1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,000 9-11 was a traumatic moment for the United States but also there was great solidarity 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:10,400 between Europe and the United States and an outpouring of support and affection. 3 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:16,240 Obviously what changed was the Iraq war and the way the United States went to that war 4 00:00:16,240 --> 00:00:21,280 and really because the war has not gone well it's been chastening for this administration 5 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:26,960 and for Americans in general I think so that there's been a possibility of a convergence. 6 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:32,400 The reality is that the world is safer and more prosperous when Europe and America work 7 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:38,560 together as global partners. I've always believed that when America and the EU work together we can 8 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:44,560 accomplish big deeds and this world needs us to work together because there's a lot of challenges. 9 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:54,080 Thomas Jefferson is remembered for drafting the American Declaration of Independence in 1776, 10 00:00:54,080 --> 00:01:00,160 declaring the separation of this colony from British rule and Europe. Over two centuries 11 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:05,440 later Washington DC is the nation's capital. Her monuments and buildings are recognisable 12 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:10,240 around the world as symbols of leadership, representations of the superpower this nation 13 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:15,600 has become. But in these two centuries transatlantic bridges have been built. 14 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:20,000 The most powerful of these currently is the partnership between the United States and the 15 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:28,400 European Union. It's an important year for the two powers. In 2007 the European Union celebrates 16 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:34,240 50 years in existence with unprecedented peace on the continent and it now matches the US as an 17 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:39,520 economic power. The US is in its fifth year in Iraq and other significant challenges lay ahead 18 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:45,360 for the administration on issues such as climate change and Iran. The face of Europe in Washington 19 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:50,240 is EU ambassador to the United States John Bruton, a man highly qualified for the role. 20 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:55,520 Former Taoiseach or Prime Minister of Ireland John Bruton was deeply involved in the Northern 21 00:01:55,520 --> 00:02:00,320 Ireland peace process and in Washington his political background is a distinct advantage. 22 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:06,880 The hill likes to talk the language of politics with people who can talk it well and he can 23 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:13,360 but to do that well you need I think that easy familiarity with people in power. It's very 24 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:19,120 important to build up a good relationship with members of Congress because administrations come 25 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:24,320 and go presidents come and go but members of Congress tend to last quite a long time so 26 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:30,560 ensuring that every member of Congress knows about the EU recognizes that the EU is a potential 27 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:36,320 partner for him or her in their work. I'm going to visit your state very soon. You are? 28 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:42,800 John Bruton has emphasized this aspect of his job as it puts European issues directly in front of 29 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:49,520 policymakers. One such issue is that of travel visa arrangements. Currently Americans can travel 30 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:57,040 to all 27 member states of the EU without a visa however 12 of the EU 27 do not enjoy the same 31 00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:02,800 privileges in return and they feel unfairly treated. We agree with them we feel that there 32 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:07,360 should be a single approach being taken by the United States to the European Union because 33 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:14,000 not only do we offer Americans visa-free access to us we also as the European Union 34 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:20,720 cooperate with them on extradition of people who might be suspected terrorists. We cooperate with 35 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:26,240 them on exchange of intelligence and information about travelers who might be risky travelers and 36 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:29,520 we're lobbying Congress on that and we're making some progress on this. 37 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:38,640 I think there's going to have to be European American political cooperation on a number of 38 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:45,920 issues that are looming and Europe exercises influence in places where the United States does 39 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:52,000 not quite clearly. Iran is surrounded by nuclear powers we Europeans recognize and increasingly I 40 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:57,520 think the U.S. administration recognizes that Europe and America together can put together a 41 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:02,640 package that would persuade the Iranians to abandon the nuclear course. The European Union 42 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:08,640 in the Middle East is the entity that's keeping the Palestinian people alive at the present time 43 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:15,200 now if one wants to have peace between Israel and Palestine if one wants to have two states 44 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:23,200 living at peace in the same area there's got to be two states that can do a deal with one another. 45 00:04:23,840 --> 00:04:28,080 Politicians on the hill are not the EU's only audience in the United States. 46 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:33,920 Explaining the basics of what the EU is to the American public and how the EU is good for the 47 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:40,640 U.S. is still a fundamental part of the job. Where we do face a challenge is in explaining 48 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:47,600 where Europe is different in the way it approaches major issues. The solidarity we have with new 49 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:55,280 member states but also the solidarity we show in our grants to developing countries. We're now 50 00:04:55,280 --> 00:05:02,320 responsible for 60 percent of all grant aid and that's a big surprise to most Americans. 51 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:08,160 To talk to most Americans means a relentless schedule traveling for John Bruton. This week 52 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:13,280 he meets business interests and students in Indiana home of Notre Dame University and the 53 00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:20,960 fighting Irish. My country Ireland would never have transformed itself if it wasn't for the 54 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:26,240 access to this huge market that the European Union has given us. So joining the European Union is a 55 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:32,400 very attractive thing economically but we're using the economic attraction to achieve a political 56 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:40,720 goal and that political goal is human rights, democracy, the rule of law and an end to conflict. 57 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:46,640 A lot of the things we're doing together like having a single market like protecting human 58 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:52,080 rights are the same as what the United States is doing together so we are natural partners. 59 00:05:52,880 --> 00:06:00,240 So it's more than just a sort of an economic pact it's more than just an alliance this is a union of 60 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:06,560 values and what we're doing. It's clear that the economic pact the bilateral trade is an important 61 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:12,080 binding factor for the two. Two out of every three dollars invested in the United States from 62 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:17,920 outside comes from Europe and U.S. companies make five times more profits from their investments in 63 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:23,600 the Netherlands alone than they do in all of China. But the EU and the U.S. have agreed to 64 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:28,960 make the global economy more inclusive for other countries. Although the current world trade talks 65 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:34,480 have stalled the EU is convinced that there is a deal to be salvaged and a global imperative to do 66 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:40,880 so. Global warming has been another sticking point in the U.S. and a serious cause of concern for the 67 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:46,160 Europeans. And we know that we Europeans and Americans are more responsible for this than 68 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:50,720 anyone else because it's mostly our greenhouse gas that's up there. We Europeans and Americans 69 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:57,120 must lead by example and we must do it now and the European Union is saying we'll cut our greenhouse 70 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:02,960 gases to 20 percent below our 1990 level by 2020 and we're saying to the Americans will you commit 71 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:08,240 to do something similar. But we have relatively little time to get to that point. Working through 72 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:14,640 these issues requires an ongoing transatlantic conversation. For the EU ambassador addressing 73 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:21,600 students is an opportunity to talk to tomorrow's decision makers. Your generation has a choice. 74 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:30,880 Are we going to use our power to ensure that everybody gets the same chance that we now have 75 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:38,320 to live in freedom and to live in a world at peace. We Europeans and Americans working together 76 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:45,680 can do more than almost any people could have done at any time in the past history to achieve 77 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:52,080 that objective in the next 25 to 30 years. And it's important that we understand one another. 78 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:58,320 We understand the opportunity and work to take it to grasp it and to give the sort of leadership 79 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:06,880 that the world needs at this time. Thank you.