Van Rompuy: Europe is on the defensive against new powers

Madrid - The European Union is "on the defensive" against the world's emerging powers following its humiliation at United Nations climate-change talks in Copenhagen, the bloc's full-time president said Friday. In Copenhagen, the EU was sidelined as the United States, China, Brazil, India and South Africa drew up a greatly watered-down deal between themselves. Analysts saw the moment as defining a shift towards a new world order in which Europe is a secondary force.

"There is now certainly, after Copenhagen, the awareness in all countries that things have changed in the world: the balance of power has shifted and Europe is more on the defensive now than it was a few years ago," Herman Van Rompuy told journalists in Madrid.

But at the same time, the EU's first-ever permanent president stressed that the Copenhagen conference produced a better result than many commentators had said.

"Without the EU, the outcome of Copenhagen would have been much less. There is no reason to be downbeat about the outcome, there are enough elements to build on and achieve concrete results for the benefit of our climate and our future," Van Rompuy said.

The Belgian, who took office on January 1, was speaking after talks with the head of the EU's executive, Jose Manuel Barroso, and Spanish premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency.

According to the Spanish presidency program, one of the EU's main tasks over the next six months will be to boost its prestige on the world stage, especially on climate-change issues.

Europe needs "a foreign policy in the defense of European interest," Zapatero said.

Van Rompuy has called for an extra EU summit on February 11 to discuss climate change and economic issues, with a particular focus on regaining influence over the global climate-change debate.

"I want the EU to bring its influence into future negotiations and to be both heard and respected," he said.

In particular, the bloc should "think how the UN process can be improved" ahead of the next major climate-change conference in Mexico at the end of the year, Barroso said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/302744,extravan-rompuyeurope-is-on-the-defensive-against-new-powers.html.