In short, Europe needs the US more than ever, but it is in a worse position than ever and its leaders tremble at every tweet from Mar-a-Lago or its billionaire advisor.
Last year, he called the German chancellor a “fool” Olaf Scholz and this week hosted a live chat on X with AfD co-president, Alice Weidel and wrote an opinion article in a major German newspaper in which he called this party “the last spark of hope for Germany.” The AfD advocates lifting sanctions against Russia, freeing Germany’s foreign and energy policy from American influences, and leaving the EU.
The president of the CDU and the most likely winner of the February elections, Friedrich Merzassures that he does not remember “a comparable case of interference in the electoral campaign of a friendly country in the history of Western democracies.” While European officials are still amazed that the co-president of the new US Department of Government Efficiency intervenes in the internal affairs of other countries.
The tycoon also makes his comments in an interested manner. The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloniis one of the few Western leaders who escapes criticism. The two have met several times since Meloni came to power at the end of 2022. The controversy arose this week after it was learned that Meloni is negotiating that SpaceX and its satellite constellation provide encrypted communications to the Italian Government.
If the contract, valued at 1.5 billion for five years, is closed, SpaceX will provide telephone and internet services to prevent cyberattacks and the leak of sensitive information. The Italian opposition criticizes the relegation of national telecommunications companies and the creation of critical data security agencies.
They also argue that the contract would conflict with IRIS2, the future European satellite network with Italian participation, whose launch is scheduled for 2029. One of its objectives is, precisely, to reduce dependence on non-EU operators such as SpaceX, of Musk, or Kuiper, from Jeff Bezos.
The Commission spokesperson, Thomas Regniersaid on Monday that it was considering expanding the investigation into X to include the AfD livestream on Musk’s network. Although he later acknowledged that he “is free to express his opinions,” so everything could be a mess.
Brussels opened an investigation into Likewise, it may be failing to comply with transparency requirements. But the conclusions are still preliminary, and are not linked to the movements of its owner.
The clash between Musk and several EU political leaders is unprecedented. The confrontation represents a challenge for European legislation itself. The technology entrepreneur is protected by freedom of expression. Nobody doubts that he gives his opinion and says what he thinks in public, as the Commission recognizes. Social network X is subject to the digital services regulations. But there is no precedent for social media owners with such belligerent positions and with so many mixed roles, so the legal implications are unknown. “We are entering unexplored territory until now,” say legal sources.
Experts warn that it will not be easy to accuse him of foreign interference or violating net neutrality. The rest of the digital platforms do not respect the law either. TikTok, Temu, Meta, Instagram have open proceedings for similar matters.
The DSA regulations require companies with more than 45 million users to perform “mandatory due diligence.” The main one is the transparency of its algorithms, the analysis of social, civic or electoral risks, as well as the decisions of its managers, in addition to objective moderation of its content. And this is where the issue gets complicated, because the main shareholder of
The Commission can impose fines of up to 6% of global revenues, about 200 million, according to its 2023 accounts. It could even suspend its activity, but before reaching that point, the platform would have to fail to comply with previous rulings. Musk has already said he would challenge any ruling in court.
Any sanction against X will take time and that is what there is not. Musk should not go unpunished
Any sanction will take time, a lot of time and that is what we do not have, because the repercussions of Musk’s comments are immediate. Now it is better understood why a global network was bought, instead of a newspaper as Bezos did, with the Washington Postwhich has given him more headaches than social impact.
The EU should not stand idly by in the face of the tycoon’s verbal attacks. Romania has just forced a repeat of the elections due to harmful Russian influences in its electoral campaign and the EU itself was forced to draft a data protection regulation after the Cambridge Analytics scandal, which favored Trump’s first election. It should now act similarly to defend itself against any interference in democratic processes.
Musk’s intention is to use his X network to mobilize disenchanted voters at a time when weak economic growth is eroding trust in the governments of large European countries and fueling their instability and political weakness.
P.S..-The departure of Raúl Blanco from the presidency of Renfe was known for months. White He focused his management on improving economic results instead of serving travelers, overwhelmed by delays and breakdowns, while refusing to enter the political arena. The surprise will be that the minister Oscar Puente manage to transform a public company unionized to the teeth and with exorbitant absenteeism rates, into an Aena of trains. Hopefully.
#Musk #seeks #destabilize #Europe #critical #moment #economy
