Pöttering: Obama should work more closely with EU than Bush did

Parliament’s president has appealed to incoming US president Barack Obama to “work more closely” with the EU than the Bush administration did.

Speaking to this website, Hans-Gert Pöttering said he hoped the president-elect’s transatlantic policies would be more inclusive and multilateral than had been the case in the recent past.

He said, “The US is still the world’s only superpower, but it has to realise that on many issues, such as tackling climate change, it cannot solve everything on its own.

“I hope that the new president will take the EU more seriously. It is unfortunate that while MEPs often travel to the US to appear in Congress and the Senate, very few American politicians come to Brussels. Member states, of course, are important, but the EU and this parliament is increasingly a significant player on the world stage and this has to be acknowledged by the Americans.

“Hopefully, that will now change and the views of parliament in particular will be taken into consideration by the new administration.”

In a letter congratulating Obama on his election, Pöttering wished him “every success in the challenging new role which you take on at this critical time”.

He says that the result “has proved once again the extraordinarily capacity for renewal which has so often been evident at difficult moments in American history”.

The German deputy said he welcomes the opportunity for a fresh start to EU-US relations, “putting them on a stronger and more vibrant footing” and looks forward to the US and EU “working together in effective partnership on many of the global issues facing decision-makers in our both continents, for example climate change”.

Pöttering also extended an invitation to the new president to address parliament on an early visit to Europe, possibly in April before the 2009 Nato summit.

“Such a speech would allow you to showcase your approach to transatlantic relations and set out your vision of foreign policy for the years ahead. It would give an excellent message to the people of the EU if Obama were to make a speech in parliament during his first visit to Europe. This way he could address the almost 500 million citizens of the EU.”

The last time a US president addressed parliament was when Ronald Reagan spoke in Strasbourg in May 1985.

Further reaction came from UK Tory MEP James Ellis, a substitute member of parliament’s US delegation, who described the result as “historic”.

He said, “What is needed now is a period of intense cooperation between the US and Europe. Europeans have shown a willingness to work with the new administration and I would hope America will similarly seek closer cooperation with us in tackling the many challenges facing the word.”

Danish MEP Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, president of the Party of European Socialists, said, “Obama said that change has come to America. The PES believes it is also time for change in Europe and we welcome the prospect of renewed cooperation with the US to work toward the hope of a better day.”

Socialist leaders from all over Europe, including French politician François Hollande and the Belgian, Elio Di Rupo, were meeting in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss the world financial crisis.

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