25 November 2003

Speakers: H.E. Rockwell A. Schnabel, Ambassador of the United States to the European Union
Stuart Eizenstat, Former Ambassador of the US to the EU
Ove Juul Jørgenson, Former Ambassador of the European Union to the United States
Richard Morningstar, Former Ambassador of the US to the EU
Leo Tindemans, Former Prime Minister of Belgium
Thomas Weston, former US Deputy Chief of Mission to the EU
Alan Larson, Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs of the United States
Stefano Sannino, Diplomatic Adviser to President Prodi, European Commission
Anthony Wayne, Former US Deputy Chief of Mission to the EU
Jonathan Faull, Director General, DG Justice & Home Affairs, European Commission
James Elles, Member of the European Parliament
Chair: Kirsty Hughes, Senior Research Fellow, CEPS

Today the US Mission to the EU cosponsored with CEPS a symposium to celebrate the 50th anniversary of US-EU relations, entitled ’Achievements and Challenges in the Transatlantic Partnership.’ Chaired by Rockwell Schnabel, US Ambassador to the EU, and moderated by CEPS Senior Fellow Kirsty Hughes, ten current and former ambassadors, diplomats and officials from the US and EU reflected on defining moments in US and EU relations, and discussed continuing efforts to develop the relationship following the Iraq war. Although the speakers acknowledged the challenges to US-EU relations in the last year and a half, they each spoke optimistically of the enduring shared interests between the two, and highlighted the importance of continuing to work on building the partnership.

Ambassador Schnabel opened the conference by welcoming the full room of diplomats, officials, business leaders and journalists, and thanking Karel Lannoo, chief executive of CEPS, and Kirsty Hughes. Ms. Hughes reminded the guests that the symposium was being webcast, that a transcript would be made of the discussion, and then passed the microphone to Stuart Eizenstat, US Ambassador to the EU from 1993 to 1996.
 
In his presentation Ambassador Eizenstat outlined the nature of the recent split between the US and EU, describing it as "the most profound gulf" ever in the relationship. Citing differing political philosophies, divergent attitudes towards Israel, and trade disputes, the Ambassador explained that fundamentally the tensions today are the result of a failure on each side to appreciate the changes each has gone through; of the EU’s first steps in common diplomatic efforts, and of the trauma to the US’s psyche after 9/11. Despite their differences, however, Ambassador Eizenstat is optimistic of the opportunities for the US and EU to come back from the abyss, finding shared goals in fighting terror, promoting democracy and human rights, creating a barrier-free transatlantic marketplace, and returning to a bipartisan foreign policy. Ambassador Eizenstat finished by suggesting it might be time to create a new US-EU institutional infrastructure.
 
The following speaker was Ove Juul Jørgenson, former EU Ambassador to the US, who spoke about his own involvement in transatlantic relations between 1992 and 1998. In remembering the creation of a new transatlantic agenda 1995 over a period of less than six months, the ambassador noted that with political commitment and a small group of people who trust each other it was possible to create a joint action plan of 150 specific issues. This emphasis on joint effort was echoed by Richard Morningstar, US Ambassador to the EU from 1999-2001, who explained that US-EU relations are not a zero-sum game, and that disagreement on one issue doesn’t preclude agreement on many others. Therefore the US needs to think more broadly, post-Iraq, about the strategic benefit of cooperation on issues like Cancun, Kyoto, and the ICC while the EU needs to construct a genuinely cohesive CFSP, create a European Rapid Reaction Force to meet the Petersburg tasks, and capitalize on its nation-building and peacekeeping capabilities.
 
Former Prime Minister Leo Tindemans talked about the period between 1975 and 1993, reflecting at length on the ’Tindemans Report’ of 1976, in which he recommended constructive dialogue between the EU and US on the ’nature and scope’ of their relations. In contemplating the differences between the 1976 and the present, Minister Tindemans noted that in the Seventies were a period of stability and security which allowed the Union to be strengthened, and that the end of the Cold War and loss of a common threat presented new challenges to the Union. Thomas Weston, former US Deputy Chief of Mission to the EU, then continued on this theme by noting that this confusing period called into question the future of NATO, the OSCE and OSCD and that the two proved again the closeness of the partnership by institutionalizing their relations in a Transatlantic Declaration.
 
Speaking from Washington by webcast, Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Alan Larson commented that in view of the recent tension, the US and EU share a vision of freedom and a strong Europe born in the dark period of WWII. Now that eight countries once behind the Iron Curtain have joined the EU, it would a tragedy for the relationship to fail. The US and EU now need to work together on common purposes like fighting terror and relaunching Doha. Stefano Sannino, diplomatic advisor to Commission President’s Romano Prodi, then identified the creation of a free society as the primary common purpose, though approaches do at times may differ.
 
Continuing the discussion of US-EU cooperation, Anthony Wayne, another former US Deputy Chief of Mission to the EU, noted that both the US and EU have an interested in maintaining the flow of people and ideas and trade and investment over the common transatlantic space. In the new security environment of post-9/11, therefore, it is necessary for the two to find ways to fight terror without sacrificing their open societies. According to Jonathan Faull, Director General of DG Justice & Home Affairs, after ten years of cooperation of law enforcement, the building blocks are now in place, and though there are some disagreements on passenger information sharing, the US and EU need to continue institutionalizing their relations, especially on lower levels.
 
Finally, pulling the strands together MEP James Elles reiterated that despite the eruption of difference over the Iraq war, more unites the EU and US than divides them, and the priority now should be the strengthening of the transatlantic partnership. Elles sees a new trend in political consensus based on joint achievement, strong economic foundation, political cooperation and broad public support.