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AMERICA MOVING FORWARD… EUROPE SITS IDLE

Submitted by christian on Wed, 01/25/2017 - 13:10

The political reality is that the EU will be unable to redefine its mission before 2018–2019. After the blow of Brexit, there is no going back to business as usual; yet the electoral timetable and divisions across Europe make major decisions impossible for at least two years. The sense of drift is heightened by traditional forms of leadership becoming dysfunctional. The Franco-German couple is not producing solutions.

THE NEW TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE EU

Submitted by christian on Tue, 01/24/2017 - 15:03

The new administration is likely to freeze on-going negotiations between the EU and the U.S. over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the aim of which was to create a Transatlantic Free Trade Area (TAFTA). Freezing on-going negotiations may not substantially dame or even have an impact on the Atlantic alliance given that negotiations were stuck in a gridlock due to significant opposition in the U.S. and particularly in Europe.

DAY ONE-FIRST WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING: EUROPE NOT IN THE LOOP

Submitted by christian on Mon, 01/23/2017 - 21:19

During the first White House Briefing, the following countries were mentioned:

Russia
Egypt
Mexico
Canada
China
Syria
Iraq
Taiwan
India
United Kingdom
NAFTA
TTP

Europe is NOT in the loop. It's all about bilateral agreements, not multilateral agreements. Trade, market access, jobs for American workers.

A meeting with the EU is not a priority for President Trump who wants to focus meeting with individual countries, not the 28-nation bloc.

A MINDSET OF POLITICAL COMPROMISE SHOULD DRIVE FUTURE EU-US RELATIONS

Submitted by christian on Mon, 01/23/2017 - 18:39

Authors: Amy Gutmann and Dennis Thompson

Amy Gutmann,Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Dennis Thompson, Professor of Political Philosophy at Harvard University.

Text has been edited

HOW EUROPE SHOULD DEAL WITH THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY?

Submitted by christian on Mon, 01/23/2017 - 16:06

Do not assume the worst. Don’t lament. Instead, look for ways to engage President Trump and his team and try to shape your views to support U.S. engagement and trans-Atlantic cooperation.
Do not push for big decisions early on. As President Trump gains experience on foreign policy, he will increasingly rely on the counsel of his cabinet primarily his Secretary of State Mr. Rex Tillerson and his Secretary of Defence General James Mattis. Also cultivate good relations with Vice President Mike Pence.

MEETING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EUROPE

Submitted by christian on Sat, 01/21/2017 - 17:29

For now, Mrs. Angela Merkel retains her role as de facto European Chancellor, simply because there is no alternative. But can Mrs. Merkel's Europe now hold together? Can she become a worthy partner to President Trump in the approaching conflicts over trade relations and regulations, international agreements, relations with Russia ? Can Mrs.Merkel rely on European backing?

There are two opportunities next month for Europe to share its views and meet with representatives of the new administration.

CHANGING THE WAY THE EU INTERACTS WITH THE U.S.

Submitted by christian on Sat, 01/21/2017 - 17:19

The EU needs to change the way it interacts with the United States.The EU should develop a U.S. policy by reaching out to a broad spectrum of American society and doing much more public diplomacy to convince Americans outside the new administration to work with Europe on improving the state of the world. The EU has long promoted civil society dialogue in its relations with third countries. It now needs to apply this method to transatlantic relations, too.

THE NEW ADMINISTRATION NEEDS TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE IN ADVANCING U.S. INTERESTS IN EUROPE

Submitted by christian on Thu, 01/19/2017 - 12:48

The relationship between the EU and President-elect Trump got off to an inauspicious start, after the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker on 11 November 2016 during a conference in Luxembourg in front of students fired a volley of criticism across the Atlantic saying "We will need to teach the President-elect what Europe is and how it works,” “I think we will waste two years before Mr. Trump tours the world he does not know."

THE NEW POLITICAL CONFIGURATION IN THE EP

Submitted by christian on Wed, 01/18/2017 - 18:22

Source: VoteWatch

“Antonio Tajani (EPP, IT) won the elections to become President of the European Parliament in the run-off against his compatriot Gianni Pittella (S&D). In addition to the expected support from the ECR, the centre-right candidate secured the support of the Liberal group (ALDE), after the signing of a new coalition between EPP and ALDE that aims at relaunching the European project.

NEW EP PRESIDENT: ANTONIO TAJANI

Submitted by christian on Wed, 01/18/2017 - 13:13

Antonio Tajani, of the EPP Christian Democrat group, has been elected president of the European Parliament fro the next two and half years. Pivotal to Mr. Tajani’s victory was a decision by Guy Verhofstadt, a former Belgian prime minister and the leader of the Parliament’s centrist Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group, to withdraw from the race and form a coalition with Mr. Tajani’s center-right group.