Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-01-Speech-3-115"
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"en.20041201.12.3-115"2
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substitute; Delegation for relations with the countries of Central America (2004-09-15--2007-03-13)3
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the European Union now has problems both to the east and to the west, both with the United States of America and Russia. The administration in the United States has adopted a strongly unilateral approach. It is conspicuous in trade disputes and the Iraq war, and has given rise to an estrangement of sorts. Our relations now require much effort. Immigrants have formed a new group of American citizens that voted for the Republicans in the last elections. Defence Minister Donald Rumsfeld has said that we have new Europeans in the same way. In fact we have enlarged and in this way brought new blood to our numbers. These newcomers, however, have had a different relationship with the United States (not for very much longer, in my opinion, as our work gradually hones that relationship), and Russia, through a grim and difficult history as part of the Soviet Union or as one of its satellites.
Our first Parliamentary Cooperation Committee met last week, and it was then that the issue was raised for the first time, though certainly not the last. Last week’s summit, in my opinion, was largely unsuccessful. We did not achieve consensus on four areas of action that we share. They are only part of the whole. We know the reasons. The problems relate to both America and Russia, but relations with Russia are virtually at a standstill. There has been some progress: acceptance of enlargement and the partnership pact, the Kyoto Protocol, and so on. There is, however, a long list of problems with regard to the investment protection accord in Chechnya, which has been mentioned here too.
We have discussed common values with the Russians at many summits. But just how much do we share the same values? Are we drifting away from one another as far as our values are concerned? If they are very different for very long it will not be long before we drift into the area of sanctions. What does the Commission intend to do to halt this drift and ensure that Russia does not sail off into the void, as it were, perhaps towards the east and Asia? What could the Commission do about this?"@en1
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