The start of the Obama administration shows that the new president is heading in the right direction
German centre right deputy Elmar Brok
The leader of parliament's biggest political group has pleaded for a new "spirit of cooperation" between the EU and America.
French MEP Joseph Daul, who heads the EPP-ED group, also admitted that the EU had to be ready to share "responsibility" with the Americans when it comes to global peace-keeping.
Speaking in parliament on Thursday at a seminar on EU-US relations in the wake of the recent change in administration on America, Daul paid tribute to the US for "liberating" Europe in two world wars.
But he conceded that, following the eight-year Bush administration, extra effort was now needed to "re-discover the spirit of cooperation and mutual assistance" between the EU and US.
"My hope is that with a new administration in place in Washington we will be able to do that," said Daul.
Speaking at the same event, German centre right deputy Elmar Brok, a former chairman of the foreign affairs committee, said the Obama administration offered the chance of a "new beginning" in transatlantic relations.
He went on, "The US lost a lot of worldwide credibility in recent years and, consequently, so did the EU. But the start of the Obama administration shows that the new president is heading in the right direction.
"I was particularly impressed with his decision this week to give one of his first interviews to an Arab TV network. That sent out the right message. Also, the appointment of George Mitchell as his Middle East envoy was a great move."
Polish ALDE member Janusz Onyszkiewicz, deputy chair of the foreign affairs committee, was more cautious, saying, "EU-US relations have taken a battering in the last few years but I hope they can now improve.
"But the ongoing problem for the EU remains - until it has a credible common foreign policy of its own it will not be taken seriously by the US," he said.
Christopher Murray, acting ambassador at the US mission to the EU, told the conference that expectations of Obama were "very high" but that his policies were "broadly speaking" in line with those of Europe.
He said, "It is in our interests to work together, not least in tackling the financial crisis."
Another keynote speaker, Alan Seatter, a director in the commission’s foreign relations directorate, agreed.
He warned that while Obama had made a "whirlwind" start since his inauguration with a series of different initiatives, the fiscal meltdown was likely to "colour" all other issues on the political agenda.
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