Brussels, 17/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - In an interview that appeared in Le Monde on Thursday, the chairman of the sub-committee on Europe at the US Congress, Democrat Robert Wexler, said that “Europe is falling increasingly into line with the United States on international issues”. “We are very realistic about the Europeans' capacity in Iraq. Europe is playing a major role in Lebanon, a significant role in Afghanistan and Iran, and will be in a central position in Kosovo”, Wexler said, adding that he hoped the Union would step up its defence budget. On the subject of climate change, the American congressman said that, although President Bush is sticking to his guns, the Congress under Democrat control “will come closer to European standpoints”. When asked whether he was in favour of another agreement for the post-Kyoto period in 2012, Wexler said he hoped that in the short term his country would adopt a “series of regulations”. “This would be a first and very important step towards showing that together, in concert, the United States and Europe are able to adopt policies to the benefit of all, albeit along different roads”, he added. On the energy issue, Wexler took the view that tension between Europe and Russia shows that “energy dependency can be a matter of national security”. Energy, he stressed, can be used in a way that threatens the security of a country and “we must learn to respond just as firmly to threats regarding energy supply as we do to terrorist threats”. Finally, with regard to international trade, Wexler explained the approach adopted by Democrats - that Europeans see as protectionist - as an approach that shows greater concern for workers' rights and protection of the environment. “Europe, also, has high standards on this. It must also open its markets and, like ourselves, reduce its farm subsidies”, he went on to add, before concluding on a note that does not augur well for resuming the Doha trade talks. 'I do not believe that a Congress with a Democrat majority is willing to do more on agriculture”, he said, “but the Congress now understands how important it is to fight against poverty”. (eh).