Trump ‘spoke more with North Korea than with the Europeans,’ says EU Council chief

European Council President Charles Michel said Sunday that Donald Trump’s term in office had damaged the transatlantic relationship but the election of Joe Biden would mean a return to “respectful” dialogue.

“What is certain is that the last few years have damaged the relationship with the U.S. … Unfortunately, it is no joke, the previous president spoke more with North Korea than with the Europeans,” Michel said during an interview on Europe 1 radio.

“With Joe Biden, we have the prospect of a more normal, more respectful dialogue … and on several projects like the climate, to have a strong objective alliance, which is rather positive and exciting,” he added.

Biden has already announced a raft of executive actions to sweep away many of Trump’s policies and reinforce U.S. climate efforts, from rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement to revoking a key permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline.

But Michel said he was “very realistic” that the impact of Trump had not fully disappeared.

“On subjects of trade, relations with China … and perhaps the big internet companies, we will not spontaneously have concordant positions. But there will be at least, I believe, a space for more dialogue, for an exchange of arguments, for more common sense, for more rationality,” Michel said.

Work is underway on setting up an extraordinary meeting between Biden and EU leaders later this year, as well as a meeting at NATO, Michel said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian echoed Michel’s view of a damaged transatlantic relationship.

It “will no longer be the same as before, because … perhaps indirectly linked to Trump, the EU has gained self-confidence, the EU has grown, the EU came out of its naivety,” Le Drian told France Inter Radio.

“The EU has affirmed that it could, in terms of security, begin to have a position [that doesn’t rely on Washington],” he said, adding that rules on trade “must not be abused.” On a number of major industrial issues, the EU “could have its own sovereignty,” Le Drian said.

“The Europe that is there now is not the same as it was four years ago.”