Trump adds to internal strife hindering EU competitiveness push
Hindustan Times* Trump adds to internal strife hindering EU competitiveness push Draghi stresses urgency of EU competitiveness after Trump win * EU leaders to sign declaration for deeper single market, more investments * Belgian PM urges EU unity ahead of potential Trump tariff war By Philip Blenkinsop, Anita Komuves BUDEST, - The European Union's task of boosting competitiveness to catch up with rivals the United States and China has gained fresh urgency after Donald Trump's election win, Mario Draghi said on Friday, as doubts increase that the bloc is up to the task. Former European Central Bank chief Draghi, speaking at an EU summit ahead of presenting his report on EU competitiveness to EU leaders on Friday, said the sense of crisis had deepened. EU leaders are expected to sign off on the "Budapest Declaration" on Friday, a long to-do list with multiple deadlines for a deeper single market, more capital for investments and a unified energy market. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the EU needed to pull together ahead of Trump's return to the White House, explain to him the impact of a tariff war and be clear that they should discuss the economic behaviour of their common competitor China.