European Parliament members urge EU to reposition itself with increased autonomy of US

Frustrated by Washington's recent unilateral moves, some members of the European Parliament (MEPs) urged the European union to reposition itself with increased autonomy, the Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday. The relations between the European Union (EU) and the United States came under fire after Washington signed a trilateral security partnership between Australia and the United Kingdom, called AUKUS. The members also raised questions over America's unilateral decision to withdraw the troops from the war-torn country, Afghanistan.

In a two and half-hour-long debate, the members of the European Parliament discussed the recent unilateral decisions taken by Joe Biden-led US government. "I am disappointed by President Biden," Xinhua quoted Belgian MEP Hilde Vautmans as saying. "He claims America's back. Fair enough. But does that mean that in his perception, in his mind, and in his strategic approach, also Europe is back? No," Xinhua quoted Belgian MEP Vautmans. According to her, the Biden government did not take the advice of its European partners before announcing the abrupt withdrawal of the troops from Afghanistan. She said the United States had also totally sidelined the Europeans before taking any steps in the AUKUS deal.

'The honeymoon is over', says Belgian MEP

Moreover, Biden did not even exert action to eliminate American tariffs on European steel, said Belgian MEP. Meanwhile, German MEP Bernd Lange also took a dig at the United States government and highlighted the trade conflicts among the EU and Biden administration. "The honeymoon is over," Xinhua quoted Lange as saying during the Parliament debate. He warned the United States of doubling the counter-measures if the Biden government would not offer clarification by the end of November. 

The United States submarine deal with Australia "is certainly not something which has helped to make our association more durable," Xinhua reported. Meanwhile, Maximilian Krah from the Identity and Democracy Group recommended the Parliament to build a partnership with the United States based on 'real concerns rather of pure faiths'. "The best way ahead on this planet is to try to accommodate and not assume that we are the exclusive bodies who know the actual truth," Xinhua quoted Maximilian Krah.

Image: Twitter/@Europarl_EN/AP