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EU Calls for New Impetus for Ties with US
The European Commission on Tuesday called for new, action-oriented impetus for trans-Atlantic relations with the United States.
The commission, the executive body of the 15-nation European Union, said that EU-US cooperation had no other miracle than more action-oriented cooperation with diplomacy focusing on a small number of strategic issues.
The commission recommended to streamline the twice-yearly EU-US summits down to just one meeting among leaders while preparatory ministerial meetings should be scrapped altogether.
It suggested that both sides should select four or five strategic themes to provide a longer-term agenda. The themes could include security challenges, energy cooperation, globalization, the fight against organized crime, consumer protection and food safety, macro-economy, the fight against poverty in developing countries and e-economy.
"There is no miracle formula for strengthening EU-US relations but to make cooperation more action-oriented," said a paper issued by the commission, "EU-US summits need to become more focused and to define clearer priorities."
The commission's paper, which will be sent to EU countries and the European Parliament for their consideration, said that while trade disputes grab the headlines, other aspects of EU-US relations have become increasingly important.
The European Union and the United States are the world's largest economic powers, combining to account for more than 40 percent of the global trade.
But "differences in institutional structures and administrative practices have hampered cooperation and lack of political cohesion has, at times, weakened the European (Union) impact in Washington, " the paper said.
The paper added that the European Union and the United States still differ on such issues as US sanctions against Iran and Cuba, climate change and death penalty, but it did not mention the trade rows across the Atlantic, especially the recent friction over the US national missiles defense system and the EU plan for a military force.
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