Brussels, 24/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - The co-president of the EU-LAC Foundation, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, believes that the implementation of the European External Action Service (EEAS) has allowed the EU to take a further step towards integrating the various diplomatic corps into the EU.
In order to move towards a reinforced “political union”, foreign policy decisions should no longer be made unanimously but by qualified majority, she said on Tuesday 23 July in a telephone interview with EUROPE. “I hope that this will be the case”, even though the context as a result of the economic and social “crisis” does not appear conducive for this step to be taken, the former European Commissioner for External Action acknowledged.
When asked about the recent diplomatic incident between Bolivia and a number of European countries, including France, Ferrero-Waldner described as “regrettable” the fact that Paris closed its airspace to the Bolivian presidential aeroplane, which was suspected of having on board Edward Snowden, the American who blew the whistle on the spying activities of the United States against European countries and which has triggered an international diplomatic furore. She argues that this incident should serve as a lesson and encourage the European and Latin American partners to work to rebuild “mutual trust”. “Our foundation, the only one which includes all of the countries of the EU, Central America and the Caribbean, is making a contribution towards this”, she stressed.
TTIP. In the field of trade, Ferrero-Waldner does not consider the Europeans' recent focus on negotiations for a free-trade agreement with the United States as a threat. Quite the contrary: “There are synergies to be found”, she said. She referred to the possibility of a “triangulation” of talks with the EU, the US and Latin and Central America which must, for its part, remain “vigilant”. She argued that the Latin American countries which have already signed trade agreements with the EU, such as the countries of Central America, Peru and Colombia, are “better placed” than the others to come out of the situation well.
The EU-LAC Foundation helps to forge links between the two sides of the Atlantic in a great many sectors. Cooperation is closest in the field of education, with “400 universities” already taking part in the cooperation programmes. Ferrero-Waldner firmly believes that Europe can do much to help SMEs to improve their competitiveness and find new outlets. A map of the most promising sectors is also being put together, ahead of the seminar to be held in Hamburg (Germany), where the EU-LAC Foundation has its headquarters, on 6 November. The aim is to develop a toolbox of measures and instruments to be used, with the assistance of the network of chambers of commerce, to help create clusters made up of European and Latin American businesses. (MB/transl.fl)