BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission president on Wednesday said that it was the «duty of Europe» to stand up to the U.S. if President Donald Trump decides to pull his country out of the Paris climate change accord.
Jean-Claude Juncker said that «the Americans can’t just get out of the agreement,» adding that «it takes three to four years» to pull out. Juncker went on to say that the Group of Seven leaders «tried to explain this in clear simple sentences to Mr. Trump» at a recent summit in Italy. He said that even though «it looks like that attempt failed» … the «law is the law».
Trump says on Twitter that he’ll be making the announcement Thursday at 3 p.m. He ends the tweet with his campaign slogan, «Make America Great Again!» A senior White House official said Wednesday that the president was expected to withdraw from the agreement, which is aimed at reducing carbon emissions in an effort to curb global warming.
In a jibe at the U.S. administration, Juncker told the audience at an event of the Confederation of German Employers in Berlin that «not everything that is written in international agreements is fake news.»
Juncker said: «If the U.S. president pulls out of the Paris agreement, and he will in the next days or hours, then it is Europe’s duty to say that that is not how it works.» A White House official said earlier in the day that Trump was planning to pull out of the Paris deal, although a final decision hadn’t been made.
Trump on Wednesday declared that abandoning the Paris climate agreement would be a victory for the American economy. The European Union and China, meanwhile, will reaffirm their commitment to the Paris climate change accord this week regardless of whether the U.S. pulls out of the pact, a senior EU official said.
Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists advocacy group, said «I don’t think any other countries will follow the U.S. out of Paris, so if he does leave, Trump will be in splendid isolation with the leaders of Syria and Nicaragua.»
In Madrid, the leaders of India and Spain expressed their commitment to fighting climate change and reiterated their support for implanting the Kyoto and Paris accords. In a joint statement issued following talks in the Spanish capital between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy, the two countries said taking action on climatic change was a priority for both nations.
On Tuesday, Modi said in Berlin that it would be a «crime» to spoil the environment for future generations as the world awaits a decision on U.S. climate policy. Rajoy and Modi agreed to boost bilateral cooperation in the field of combating climate change.
Raf Casert in Brussels, Ciaran Giles in Madrid and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report from Associated Press.
