President Donald Trump and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu share a similar view of the European Union (E.U.). Both have dim views of the bloc and its Brussels-based institutions. The relationships can be charitably described as “strained.”

During his first term, Trump described the E.U. as a “foe” operating “to hurt the United States on trade.” The charge was reiterated during a 2025 cabinet meeting using more colorful language: “The European Union was formed in order to screw the United States. That’s the purpose of it, and they’ve done a good job of it.” This summer, the administration launched a Section 301 investigation against the E.U., accusing it of “robbing” American companies by improperly imposing antitrust penalties.

The relationship soured further when Trump issued an additional trade warning in September, threatening “very serious tariffs” when the E.U. invited Canada to be its first “associate member.”

Thousands of miles away on the other side of the world, Netanyahu perceives Brussels as inherently hostile and hypocritical toward Israel. The leader has previously decried the E.U.’s foreign policy as “absolutely crazy,” arguing that the bloc conditions economic, security, and technology relations on political concessions regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He chalks it up to what he refers to as a “deep moral weakness” and a strategy of appeasement toward radical Islamic terror.

Netanyahu routinely accuses E.U. institutions of applying a double standard against Israel while ignoring grave human rights violations elsewhere.

‘Qatargate’ in Brussels

Presumably, neither the U.S. nor Israel is likely to shed a tear over events that undermine the reputation of the E.U. and its associated institutions. E.U. officials would do well to recall the string of high-profile scandals that have rocked Brussels over the last few decades, from bribery to foreign influence to internal mismanagement.

Among the most damaging of these controversies is “Qatargate,” an affair that erupted in 2022 and exposed illicit foreign lobbying at the highest levels of the bloc’s governance. Belgian authorities claimed that the governments of Qatar and Morocco used large cash bribes and luxury gifts to sway E.U. policies, weaken critical resolutions on human rights, and push for visa-free travel perks.

The legal proceedings are still ongoing, but some — including a former member of the E.U. parliament — have already admitted guilt. Others have been charged in Belgium with corruption, money laundering, and participation in a criminal organization. The investigation led to an additional arrest warrant issued this summer.

‘Huaweigate’ in Brussels

Another scandal involves the Chinese tech giant Huawei. Company representatives have been accused of bribing members of the E.U. parliament. The claims prompted a major cash-for-influence investigation by Belgian authorities centered on alleged efforts by Huawei to circumvent a ban on its access to Europe’s 5G infrastructure market.

E.U. members feared that giving an adversarial power access to vital communications systems constituted an unacceptable risk. So, while “Qatargate” was about a foreign government buying good publicity, “Huaweigate” entailed (potentially hostile) foreign control over critical infrastructure.

These are far from the only troubling episodes. The list of malfeasance and financial shenanigans involving E.U. institutions is disturbingly long.

Pot calling the kettle black

While Brussels expects member states to adhere to a high ethical standard, the E.U. apparatus itself doesn’t seem to play by its own rules. That hypocrisy undermines its credibility and taints its reputation with the rest of the world, ironically in the very areas the E.U. claims particular authority: rule of law, transparency, anti-corruption, and resistance to foreign interference.

For both Trump and Netanyahu, the two-facedness is a gift. Ongoing scandal further erodes the stature and moral authority of a bloc both leaders regard as an obstacle to their policy priorities. The American and Israeli leaders should, theoretically, be thanking Brussels for doing some of their PR work.

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Dr. Martin Sherman is the founder of the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a member of the Habithonistim-Israel Defense & Security Forum (IDSF) research team, and a participant in the Israel Victory Project.

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