Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-06-08-Speech-3-206"
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"en.20050608.17.3-206"2
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".
Mr President, as I have said before, there is a reinvigorated willingness to strengthen EU-US relations. This stems from both sides of the Atlantic.
We welcome in this context the new US visa roadmap for Poland and the planned extension to the other Member States which joined at the last enlargement. This is an important step in the right direction.
On climate change, we are negotiating with the US on an environment declaration. We would like to see a substantial commitment to working towards a long-term international regime on climate change post-2012. We will, therefore, be working to relaunch a high-level EU-US dialogue on the environment.
With regard to your call for an EU-US partnership agreement, I acknowledge that we maintain Treaty relations with the majority of third countries around the globe, yet have no such treaty with our most important partner. Because we already have solid cooperation, we do not see a need for a transatlantic agreement that would involve long formal negotiations without changing much in substance. It needs also to be stressed that the transatlantic difficulties of the past were political and not institutional in nature. The elaboration and defence of consistent EU positions vis-à-vis the US do not depend on the existence of a treaty-based structure.
That being said, there is a strong case for reviewing our existing structures and revamping and modernising the new transatlantic agenda of 1995 to adapt it to current needs.
Finally, and in conclusion, I should like to underline again that you are fundamental actors in this strategic alliance and we rely on your support to implement our common agenda. The communication encourages the setting up of a transatlantic assembly. Such an assembly could be held in conjunction with the summit.
In the political field we have seen cooperation on issues dealing with Iraq, Iran, Sudan, the southern Caucasus, Central Asia and Belarus, not to mention the broader Middle East and the Mediterranean.
On the economic front, much is in place already, but clearly more can be done and we are working together to move in that direction. It is true that difficulties arise in the field of trade, but it is also true that our difficulties can hopefully be solved more frequently through dialogue.
With regard to the Boeing-Airbus issue, it is unfortunate that last week the United States decided to leave the negotiating table and request a formal dispute settlement procedure in the WTO in respect of alleged subsidies provided to Airbus. In turn, we decided to resume action in the WTO on the subsidies given to Boeing. Commissioner Mandelson’s preferred solution since he took up office last November has been to settle the dispute through negotiations. A negotiated solution may still eventually be reached following the WTO rulings, but at this point in time the Commission has to protect the interests of Airbus against Boeing. Despite the regrettable escalation of this dispute, I am confident that recent developments will not affect our bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
On the issue of security measures, both the EU and the US have taken many steps to increase security. However, we must try to minimise their impact on trade and travel by developing global security standards and enhancing our customs cooperation.
At this point, I should like to thank Mrs Mann for her explicit support for the Commission’s communication and the study on EU-US relations which we commissioned.
On your repeated call for a transatlantic market to be completed by 2015, the Commission very much shares the objective of further enhancing our already flourishing bilateral EU-US economic relationship. Indeed, through the 1998 transatlantic economic partnership and the 2002 positive economic agenda, the Commission has been pursuing the same goal, i.e. identifying and possibly eliminating obstacles, particularly in the field of regulations, and ensuring the smooth functioning of this relationship. Equally, the recently published communication aims to boost EU-US trade and investment, and the creation of a regulatory cooperation forum foreseen by the communication would address regulatory obstacles. A transatlantic market is already an economic reality, while the elimination of obstacles to trade and investment is an incremental process and we are taking steps in that direction.
On globalisation, we intend to commit ourselves to concluding the Doha Development Round Agenda within the next 12 months at the EU-US summit.
On visas for the citizens of the ten Member States not benefiting from the US visa-waiver programme, I can assure you that we are continuing to urge the US at all levels to recognise the new economic, social and political realities in the ten Member States which acceded to the European Union last year and which should be treated the same as the other Member States."@en1
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