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Map of Europe |
Winter 2004 Volume 5 - Number 1
European Perspectives
Failure at the Summit Has Created an Ongoing EU Crisis
Kirsty Hughes, Political Analyst, Brussels
Europol Prepares for Tough Challenges as EU Enlarges
Evangelos Stergioulis, Head, Europol Public Relations Unit, The Hague
Leader in Focus
The U.S. and Europe Have a Unique Opportunity to Create a Better World
Chuck Hagel, United States Senator
The Transatlantic partnership has done more to keep the world stable and prosperous than any alliance in history. Now it must be refashioned and strengthened to face the common threats of the 21st century, which are among the most dangerous ever to have confronted mankind. If we learn from the wisdom of our past leaders and our own experience, and stick together, we shall be able to turn these threats into great opportunities for good.
European Integration
The EU Wants to be a “Front Runner” in the United Nations
John B. Richardson, head of the European Commission’ Delegation to the United Nations
Drawing lessons from the discord in the UN over the war in Iraq, the European Union is seeking to increase its leadership role and act as a “front runner” in setting UN policy. It plans to broaden its cooperation with the UN into every policy area. It is in the interests of the United States to cooperate in agreeing multilateral approaches to international security issues, which would reflect the United States’ own democratic and constitutional principles.
Transatlantic Relations
It Will Help the U.S. to Have a Strong European Partner
Karsten D. Voigt, Coordinator for German-American Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Federal Republic of Germany
Despite differences of opinion on some issues, the United States and Europe need each other to meet the new challenges of the 21st century. The European Union's attempts to build common foreign and defense policies are not intended to create a counterweight to American power but to make Europe a stronger partner for the United States. No world problem can be solved if the United States and Europe are at odds.
Special Report: The World Trade System after Cancun
Following the failure of the WTO ministerial meeting in Cancun in September, many countries, among them the United States and the European Union, are working to get the Doha Development Round back on track. In this special report, Pascal Lamy, the European Trade Commissioner, and Grant Aldonas, Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce, outline how they see the road ahead. Rubens Barbosa, Brazil’s Ambassador to the United States describes the growing pressure for bilateral and regional agreements, while R. Michael Gadbaw, Vice President and senior counsel for international law and policy at the General Electric Company, argues that business much prefers the multilateral approach. Hugo Paemen, senior advisor to Hogan & Hartson LLP, puts the case for a major review of the workings of the WTO. Most analysts agree that resolving the crisis will be far from easy and there is as yet no evidence that either the developing countries, or the European Union, will be willing to make the necessary concessions.
The EU Is Committed to Making the Doha Round a Success
Pascal Lamy, European Commissioner for Trade
The European Union has been reflecting on the reasons for the failure of the WTO Ministerial meeting in Cancun in September 2003, and now has a clear position for resuming the negotiations. The EU will be ready to be flexible and to make concessions on key issues of importance to developing countries, including agriculture, but it cannot be the only participant in the talks to offer new initiatives and make compromises.
The U.S. and the EU Must Lead the Trading System Forward
Grant Aldonas, Under Secretary for International Trade, U.S. Department of Commerce
Although some people argue that economic weight has shifted toward the developing countries, the reality is that the United States and the European Union still represent the power center of the world trading system. It is up to the United States and the European Union to exercise the leadership necessary to restart multilateral negotiations in the WTO, but they will not be able to do so unless the developing countries modify the hard line positions they maintained in Cancun.
The World Trade Crisis Is Boosting Regional Agreements
Rubens Barbosa, Ambassador of Brazil to the United States
A wide range of problems in the multilateral trade negotiating process is causing countries to turn increasingly to bilateral and regional trade agreements. This is not the ideal solution. Brazil would like to rehabilitate the multilateral negotiating process and press ahead with the Doha Round. But bilateral and regional agreements are at least maintaining the overall momentum toward trade liberalization.
It Is Time to Review the Workings of the WTO
Ambassador Hugo Paemen, Senior Advisor, Hogan & Hartson L.L.P.
The failure of the WTO Ministerial meeting in Cancun means that ambitions for the Doha Round of world trade negotiations should be reduced, and preparations made for new kinds of negotiations in the future. The WTO is not in crisis, but it clearly suffers from long—term problems. It is time to conduct an independent review of the way the WTO works, leading to recommendations for important changes.
