Mr President, Members of the European Parliament, Commissioner,
"Acting together, the European Union and the United States can be a formidable force for good in the world." So says the European Security Strategy.
Further strengthening joint transatlantic action and developing our relations with the US – these are central elements of our Presidency, both in policy-making and business and in energy security and climate protection. And this is to be the message of the EU-US Summit in Washington on 30 April.
It is good that we have the chance to discuss things here today, just a few days before the Summit, and to issue this important signal from the European Parliament as well.
The European Parliament plays an active role in transatlantic relations. Let me just mention the Transatlantic Legislators Dialogue, an important element of the network of bilateral links which connects the two sides of the Atlantic at many different levels.
I should like expressly to thank you, Mr President, and the whole European Parliament for this commitment.
The US is still the partner with which we in the EU have the closest and most diverse relations. The transatlantic relationship rests on a solid foundation, a foundation deriving from common historical experiences, very similar interests and, above all, shared values – freedom, democracy, the rule of law and tolerance. Experience has shown that this foundation – which is sometimes put sorely to the test – can withstand a great deal. It is all the more important, then, to constantly renew our transatlantic relations and make them fit for the future. In my view, concrete joint action is the most sustainable way to underpin the significance of transatlantic cooperation, for the future as well.
The transatlantic partnership is not restricted to bilateral issues, but has a strong global dimension. There is scarcely a crisis – from Afghanistan to Iran to Kosovo – in which the transatlantic partners do not come together to try to find possible solutions. Whilst we are largely agreed in our analysis of the key dangers and challenges and on our fundamental policy objectives, the EU and US have had, and still have, differing stances on the priorities, as well as on instruments and methods. These differences will persist and it would be unrealistic to expect us always to be of one mind.
We do not ignore difficult issues; on the contrary, we pursue an intensive dialogue with the US on exactly these issues. In this context, we will not deviate from our position that anti-terrorism measures must be wholly compatible with our international obligations, including human rights, refugee rights and humanitarian international law, and must be taken on the basis of our shared values. The European Parliament has repeatedly taken a very clear position on this, and we will continue to address these questions in talks with our American partners.
It is crucial that we do not let ourselves be divided on these matters, because a close partnership between the EU and the US is indispensable for both sides.
This, too, ladies and gentlemen, is to be the signal sent out at the forthcoming EU-US Summit in Washington on 30 April.
The Summit will focus, in addition to cooperation on political and security-related issues, on strengthening transatlantic commerce and intensifying cooperation on climate protection and energy policy.
On the fringe of the Summit, we will be signing the EU-US air transport agreement, a further important step on the way towards liberalizing the transatlantic markets, which will benefit citizens and business alike.
In this connection, the mobility of our citizens also seems to me to be an important factor. As you know, the citizens of 12 EU Member States still require a visa, even for brief stays in the US. The Presidency is urging the US to allow all EU citizens to enjoy the so-called US Visa Waiver Programme. This, too, will be discussed at the Summit.
Ladies and gentlemen, the EU and the US are already the most closely intermeshed economic areas in the world.
We believe – and I know a large number of you think the same – that the potential for economic cooperation is far from exhausted. The different regulatory approaches in the EU and US produce unnecessary transaction costs, and so a further dismantling of non-tariff barriers to trade is urgently needed. We therefore want to use the EU-US Summit to launch an initiative to strengthen transatlantic commerce. The core of the initiative is a mutual political commitment to deepen cooperation with a view to achieving regulatory convergence and a further intensification of economic links. With this initiative, we want to try to give cooperation new impetus in a whole number of areas, for instance investment conditions, financial markets regulation, new industrial technologies and intellectual property.
We expect to be able to arrive at an ambitious package which will give transatlantic economic cooperation a fresh boost.
There is one thing I would like to emphasize here: this initiative is most definitely not competing with multilateral efforts towards trade facilitations; rather, it is intended to complement them and to support the successful conclusion of the Doha round.
Another focus of the Summit will be the topics energy security and climate protection – in the Presidency's view, key transatlantic issues for the future.
At the EU Spring Summit on 8/9 March we agreed on far-reaching climate protection goals and adopted an Energy Action Plan. In the wake of these decisions, we want to use the EU-US Summit to intensify our cooperation with the US in these areas.
There is no need for me to shout it out here: over the past few years and decades there have been repeated differences of opinion, some of them quite fundamental, between the EU and the US particularly on climate protection issues. But I think the impression that there has been much movement in the US on this point is a correct one. Particularly in relation to cooperation on research and technology, there is great interest on the US side as well in stepping up cooperation with the EU.
Our aim must be to pool our energies and radically shorten the innovation cycles for new processes and technologies, not least because this is a major market for the future. The transatlantic partners must, in our own vested interests, take a lead here. I say this also with an eye to the research community in Europe and the influential role the European Parliament plays in that connection. I am convinced that energy security and climate protection will be one of the key transatlantic projects of the 21st century.
Ladies and gentlemen, peace and stable development in all parts of the world are the fundamental prerequisites for security and prosperity in Europe and America.
We therefore intend to use the EU-US Summit not least of all to signal the broadest possible agreement on foreign and security policy issues. In the Middle East conflict we have, by reviving the Quartet, – and I phrase this very carefully – at least opened the door a little way for a solution. With regard to Iran and its nuclear programme, we have succeeded in preserving the unity of the international community – which I believe to be crucial if an agreed solution is to be reached with Iran. We are cooperating closely with NATO and the US in the civil-military stabilization of Afghanistan. We want to further intensify this cooperation particularly with regard to training the police force there. The same holds true for the planned ESDP mission in Kosovo.
These are only a few of the international issues which require close transatlantic coordination.
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to finish by quoting the European Security Strategy once again. "No single country is able to tackle today's complex problems on its own." This is true of the EU, and it is also true of the US. Only if we are able to harness the influence, experience and possibilities of Europe and America and to mobilize the best forces and ideas will we be able to find viable responses for our common future and the future of subsequent generations.
