On Monday night, the Belgian PM said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he believes that the tariff threats over Greenland made by US President Donald Trump marked a turning point in Europe, according to VRT NWS.
"There's a buzz in the European hive," he said. "It's a good thing I have my power bank with me, because things are heating up"
On Saturday, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on products from several European countries until a deal is reached for the US to take over Greenland. The impacted countries had recently committed to sending troops to Greenland.
On Monday, Trump threatened to further impose 200% tariffs on French wines and Champagne following Macron's refusal to join his "Board of Peace", his own international peacekeeping body.
Speaking in Davos on Monday, De Wever said that he feels that "goodwill is gone".
He added: "Denmark has always been the most loyal ally of the US and is being treated this way. And when NATO countries organise a military presence on NATO territory and are then threatened, you reach the point where appeasement and kindness are counterproductive. It only encourages them to go a step further; it's like the caterpillar that never has enough."
De Wever further emphasised the need for the EU to become more competitive, according to De Standaard.
The Belgian Prime Minister is due to meet the US president on Wednesday with King Philippe and NATO chief Mark Rutte. "That is if that one goes ahead; you never know with Trump," said De Wever.
For the PM, the priority for Europe must be strengthening its single market and ensuring it is competitive again, while being more ambitious and forging alliances with other countries.
"We have to arm ourselves," he said. "The European Council must drive the agenda and say: do this, and nothing else."
In Davos, De Wever will meet representatives from French AI company Mistral, Apple boss Tim Cook and leaders from the chemicals, pharma and energy sectors, hoping to hear from them what prevents companies from investing in Belgium.
He says the fact that Danish company Vioneo's investment in Antwerp did not go ahead is a huge alarm signal. Vioneo, a subsidiary of A.P. Moller-Maersk, cancelled its planned 1.5 billion euro green plastics factory in the port of Antwerp last week, deciding to build it in China due to better access to green methanol and lower costs.
"It is a leading investment in sustainable chemistry. Isn't that what Europe has been betting on in recent years?" he said. "If we cannot bring in even that transformative investment, you have a huge problem."
An industrial summit is due to take place on 11 February in Antwerp, followed by a meeting of European leaders on 12 February in Alden Biesen, Limburg. The theme of the two meetings is competitiveness.
