By Carrie Loewenthal
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- A U.S. congressional committee invited two representatives of the European Commission June 22 to provide it with a European perspective on relations between the European Union (EU) and the United States and on the recent referenda on the proposed EU Constitutional Treaty. Both European representatives – Ambassador of Luxembourg to the United States Arlette Conzemius and Ambassador John Bruton, head of the delegation of the European Commission to the United States -- emphasized the continued strength of the EU and its lasting commitment to the Constitutional Treaty. They also spoke of the June 20 U.S.–EU Summit in Washington as having confirmed the re-launching of the transatlantic partnership. During the summit, President Bush reiterated U.S. support for “a strong European Union as a partner in spreading freedom and democracy, and security, and prosperity throughout the world," noted Representative Elton Gallegly, head of the House Subcommittee on Europe and Emerging Threats, which held the hearing. He noted that when Bush travels to Scotland next month for the Group of Eight summit, the president will be making his fourth visit to Europe in the past six months. “It is clear that the president wants a strong European partner,” said Gallegly, a Republican from California. Conzemius told the panel that in spite of the recent French and Dutch votes against the proposed constitution, the European Union “is not down on its knees. The European Union is ready to fully take up its role on the international scene and to make all the necessary decisions internally and externally.” She noted that 10 member states have already successfully ratified the Constitutional Treaty. The delay caused by the “No” votes, she said, does not “call into question citizens’ attachment to the European project,” but instead gives Europe the opportunity to dialogue, debate and “pay more attention to what its citizens are saying.” Bruton said the referenda do not “mean any reduction whatsoever in the powers of the European Union or the rights Europeans now enjoy as citizens of the Union.” The Constitutional Treaty would have “consolidated all those powers and rights in one document” but did not create new substantive rights outside of those established by previously ratified treaties, he said. The EU also remains committed to the expansion process and will adhere to accession agreements already signed with Bulgaria and Romania, according to Conzemius and Bruton. Pending compliance with long-standing accession criteria, Croatia, the western Balkan countries and Turkey remain on track for accession negotiations, they said. These criteria include commitments to democracy, human rights and a stable market economy. New member countries also share with existing countries the obligation of “support for political union,” said Bruton. Both ambassadors presented a Europe confident in its transatlantic ties. “The outcome of [the June 20] EU-U.S. Summit is a concrete step forward,” said Bruton. “The EU and U.S. economies are growing together, not drifting apart. We already operate as one single transatlantic economy. We cooperate in everything from crisis management to trade liberalization.” He went on to discuss the shared commitment to reform in Africa, and U.S.-EU “common values of freedom, democracy, rule of law, human rights, security and economic development.” Noting President Bush’s reaffirmation of the “administration’s support for a strong European partner,” Conzemius called the June 20 summit “the best illustration of our common willingness to work together on the global threats and challenges that we are facing.” Bush, through his continued commitment to Europe, “thus confirmed the message that he gave to Europe last February when he paid a first-ever visit [by a United States president] to the European institutions,” she said. The summit “confirmed the transatlantic partnership has been re-launched. We are working together on our transatlantic and global agendas, on the basis of our shared values and shared interests,” said Conzemius. Luxembourg currently holds the rotating EU presidency. |
