Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-01-12-Speech-3-207"
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"en.20050112.10.3-207"2
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".
Mr President, listening carefully to the discussion and suggestions I detect a very positive spirit, which encourages me that we can take the debate, and our relations with the United States, still further.
It is true that we have been through a turbulent period, but it is also true that we have now emerged from that period, showing that the transatlantic relationship is still strong and durable. The EU-US summit of June 2004 clearly demonstrated how much we have in common and the readiness of both sides to focus efforts on the key challenges ahead. It could be described as cooperation between partners with common interests and common values who are competing with one other in a fair way.
I would like to touch on matters that have already been raised concerning the question of the transatlantic agenda. As you know, the relationship today is based on the Transatlantic declaration of 1990 and the new Transatlantic agenda declaration and action plan of 1995. Those are the instruments which guide the new relationship with the United States. However, following calls from the European Parliament, and most recently from the Foreign Affairs Committee Resolution of April 2004, we are reassessing the framework for our relations. We are launching an independent study, to be completed early this year, assessing the current cooperation framework. It will include an analysis of alternative preferences for cooperation. The contractor will also look into the advantages and disadvantages of the framework agreement. However, what we have always held to be important is the substance of the relationship. We believe that it is the substance that matters and try to focus on that.
Concerning economic issues and economic cooperation, I would underline that the Commission strongly supports the aim of closer economic cooperation between the European Union and the United States. The last EU-US summit called for a forward-looking strategy to promote integration, drawing on ideas from both sides of the Atlantic. The consultation of stakeholders ended in December 2004, and we have recently been assessing the results.
The aim is to identify and overcome the real obstacles facing economic cooperators, with the new strategy to be presented to the next EU-US summit in 2005. It is too early to commit to any option at this stage, but we should certainly continue to reinforce cooperation in the areas highlighted, especially in the European Parliament's recent resolutions on the transatlantic partnership. The European Parliament's input will be welcomed as we review our economic relations with our US partners.
We are facing many common threats: international terrorism, Aids, poverty and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. We need to be constructive in engaging on issues where we have differences, such as climate change, the International Criminal Court and trade disputes. It is clear that EU-US agreement is a necessary condition for progress on global issues. The recent catastrophe which we all faced is a clear lesson to us all that we cannot do things in any other way. We need to lay the groundwork for an effective multilateral system, based on a revitalised United Nations in which the United States fully participates.
Finally, I should also underline that relations with Canada – which have been mentioned – are truly flourishing. That may be why more has not been said about them. The transatlantic partnership with Canada has always been an extremely important relationship for us."@en1
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