Erna Solberg hopes for European breakthrough in the G20

Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg speaks during a press conference after a gathering of European leaders on the upcoming G-20 summit in the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, June 29, 2017. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Prime Minister Erna Solberg said she hopes Europe will leave a clear footprint at the G20 summit in Hamburg. A historical confrontation may await participants at the summit.

 

Norway is a guest country in the G20 during the year’s German presidency, and Solberg has a seat at the table during the summit, which will be held on Friday and Saturday next week.


On Thursday, the G20 European countries met in Berlin. Solberg met the press, together with German Prime Minister Angela Merkel, France’s President, Emmanuel Macron, and several other European leaders.


According to Solberg, at the meeting, unity in Europe was testified.


‘We share a common view of the fundamentals; these being values, human rights, the rule of law and the need for broad multilateral solutions to solve global challenges,’ said Solberg.


‘I hope for a clear European footprint on the final statement of the summit,’ she said.


She specifically drew attention to the Paris agreement and trade policy as areas where it’s important to preserve global cooperation.


It’s in exactly these areas where powerful confrontations are expected, especially because of USa’s President, Donald Trump, has ‘America First’ as the motto of his trade policy, and has withdrawn the USA from the Paris agreement.


Sceptics have suggested that the whole Donald Trump versus Europe scenario is simply theatre for the masses, and business as usual will prevail, as it always does.

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today