U.S. Slights a Disunited Europe
Judy Dempsey, International Herald Tribune, 04.02.2010
Quote
With President Barack Obama’s decision to skip a United States-European Union summit meeting next May in Madrid, Europe’s egos were badly bruised. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the Spanish prime minister, and José Manuel Barroso, the E.U. Commission president, were angry and embarrassed. They saw Mr. Obama’s nonattendance as a snub.
It could signal an emerging shift in the trans-Atlantic relationship, analysts and diplomats believe. [...]
E.U. leaders are also divided over Turkey’s eventual accession to the bloc. Mrs. Merkel wants a “privileged partnership” consisting of economic and trade benefits but none of the political and voting rights inside the European Union. Mr. Sarkozy is staunchly against Turkey’s membership, while other countries are divided.
“This is a big mistake,” said Janis A. Emmanouilidis, security expert
at the European Policy Center in Brussels. “The E.U. policy over Turkey
is shortsighted. It is stupid. We risk losing a crucial economic,
political and above all a strategic partner,” he added. [...]
For the entire article see here.
Latest media contributions
EPC Update: Can Europe lead when leadership is in short supply?
Online Briefing, YouTube, 29.05.2026
What are the sticking points for the EU's new budget?
Quotes, Deutsche Welle, 29.04.2026
EPC Update / Post-summit Briefing: Spring European Council: Can the EU meet the challenges of the new world disorder?
Online Briefing, YouTube, 26.03.2026
EPC Update / Post-summit Briefing: Informal leaders' retreat: New momentum for European competitiveness?
Online Briefing, YouTube, 16.02.2026
EPC Update / Post-summit Briefing: The Greenland crisis: A test for Europe's credibilitye need for strategic choices
Online Briefing, YouTube, 23.01.2026
EPC Update: EUrope in 2026: the need for strategic choices
Online Briefing, YouTube, 12.01.2026
EPC Update / Post-summit Briefing: The last EU Summit of 2025: a real moment of truth?
Online Briefing, YouTube, 19.12.2025
The next MFF: an adequate answer to EUrope’s challenges?
Online Briefing, YouTube, 24.11.2025
The future of enlargement and EU reform – the candidates' perspective
EU Democracy Reform Conversation, YouTube, 27.10.2025
October Summit: Can the European Council move from divisions to delivery?
Online Briefing, YouTube, 24.10.2025