The Circle calls for maintaining a relationship "as fluid as possible" with China in the face of Trump.

The Catalan entity warns about the vulnerabilities on which the European social model has been based over the past 40 years and encourages the diversification of EU alliances.

The disruption brought about by Donald Trump 's arrival as president of the United States has made the European Union more aware than ever of the dependencies on which its collective project has been based for the past 40 years. On the one hand, there is the energy dependence on an increasingly authoritarian Russia, which has guaranteed cheap gas and oil for almost 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. On the other, there is the massive import of cutting-edge technology from the United States and China, coupled with the growing globalization of the economy, a phenomenon that has been highly beneficial to Europe as a net exporter of goods and services. Finally, the protective umbrella of the United States in defense has allowed the continent to forget about an area it has almost entirely delegated to NATO and the North American giant.

Given this scenario, the Barcelona Economic Circle published an opinion piece yesterday ahead of its annual meeting next week, calling on Europe to "wake up" politically and economically to avoid "falling into irrelevance." The institution believes that the aforementioned dependencies have become "vulnerabilities" and, at the same time, we are returning to a scenario in which the major powers, in this case the United States, China, and Russia, advocate for a world once again governed by spheres of influence.

In this context, Europe must have its own voice and "rethink its relationship with the United States." "We must maintain a privileged relationship with the United States, but it is no longer an unconditional ally," stressed Jaume Guardiola, president of the Círculo de Economía (Economic Circle). According to the organization, the continent is also obliged to actively manage its relationship with China and Russia. In his opinion, the EU must "open up to China" and, in today's multipolar world, foster relationships based on trust as opposed to the "law of the strongest." "We must deepen relations with China and make them as fluid as possible," stated Miquel Nadal, director general of the Círculo.

In addition to China, the institution called for Europe's "diversification of alliances" with countries such as Canada, Australia, India, and Brazil, although it admitted that this approach is not easy given the divisions plaguing the continent. Therefore, it advocated for member states to be able to advance European integration in the area of ​​defense without requiring unanimity among all countries, to avoid being blocked, for example, by Hungary.

The organization advocates promoting a European security and defense policy, albeit without renouncing NATO. "We must talk about resources, such as the defense investment announced a few days ago by the Spanish government, but also objectives and forms of coordination, which will require cessions of sovereignty," Nadal noted.

Economic revitalization is another issue Europe must address, primarily to maintain the welfare state and improve productivity, which has declined compared to the United States and China over the past 20 years. In this regard, the Circle called for the creation of an ecosystem to promote cutting-edge technology and industrial decarbonization.