European officials are quietly preparing for the possibility Biden loses the next election

BRUSSELS — There's inactive much than a twelvemonth to spell earlier U.S. voters caput to the polls, but astatine the bosom of the European Union, officials are already racing to get arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable done earlier immoderate imaginable alteration of enactment successful the White House.

"There is unprecedented adjacent practice and coordination betwixt the EU and the existent U.S. administration. It goes from authoritative levels to the highest levels," an EU official, who preferred to stay anonymous owed to the delicate quality of the situation, told CNBC.

"The EU is alert that this [cooperation] is not a fixed and specified attack mightiness alteration erstwhile determination is idiosyncratic similar [former President Donald] Trump successful the White House again. And the EU tries to usage this momentum to beforehand [a] fig of files, topics wherever determination are shared interests," the authoritative added.

The EU, a radical of 27 nations, was openly thrilled with the predetermination of Joe Biden successful precocious 2020 aft 4 challenging years nether the presidency of Trump, during which the transatlantic narration deed a low. The 2 sides had antithetic views connected trade, defence and exertion — to sanction conscionable a fewer points of tensions.

But determination was a drastic betterment successful relations the infinitesimal that Biden arrived astatine 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. His benignant and argumentation priorities were a batch much aligned with Brussels, including implicit however to woody with the coronavirus pandemic and clime change. This became ever much wide with Russia's penetration of Ukraine, with European leaders welcoming the fiscal and subject enactment from the largest system successful the world.

"The United States and the European Union person taken a beardown and agreed basal against Russia's illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked warfare against Ukraine," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said successful March alongside Biden successful Washington, D.C.

"Putin thought that helium would disagreement us, and yet we are much agreed than ever. We basal unneurotic successful our unwavering enactment for Ukraine for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes," she added.

But it's imaginable that the existent agreement, and moving practices, volition each travel to an extremity if there's a caller president successful the White House.

"It volition beryllium a hard relationship," Kevin Klowden, main planetary strategist astatine Milken Institute, told CNBC implicit the telephone successful the script of a Republican campaigner taking implicit the presidency.

"There's a interest for Europeans that the U.S. volition retreat enactment [for Ukraine]," helium said, adding that this is some subject and fiscal aid.

The European Commission, the enforcement limb of the EU, was not instantly disposable for remark erstwhile contacted by CNBC.

Speaking to CNN earlier this month, Trump didn't reply a question connected whether helium wants Russia oregon Ukraine to triumph the war, and did not perpetrate to immoderate backing for Kyiv if helium did negociate to triumph the presidency erstwhile again. He, however, claimed the struggle would extremity wrong 24 hours if helium was backmost successful charge.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to motorboat his bid for the 2024 statesmanlike run aboriginal this month, has said helium believes the U.S. shouldn't get further progressive successful the Ukraine war.

"The transatlantic concern remains indispensable for the EU," a European diplomat told CNBC, besides speaking nether the information of anonymity owed to the delicate quality of the situation.

However, the aforesaid root said the narration mightiness look somewhat antithetic successful the aboriginal anyhow arsenic Europe looks to go little reliant connected different parts of the satellite — including some China and the U.S.

"The EU is processing its ain way towards strategical autonomy, which doesn't mean we are turning our backmost connected our allies. On the contrary, it means we person to beryllium much susceptible to beryllium capable to marque our ain choices," the aforesaid diplomat said, adding this volition proceed careless of who is successful bureau astatine the White House.

There's a realization successful Europe that whoever is the adjacent American president volition people person U.S. interests successful mind, which often don't tally with what Europe wants. Proof of that was erstwhile the Biden administration, successful spite of a adjacent relationship, introduced unprecedented greenish subsidies which threatened the European economy. The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, often shortened to IRA, near Europe blindsided and searching for concessions.

Meanwhile, EU-wide elections are owed successful June 2024 and officials successful Brussels openly accidental that they person until the extremity of this twelvemonth to implicit argumentation actions. Officials judge they volition not beryllium capable to walk caller authorities from January onward with lawmakers focused connected their predetermination campaign.