We Must Confront our Challenges with an Ambitious Agenda
R. Michael Gadbaw, Vice President and Senior Counsel for International Law and Policy, General Electric Company
Governments must get the multilateral trade talks back on track in the WTO, rather than concentrate on regional or bilateral agreements. The developing countries need to show more leadership, but Cancun was not a complete failure. There are indications that we can make progress if we adopt a broad agenda and face up to our historic responsibilities.
International Development
To Help Poor Countries, U.S. Favors Private Aid and Good Governance
Andrew S. Natsios, Administrator, United States Agency for International Development
The Bush administration has announced the biggest increase in U.S. foreign aid since the Marshall Plan and is paying unprecedented attention to development. But the bulk of U.S. aid to poor countries will continue to come from private sources. The keys to development include good governance that attracts investment and balanced efforts to improve both urban and rural infrastructures.
Business is Playing an Important Role in Safeguarding the Environment
Bertrand Collomb, Chairman, World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Although the extent of business’s engagement in environmental issues is not always appreciated, it is probably playing as big a role as any other element in society. Business is trying to promote more efficient uses of energy, especially in developing countries, such as China, and to transfer not just new technologies but technology management skills to poorer regions. Although the Kyoto Protocol is unlikely to be ratified, it is in the interests of business to revive the movement that led to it.
Food Safety
European Food Safety Authority Will Focus on Science
Geoffrey Podger, Executive Director, European Food Safety Authority
The new European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) differs from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in that it is concerned only with risk assessment, whereas the FDA is also involved in risk management. EFSA is not planning to tell the EU member states what to do, even if it is the final court of scientific opinion. The debate on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Europe is extremely confused, but there are signs that the general public may be becoming less hostile to GMO foods.
Energy
We Are Not Yet Dealing with the Energy Issues of the 21st Century
R. James Woolsey, Vice President, Global Strategic Security, Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 have drawn attention to a range of new problems that need urgent attention from the U.S. and other industrialized countries - among them are protecting energy grids and reducing dependence on Middle East oil. There are answers to these problems. We must regain control of our grids, radically increase strategic petroleum reserves, promote fuel efficiency and develop alternative fuel sources. Unfortunately, all these solutions will take considerable time.
The U.S. Has a Well Balanced Energy Portfolio
Carl Michael Smith, Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, U.S. Department of Energy
Uncertainty over imported oil supplies is leading the United States to fill its strategic petroleum reserve to peak capacity, but supplies of natural gas, nearly all of which come from North America, are much more reliable. The government is working to develop the use of clean coal to modernize and expand the energy infrastructure and to protect it from terrorist attacks.
Defense and Security
The EU's New Security Strategy Is an Important Step Forward
Steven Everts, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for European Reform, London
Although EU leaders spectacularly failed to agree on a European constitution in December, they did endorse a potentially far-reaching new EU security strategy. The strategy has weaknesses; but it goes a long way to bridging the major divisions between Europe and the United States, and within Europe, that emerged over the war in Iraq. The big test will be whether it actually changes the way Europe reacts to international crises in future.
UN Conventions Will Help to Fight Organized Crime, Drugs and Terrorism
Jean-Paul Laborde, Head of the Terrorism Prevention Service, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
The UN is working on an international legal framework that will help to speed up and enhance international legal cooperation, including on extradition, mutual assistance and law enforcement. The aim is not to harmonize national legislation, or to set up the UN as some kind of supreme legal body, but to allow intensified cooperation to take place between UN members on the basis of a common international legal language.
Opinion
France and Germany Must Face the Harsh Realities of Globalization
Michael Backfisch, Washington Bureau Chief, Handelsblatt
If the euro zone is ever to rival U.S. economic growth, the zone's two powerhouses, Germany and France, must adopt sweeping social reforms to increase their competitiveness. The two governments must stop dodging the drastic financial implications of demographic change on their indulgent welfare states, and explain the hard facts of life in the 21st century to populations that have become over dependent on government support.
Book Reviews
Blair Is Much More than Bush's “Poodle”
Hug Them Close
By Peter Riddell
Reviewed by Bailey Morris-Eck
America Needs the World More than the World Needs America
After the Empire: The Breakdown of the American Order
By Emmanuel Todd
Reviewed by Jacqueline Grapin