Not very exciting. It would be naïve not to admit it: the EU-US summit last Saturday did not exactly set the world on fire. It was to a large extent a rhetorical exercise and an occasion for reaffirming the unique quality of reciprocal ties. From this point of view, everything was impeccable: the preparatory positions taken, preliminary declarations from US ambassadors in Europe, consolidated friendship and cooperation which represent one of the pillars of global policy. Barack Obama was deft and very courteous, as well as the three European representatives. Nonetheless, at a bilateral level, no decisions were being taken and the texts approved had been prepared in advance. The US president's opening sentence at the concluding press conference was both accurate and naïve at the same time. He began by saying that this summit had not been “exciting” and immediately explained that this adjective meant that the two parties had agreed on all the different subjects tackled. This is true for the most part, given that the global strategic problems had been debated the day before (new NATO strategy, relations with Russia, etc) and the more overt problems in Euro-US relations had quite simply been left aside. Divergences involving certain EU member states more than the EU as a whole were also left aside…
“Single telephone number” is not realistic. Is everything therefore quite normal and satisfactory? If we want to believe this, yes, but the truth is that for the US president, the Community authorities do not count for very much at all. The prime minister of a Belgian provisional government? He could also just as well be talking on behalf of his own country. The president of the European Commission? A very senior official in charge of making proposals. The permanent president of the European Council? The person in charge of organising and preparing Community meetings at the summit. On several occasions, Mr Obama demonstrated that he considered the interlocutors to be the heads of state or government from the United Kingdom, Germany, France and, in certain circumstances, a few other member states. The EU cannot claim to have found the answer to the famous question from Henry Kissinger - “Europe? What's the phone number?” - as today there are three numbers, not one. Besides, for the time being, the Community structure does not allow for there to be a single number.
This did not prevent Mr Obama from reaffirming that relations with European partners (in the plural) represent the pillar of US commitment in the world, the catalyst of global and international cooperation, as well as the basis for economic recovery. The joint declarations made last Saturday are not insignificant: a commitment to prevent competitive monetary devaluations, a commitment to ensure that exchange rates reflect economic reality, the rejection of protectionism and the desire to reduce non-tariff trade barriers. These are all objectives to which the EU as a whole is committed and which will be negotiated by the Community institutions. For Washington, however, Europe's phone number is still not a number in Brussels.
Community remit exists and can be enhanced. In my opinion, we must reject the interpretation of the president of the US consciously refusing to consider the EU as a comprehensive unit and, a priori, promoting relations with the national authorities. In several domains, Europe's orientations effectively depend in large part upon the heads of state and government. It is in a national capacity that Mr Sarkozy is currently president of the G20; the most powerful member states speak on behalf of their own countries at the UN; with regard to military questions, European unity, to a large extent, still needs to be built. It depends on Europe itself to make progress on the road towards further integration. It is, however, true that in several areas, Europe is already speaking as a whole. The majority of operational objectives quoted in the joint Euro-US declaration on 20 November illustrates that on the European side, there is a Community remit (EUROPE 10261): Doha Round conclusions; strengthening of transatlantic consultation on norms and rules governing new technology; strengthened cooperation on research in the energy field and clean energies; uniform standards for products such as electric cars. These are concrete projects on which only Europe as a whole can negotiate, make commitments and conclude agreements. This is a concrete accomplishment but it is not anything spectacular.
Nonetheless, something is indeed beginning to change, even from this point of view. The new powers of the European Parliament and the gradual extension of areas covered by Community activity, could gradually lead Barack Obama to soon give a greater profile and significance (and time) to the traditional EU-US summits. But this will only happen if Europeans want it to happen.
(F.R./transl.fl)