If a week is a long time in politics, after a bruising fortnight of wrestling with the world’s two superpowers, the European Union could be forgiven for thinking it has aged several decades.
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A bruising encounter over Russia with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi was followed by chaotic skirmishes on trade with the United States over the last week, as the EU scrambled to avoid being crushed between the duelling titans.
The bad news for the bloc’s bureaucrats is that they may have an even trickier few weeks to navigate before they are sipping chilled rosé among the lavender fields of Provence on their notoriously long August holidays.
On Monday, trade ministers will meet in Brussels to hash out a response to US President Donald Trump’s weekend announcement of a 30 per cent tariff on all EU-made goods, with pressure mounting on the European Commission to retaliate.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday that if no agreement was reached by August 1, the bloc must consider using its anti-coercion instrument, a powerful trade weapon that would allow it to block US services and digital exports.
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On Sunday, however, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would “extend the suspension of our countermeasures till early August”.
Next Sunday, EU leaders will head for Asia, where a stop at an expo in Osaka will be followed by an EU-Japan summit in Tokyo. From there they will fly to Beijing for an altogether more challenging affair.