Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-06-04-Speech-3-184"
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"en.20030604.5.3-184"2
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"Madam President, I was not aware that idealism was the dominant philosophy in the European Parliament. We cannot build transatlantic relations just by repeating over and over again that that is what we want.
In the past, transatlantic relations were determined by the stand-off between the totalitarian regimes of communist countries on the one hand and the West on the other. This was the point made by Mr Patten towards the end of his speech. This situation changed following the fall of Communism. If, therefore, we want to have transatlantic relations, we need to redefine the relationship. We need to ask ourselves whether the United States and Europe are bound to have the same interests nowadays. Prior to the fall of Communism, that had to be the case, but is this still true today? Having formulated the question the answer becomes obvious. The United States and Europe do not now share the same vision or the same interests. This is true both in terms of geo-strategy and in terms of economics. A new transatlantic relationship cannot therefore be built by repeatedly expressing our desire for it. We need to come up with a completely new definition of our relations with the United States.
Let us take a very simple example. We now have the euro. If we are honest, the euro divides the European Union from the United States, as the euro is the dollar’s main rival. Therefore, our strategic and economic interests differ. If we want to reinvigorate our economies and re-launch Europe, we need to pose a question that is of fundamental importance for Europe. At a global level, we must ask whether we are bound forever to pay for energy and oil in dollars. Where is it decreed that we must pay in dollars for the oil and gas we buy from Russia, Saudi Arabia or Iran? We must have the will in terms of strategy and economic policy to make the euro a safe currency to ensure we have the funds to bring about economic recovery. The United States is doing just this today. A figure of USD 8 billion per day has been quoted. The US needs investment to pay off its debts. We therefore need to strengthen the role of the euro as a safe currency that rivals the dollar.
Ladies and gentlemen, if you want to discuss the subject of transatlantic relations, you must find the courage to put this problem to the United States. The real stakes are these. We will not succeed in building a new transatlantic relationship if we in the European Union do not have our own doctrine on all the strategic problems, on all the military problems, on our vision of the world and on what we want in the world. We need to ensure that we define our interests. Only then can we enter into discussions with the United States."@en1
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