The European Union’s development chief attacked Donald Trump’s move to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement but argued it will be “good” for European companies that can plug the investment gap left behind.
Jozef Síkela also warned Washington’s 90-day foreign aid spending freeze may never be lifted — but said EU member states already give “far above our fair world GDP share” of aid, suggesting other “G7 or G20” countries might step in to make up the lost funding.
Giving evidence to MEPs in Brussels, Síkela called the 2015 Paris accord — signed by almost every nation in a bid to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius — “the best hope of all humanity,” predicting: “The U.S., sooner or later, will be forced to turn back. I think that certain things are unavoidable.”
About the author
Rob Merrick
Rob Merrick is the U.K. Correspondent for Devex, covering FCDO and British aid. He reported on all the key events in British politics of the past 25 years from Westminster, including the financial crash, the Brexit fallout, the "Partygate" scandal, and the departures of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Rob has worked for The Independent and the Press Association and is a regular commentator on TV and radio. He can be reached at rob.merrick@devex.com.
