News Releases

John Bruton

No. 48/05
May 5, 2005

EU REPRESENTATIVES WELCOME CREATION OF EU CONGRESSIONAL CAUCUS

European Union representatives were on hand last night to welcome the creation of the first-ever bipartisan Congressional EU Caucus at a reception in the US House of Representatives Rayburn Building, hosted by the Johns Hopkins SAIS (School of Advanced International Studies) Center For Transatlantic Relations and the American Consortium on EU Studies/EU Center.

Ambassador Arlette Conzemius of Luxembourg, representing the EU Presidency, Ambassador John Bruton, representing the European Commission, and Javier Solana, the EU’s top foreign policy representative, all joined in congratulating Representatives JoAnn Davis (R-VA), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Jim Kolbe (R-AZ), Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Ron Kind (D-WI) on their initiative at the event.

Ambassador John Bruton, evoking the historic significance of the occasion, paid tribute to the founding members in attendance and several others who have joined the Caucus, including Rep. Phil English (R-PA), Re. Mike Oxley (R-OH), David Dreier (R-CA), Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), Michael McNulty (D-NY), Brad Miller (D-NC) and William Delahunt (D-MA).

"I can think of no better time to launch an EU Congressional Caucus than this week, which marks the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. It was with American help, particularly through the Marshall Plan, that European countries learned to cooperate and work together to rebuild Europe, leading them in 1957 to create the European Community. This entirely novel arrangement, designed to make member countries so economically interdependent that war among them would be unthinkable, is now a Union of 25 European nations, 450 million citizens, with a single currency, and, hopefully, soon, its own Constitution. The European Union today is still a peace process, and the United States can proudly claim parentage. As in all family relations, however, sometimes there are misunderstandings, and care and maintenance are required to set things right. The creation of the EU Caucus is an important and historic step toward the promotion of real and better understanding and stronger ties between the United States and Europe as we deal with matters of great global concern."

EU CAUCUS:

Member:

Jo Ann Davis (VA) Co-Chair

Eliot Engel (NY) Co-Chair

Jim Kolbe (AZ) Co-Chair

Darrell Issa (CA) Co-Chair

Ron Kind (WI) Co-Chair

John Boozman (AR)

Howard Berman (CA)

Dan Burton (IN)

Michael McNulty (NY)

David Dreier (CA)

William Delahunt (MA)

Brad Miller (NC)

John Tanner (TN)

Paul Gillmor (OH)

Michael Oxley (OH)

Ellen Tauscher (CA)

Alcee Hastings (FL)

Betty McCollum (MN)

Phil English (PA)

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL)

Joe Wilson (SC)

Dennis Moore (KS)

Chris Van Hollen (MD)

Robert Wexler (FL)

Adam Smith (WA)

See also the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue.