European moderates welcome US political shift

NEW DELHI (AP) – European moderates are welcoming a re-balancing of U.S. politics after the midterm election but few expect big change in relations with President Donald Trump.

EU Commissioner Pierre Moscovici tweeted that the Democrats took the majority in the House of Representative “despite powerful Republican gerrymandering,” calling it a “tremendous success.”

French President Emmanuel Macron’s government spokesman, Benjamin Griveaux, said the vote “shows the vitality of a great democracy.”

After two years in which Trump has bullied European allies and raised fears that Europe will be caught between the U.S. and Russia in a new nuclear arms race, French lawmaker Guy Teissier said the midterm result “will not change things dramatically” for Europe.

Business lobby groups in Europe said they expect protectionist U.S. policies to continue. European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber said it’s time for Europeans to stop following Washington’s example and realize “we are the biggest and largest economic power.”