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November 03, 2005

EU-US Relations in the Post-Constitution Limbo

Economic and political ties between the European Union and United States remain strong despite fallout from the war in Iraq and failure to ratify the EU constitution, EU Ambassador Michael Lake argued at a speech on November 1 titled “EU-US Relations in the post-Constitution limbo.” Lake is a visiting EU Fellow at The Fletcher School for the 2005 – 2006 academic year.

Speaking to nearly 50 students, both graduate and undergraduate, he contrasted the positive relationship in the Atlantic community as a whole with the sometimes dismal state of affairs within the EU.

“It’s restorative to be away from the European pessimism,” said Lake, a seasoned EU diplomat from Britain who has represented the European Commission in South Africa and other African countries.

He identified political infighting over the ideal social welfare model for all of Europe as one cause for concern.

Traditionally, there have been four separate welfare models—Nordic, Anglo-Saxon, Rhineland and Mediterranean—with representatives from each region trying to extract the best elements of each before applying them as one model to all 25 EU member states. But Lake takes a different approach, proposing a synthesis of the models, as well as incorporating a new dimension.

“We have much to learn from each other, we have much to learn from the U.S.,” said Lake, adding, “Perhaps we should not seek to reach a one-model system.”

Lake spoke little about the complexities of the EU constitution but asked, “Was it a constitution or merely a compendium of administrative improvements to the EU system?” Regardless, he said, “It is happily consigned to the dustbin of history.”

Instead, Lake focused on how trade between the EU and US remains robust, with more than $2.5 trillion changing hands each year. In France, he noted, US investment reached a record high of $6.8 billion last year, “despite all the anti-France rhetoric,” 25% higher than US investment in China.

Lake, who will teach a course at Fletcher next semester on EU external relations, also discussed the war in Iraq. Borrowing a term from Pres. George W. Bush, Lake said, “EU-US relations have survived the shock of Iraq.”

During the question-and-answer session, Lake spoke more about European military forces, especially in Africa, and noted the EU’s aim is to collaborate with the African Union so they can deal with their own regional conflicts.

Other students asked Lake about his views on EU membership talks with Turkey.

Speaking after the lecture, first-year MALD student Katy Bondy, said, “He noted that the question of Turkey goes beyond EU membership.” She went on to say, “It’s a question of Islam and the organization of Islamic societies. Will it be easier for Muslims already in Europe if Turkey is admitted into the EU?”

But even the EU-Turkey talks are not without a U.S. component.

“We’ve lost count of the number of times U.S. presidents have offered Turkey EU membership,” Lake said. “We no longer get annoyed.”

Article by Timothy R. Homan, MALD '07

Posted by jessica at November 3, 2005 02:56 PM