| Author (Person) | Davies, Eric | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Publisher | ProQuest Information and Learning | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Title | In Focus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Details | 30.6.03 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publication Date | 30/06/2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content Type | News, Overview, Topic Guide | In Focus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The latest EU-US Summit was held in Washington on 25 June 2003. It was the first to take place since the Iraq crisis - a point made by Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, representing the Presidency of the Council of the EU. Speaking at the post-Summit press conference, Mr Simitis said 'This is our first meeting after the crisis in Iraq. I want to stress, because many people said that there was a serious period of strain, that the transatlantic relationship does work, it produces results and it is important for both of us.' The Summit certainly produced results, in the form of a wide range of agreements, notably on an Open Aviation Area, the Hydrogen Economy, and weapons of mass destruction. However, it also highlighted differences on a number of issues, including genetically modified foods and the Middle East. Officially, the two sides stressed the positive nature of the relationship, with President Bush saying 'We are united in common values and we will seek common solutions to our shared challenges.' Background Regular Summit meetings between the President of the United States, the Presidency of the Council of the EU, and the President of the European Commission have been held since the two sides signed the Transatlantic Declaration in 1990. Details of the following meetings are available via the website of the Commission Delegation in Washington: December 1997 Although a significant event, the formal Summit meeting was a brief affair which lasted only a few hours. Leaders convened at 10:30 in the White House Oval Office, with the post-Summit press conference scheduled for 13.20. Some of the developments announced during the Summit were therefore agreed at other events, which took place on the periphery of the main meeting. Those events included:
Both sides realise and appreciate the value of EU-US links. Before the Summit, the President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, highlighted the significance of the economic ties:
There is more to the relationship than economics and trade, even where disagreements are concerned. Although there have been traded-related disputes between the two sides over - amongst other things - bananas, steel, beef and genetically modified food, it is political issues which have recently come to dominate the agenda. That said, GM food was on the menu, if not the agenda, in Washington, with the Financial Times reporting President Bush as joking 'Let's go eat some genetically modified food for lunch.' Although Mr Bush's spokesman said the EU delegation laughed at the President's quip, the issue is a serious one and, according to the FT, 'they were clearly not amused' (see Europeans not amused by Bush's rhetoric). The FT revealed that Commissioner Lamy took the opportunity of the Summit to ask President Bush 'to tone down his rhetoric on the issue'. The Commissioner had been annoyed by accusations from Mr Bush that the EU's position on GM foods is increasing starvation in Africa, because an EU trade ban means that countries can't take up GM technologies (which, according to the US, would increase crop yields). Mr Lamy felt it was 'one thing to disagree', but 'it is another thing to use starvation to advance a position in this debate.' Ironically, the European Commission wants the Member States to lift the ban - something which Mr Lamy thinks is unlikely to happen as long as the US maintains the present level of rhetoric and Europeans see the issue as one concerning the ability of American agribusiness to earn subsidies for dumping unwanted produce on developing countries. The politics of the Middle East were also cause the cause of some tension between the EU and US, with President Bush urging 'leaders in Europe and around the world to take swift, decisive action against terror groups such as Hamas, to cut off their funding [and their] support' (see European Leaders Act to Fight Global Terror). The EU, however, sees the political wing of Hamas as a key component of any ceasefire deal. It accepts the need to cut off Hamas' funding, but doesn't want to drive the organisation underground. Such disagreements aren't going to put an end to the relationship, as Mr Lamy made clear on 26 June in his speech Partnership of a Great Purpose: 'one of the key messages that came out from a rather constructive and workmanlike summit ... is that the authorities on both sides of the Atlantic, want to continue with their partnership.' Reference was also made to the 'old Europe / new Europe' spat started by US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in the lead-up to the war in Iraq. (Mr Rumsfeld didn't attend the Summit). President Prodi diplomatically commented:
Decisions announced at the June 2003 EU-US Summit Announcements were made concerning a number of important initiatives. These included a Joint Statement on the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, in which the EU and US agreed to:
The Statement also condemned North Korea's nuclear weapons programme and expressed the 'continuing serious concern' of leaders over the nuclear programme being pursued by Iran. In a Joint Statement on the Hydrogen Economy, the two sides undertook to 'collaborate on accelerating the development of the hydrogen economy as part of our broadening cooperation on energy', saying their cooperation will 'lay the technical, legal, and commercial basis needed to accelerate the commercial penetration and trade of emissions-free hydrogen technology world-wide, in cars, buildings and power generation, to secure to our citizens and our posterity the abundant, secure, and clean energy required to sustain growth, ensure security, and protect the environment.' They agreed a number of actions in support of the International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy, including:
Following a decision by EU Transport Ministers on 5th June authorising the Commission to negotiate a comprehensive air services agreement with the United States, the EU and US agreed at the Summit to start negotiations on an open aviation area. They announced that negotiations will begin in Autumn 2003, saying:
Leaders described the signature of EU/US Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance Agreements as 'a significant event in the history of the Euro-American relations' intended to help the two parties 'efficiently fight crime and, in particular, transnational organized crime.' The texts signed apparently had their origins in discussions which took place in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. The Transatlantic Business Dialogue (TABD) received a boost when Commissioner Erkki Liikanen and US Commerce Secretary Don Evans agreed to relaunch it 'in a new, more focused and efficient format.' Commissioner Liikanen said the business community is the driving force behind transatlantic economic integration:
(There was, however, concern in some quarters over the TABD relaunch. A spokesman for Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) commented that 'Boosting the power of business over trade and regulatory policies is the worst possible response to the escalating number of EU-US trade conflicts' (see NGOs oppose relaunch of controversial business dialogue). According to the CEO, the TABD process has been criticised by civil society groups for being 'unaccountable, undemocratic and harmful to environment and consumer concerns.') The opportunity was also taken to issue a Joint statement from the US Customs and Border Protection and the European Commission on the Container Security Initiative and other customs-related aspects of security of international trade: 'This is an important opportunity to maximise supply chain security on both sides of the Atlantic and to facilitate legitimate trade. The United States and the European Union will continue to expand and intensify customs cooperation and to take practical measures to improve the security of ocean-going and other modes of international trade.' Further information within European Sources Online
Further information can be seen in these external links: EU Institutions Eric Davies Background and reporting on the week's main stories in the European Union and the wider Europe. |
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