The EU considers it possible that Trump might cancel many decisions of the outgoing administration, potentially disrupting foreign relations and trade, writes Financial Times. Brussels fears that Trump may attempt to overturn his predecessor's decisions simply because they were made by Biden, without considering the impact of such actions on European allies.
According to three FT sources, senior officials of the European Commission have been instructed to analyze Biden's orders—from sanctions against Russia to trade and cybersecurity—and determine which cancellations could have the greatest impact on the bloc or undermine its own measures.
Last summer, the commission created an internal group of senior officials to develop a strategy for the potential consequences of a second Trump presidency and ways to mitigate or respond to them. This mainly concerned potential trade conflicts and the reduction of US support for Ukraine.
Threats to close US allies from Donald Trump only accelerated work in this direction. According to officials, the EU's greatest concern is that Trump will lift sanctions imposed against Russia for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In the US, executive orders are issued only by presidents and can be revoked at any moment. Typically, a new president reviews existing orders shortly after taking office. In 2017, Trump rolled back the "thaw" in Cuba initiated by his predecessor Barack Obama and withdrew from the Paris climate agreement. A year later, he ended US participation in the Iran nuclear deal brokered by the Obama administration. "We are concerned that he will decide to cancel his actions simply because they were made by Biden," said one of the interlocutors. "We need to know how this might affect us."