White House finds it difficult to focus on EU, says ex-envoy

Date: 21/02/02

By David Cronin

SUMMITS between the EU and US 'produce little of substance', according to Washington's former ambassador to the Union.

Stuart Eizenstat believes the new transatlantic agenda (NTA), which former President Bill Clinton signed with the EU in 1995, had proved largely ineffective. Although the accord was due to 'broaden the scope of our relationship', Eizenstat - one of its chief negotiators - said EU-US summits are 'difficult to get [US] presidents to focus upon'.

Eizenstat cited greater links between business on both sides of the Atlantic and greater cooperation on law enforcement, health care and the environment as the main successes of the NTA.

'But it has been less effective in helping to solve long-standing trade disputes,' he added.

Although he described Chris Patten, the external relations commissioner, and foreign policy chief Javier Solana as 'two of the most able statesmen in the world', he cautioned that enlargement could prove chaotic without major reforms.

'The creaky and complex decision-making process of the EU cannot accommodate the number of new member states envisioned. The EU understands this but has had great difficulty in streamlining its institutional processes,' he said.

'This involves tough trade-offs between small and large member states, changes in the functioning and organisation of the European Commission, more democratisation of the EU and significant modification of the Common Agricultural Policy, which cannot afford to take in new countries like Poland, as it is currently structured.'

It has been clear, he added, that the large-scale unemployment and sluggish performance of some EU economies is due to high labour costs and 'inflexible labour markets'.

'Current employees are protected at the expense of new hires. There is only so much that can be done from Brussels. It is the member states that have to reduce the rigidities.'

Eizenstat, who recently joined international consultancy APCO as a senior adviser, made his comments in an interview with Public Affairs Newsletter.

The interview is available in its February issue (www.publicaffairsnews.com).

Report of comments made by Washington's former ambassador to the EU, Stuart Eizenstat, in an interview with Public Affairs Newsletter, February 2002.

http://www.publicaffairsnews.com http://www.publicaffairsnews.com

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