Brussels, 06/05/2010 (Agence Europe) - US Vice-President Joe Biden assured the EU that the United States does not intend to turn away from Europe but that, on the contrary, it considers transatlantic cooperation essential in order to face the challenges of the 21st century. “The US needs Europe and Europe needs the US. We need each other more now than ever before”, Biden told the European Parliament on 6 May, in Brussels. Without mentioning Barack Obama's decision to cancel the spring summit with the EU (a decision that caused some doubt in Brussels as to the true importance that the new US administration still affords to Europe), Biden stressed that the American president believes in the European idea and that he “strongly supports a united and free and open Europe”. Washington hails the fact that the Lisbon Treaty has given the EU new and more effective instruments, especially in the field of foreign policy, and that the European Parliament has increased power. The stronger Europe becomes, the better it is for the United States “as we need strong allies to tackle the problems of the 21st century”, the US vice-president asserted. More than in the past, the United States is willing to listen to and to dialogue with Europe. “We are back in the business of listening to our allies. We have to talk and to listen to one another, to be honest to each other”, he said. There are many tasks to be accomplished in future transatlantic cooperation, Biden continued: - the fight against climate change, counter-terrorism, Afghanistan/Pakistan, Iran's nuclear programme, etc. On the subject of Iran, Joe Biden was more explicit, saying that it was absolutely necessary to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. It would be “ironical” if, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, a new arms race started up in the Middle East, which is already “one of the most unstable regions in the world”. “Our children and grandchildren would not forgive us”, the vice-president said, underlining that President Obama's “hand reached out” to Iran was still valid.
Swift. The “most complex threat” for the world's democracies will come from extremist and terrorist groups seeking to obtain weapons of mass destruction, Joe Biden continued, before establishing a direct link with the future Swift agreement on the transfer of banking data for counter-terrorism purposes. In a resolution adopted on 5 May, the European Parliament - which should approve the future Swift agreement - fixed its red lines with a view to renegotiating the agreement between the Commission and the US administration. The EP mainly underlined strict respect of European rules regarding fair, proportionate and legal treatment of personal data (EUROPE 10133). On this point, the US vice-president sought to be reassuring. The Obama administration, he said, is absolutely aware of the fact that it is necessary to “protect citizens and preserve our liberties”. “Privacy is a constitutionally protected fundamental right - the US commitment to privacy is as profound as yours”, Biden told MEPs. He also briefly spoke of the current financial and economic crisis. The US administration is closely following the Greek crisis and welcomes the aid mechanism that the EU and the IMF are setting in place to support Athens, he said.
When greeting Joe Biden, EP President Jerzy Buzek had recalled that Ronald Reagan, in 1985, was hitherto the only president or vice-president of the USA to address the EP. “Your presence is a symbol for the renewal of the dialogue between our two continents”, Buzek said. (H.B./transl.jl)