Brussels, 16/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - The General Affairs Council welcomed the European Commission's communication aimed at strengthening Euro-American partnership (see EUROPE/Documents No 2235-2236 of 27 April). The conclusions adopted by the Council early this week show reservation about the recipe proposed by the Commission for enhancing the transatlantic agenda, reservation hardly concealed by a manifest concern for having a right to say on the matter.
After having insisted for about ten lines on the unique and ever growing importance of relations with the United States, and insisting on the fact that no discussion with the United States on any issue should prejudge the result of EU internal discussions, the Council stresses the need to assure continuity and cooperation between succeeding presidencies - a turn of phrase seen in other meetings as a "wise formula for not highlighting the opinion shared by Member States" on the frequency of summits currently held twice a year. "It takes two to tango", stressed one well-informed source, referring to Washington's idea - for which the Commission and some, mainly large, Member States show sympathy - to move on yearly meetings in order to give oneself time, they say, to assure follow-up and effective preparation of meetings. This issue, left pending with others, will be tackled in the context of the Euro-American consultations (Presidency, Secretary General, Commission for the European part) intended to prepare the meeting at the Gothenburg Summit mid-June.
More generally, the Council agrees on the fact that the transatlantic dialogue must have a sliding work programme of priority issues for which clear objectives must be fixed in order to deliver the most tangible and appropriate results. These priority issues must, it states, be based on a framework of strategic themes taken from the indicative list that the Commission puts forward. The Council insists, however, that the environment should have a key place rather than be tackled within the context of other strategic issues, as the Executive recommends. It obviously bulks at the scheme put forward to identify the priority points and alleviate the transatlantic process: - possible return to a more simple model, pruned of several ministerial meetings, treatment of trade friction elsewhere rather than at the summit, strengthening of current responsibilities of the high level group (global management) and of the task force (operational competences) - bodies in which the individual representatives of the Fifteen do not take part, etc.
The Council believes there should "always be room for discussion between the EU and the US of the key issues of the day and emerging concerns. The Council confirms the importance in this context of ensuring that the full range of trade and investment issues, both bilateral as well as multilateral, are given full attention at all levels, not least, where necessary, in the highest fora". "Effectiveness in promoting EU-US cooperation and in resolving differences must remain the fundamental priority" it states, before going on to say that: "leaders and ministers should at all times focus on those issues, which are of sufficient importance to merit their attention and which have reached a state of development where dialogue at that level is timely". Further on in the conclusions, the Council also admits that the structure of dialogue reflects the need to deal effectively and rapidly with a growing number of economic and political issues, before returning to the attack. This situation calls for constant guidance and encouragement from leaders, it states. It goes on to insist that consultation must continue to be held regularly and frequently at every level, including between the President and the European Council, assisted by the Secretary General/High Representative for CFSP and the Commission President, on one hand, and the President of the United States, on the other. They must be carefully and transparently prepared within the Council, it insists. The Council goes on to invite the Committee of Representatives of the Fifteen to consider how the role of coordination and leadership of the Council may be enhanced.