Brussels, 12/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Union and the United States are to hold their first summit of the year, on Thursday 14 June in Gothenburg. "This summit is very important, highly significant", it was stressed in Brussels, on Tuesday. This will no doubt be the case, not only because it is the first transatlantic meeting attended by President George W. Bush, but also because of the opportunity it provides to refocus and give fresh impetus to the partnership, a partnership that has been baffled in recent times by a certain tendency on the other side of the Atlantic to play the lone rider. Before joining the EU Heads of State and Government for a dinner, the leaders (Messrs Bush, Prodi and Persson) are expected to adopt a single declaration, the first example of the new format - more focused, political and effective - in which the process will unfold. It seems to be the ambition to want to show that things are moving on the international political and commercial scene, including in the Middle East and at the WTO. Although endeavouring to place emphasis on what unites them rather than on what divides them, they continue, however, to be tormented by the problem of climate change (see next page).
On this problematic, the most difficult, it seems, the experts, that prepare the meeting have not managed to agree over the passage in the final declaration referring to it and the leaders will come to the rescue at lunch. The Europeans stick to their positions, namely that they are prepared to consider the American "ideas", on condition that they are not an alternative, but a integral part of the Kyoto process, while on the American side, they say in Brussels, there is no true movement, other than the additional studies and analysis. Another challenge will consist of expressing in unison the engagement to work towards the starting of a new round of trade negotiations as of next autumn. Though here to, the Europeans and the Americans have not yet found, at the expert level, a consensual formula, which allows them to send a sufficiently strong and coherent political signal to encourage the partners that remain reticent (notably the emerging and developing countries) to join this effort. Over the Middle East, the second dossier dealt with during lunch, the remainder being discussed in plenary, the partners should agree, "in a positive language", over the details of a closer cooperation in view of convincing the Israeli and Palestinian parties to implement the recommendations from the Mitchell Commission, by also referring to their return to the negotiating table and the report that the High Representative for CFSP, Javier Solana, will hand to the European Council the following day . An increased role for the Union in the Middle East goes hand in hand with even closer transatlantic cooperation will most certainly be underlined in Brussels, on the eve of the meeting.
During the plenary session - in which Commissioners Chris Patten (external relations) and Pascal Lamy (trade) are to take part, as will Anna Lindh and Leif Pagrotsky, for the Presidency and Javier Solana for the European side, and on the American side Colin Powell (Secretary of State), Robert Zoellick (Trade Representative), Donald Evans (Trade Secretary) and Condoleezza Rice (National Security) - the other priority issues that are to appear on the final declaration will be broached:
1. inter-Koran reconciliation. The Administration should provide greater details on the conclusions (resumption of the dialogue with North Korea and re-engagement in the regions) drawn from the review of its policy that was jeopardizing Pyongyang's definitive stance in matters of security.
2. Balkans. On Macedonia, a strong signal would be welcome, at this stage in the escalation of violence, say the Europeans, on the need for concrete results in the inter-ethnic dialogue. Talks will also be on the 29 June rendez-vous between aid donors to Yugoslavia, the Americans showing themselves to be more demanding on the conditions to meet by the beneficiaries (ratification of the law on extradition) than the Europeans, more flexible over the timetable, even though they share the same concern of bringing Milosevic to The Hague.
3. Trade. Discussions will be on: the new round: trade disputes (especially steel); the need to privilege the amicable path, acting on the international trade scene as partners rather than rivals, systematically turning to WTO mediation; the extraterritoriality of American legislation, to remind Bush of the 1998 arrangement that sealed a truce in the Helms-Burton dispute (Cuba), the presidential prerogative that since then has allowed for this legal instrument not to be used against European companies, and the Union's concerns faced with a possible re-launch of the ISLA legislation (Libya, Iran) beyond its imminent expiry (see other article).