Left to Right: EU Luxembourg Presidency Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, US President George W. Bush & European Commission President José Manuel Barroso.

No. 65/05
June 20, 2005

EU - USA SUMMIT

PRESIDENT BARROSO’S REMARKS AT EU/US SUMMIT PRESS CONFERENCE,
WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, DC, 20 JUNE 2005

"The World is a better place when Europe and the US work well together. And we can show results. We have been together promoting democracy in Ukraine and Lebanon, co-hosting the international conference on Iraq in Brussels this week. We will continue our close cooperation on Iran and the Middle East and will make sure that the Doha Round is a success.

"Today we have decided to go even further in our economic relations. Trade and investment is a core of our relationship. We will act together decisively to enhance our economic integration, to promote growth, innovation and job creation. We need the combined potential of our economies to face an ever growing global competition.

"The EU will remain a strong and reliable partner for the US. Yes, we have faced some problems a few days ago, but our determination to push our growth and jobs agenda is intact, our determination to be an active player on the international scene is strong as ever. Europe has known many crises in its short history and has always managed to get out of them stronger and better. So, no gloom and doom; we will turn this crisis into an opportunity: an opportunity to get our acts together on what Europe we want; an opportunity to get the European citizens on board of what is a unique, unprecedented integration project: 25 countries, soon 27, 500 million people.

"Let me now turn to issues we discussed today, which matter a great deal for us in Europe.

"Climate change: This is an issue of great importance to the EU. Scientific evidence tells us that human activity is contributing to climate change. I impressed on President Bush the need to put aside our differences over the Kyoto Protocol and look to engaging with the EU in shaping a common global effort for the period after 2012. I asked President Bush to consider how we could best live up to the challenge posed by climate change. All stand to gain if the EU and the US co-operate to speed up the transfer of technologies to developing countries and develop market based solutions that deliver least costly emission reductions.

"Development: We are the richest countries in the world and we should not forget that, out there, there are 25,000 people dying every day of thirst and hunger. The EU has taken strong commitments to increase in a significant way its development assistance in particular for sub-Saharan Africa. We will explore all avenues to increase rich countries' contributions to sort out what remains the shame of our generation. We are also urging our African friends to foster good governance and rule of law. I am glad that we will be able to work closely to ensure complementarity and coherence to our support to developing countries."

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