EU relations and agreements with USA

History

The EU and U.S. are the biggest economic and military powers in the world (even if the EU does not have a common defense policy), they dominate global trade, they play the leading roles in international political relations, and what one says matters a great deal not only to the other, but to much of the rest of the world. And yet they have regularly disagreed with each other on a wide range of specific issues, as well as having often quite different political, economic, and social agendas. Due to the European Union not having a fully integrated foreign policy, relations could be more complicated where the EU did not have a common agreed position e.g. EU foreign policy was divided during the Iraq War. Understanding the relationship today means reviewing developments that predate the creation of the European Economic Community (precursor to today’s European Union).

Trade

Euro-American relations are primarily concerned with trade policy. The EU is a near-fully unified trade bloc and this, together with competition policyt, are the primary matters of substance currently between the EU and the USA. The two together represent 60% of global GDP, 33% of world trade in goods and 42% of world trade in services. The growth of the EU’s economic power has led to a number of trade conflicts between the two powers; although both are dependent upon the other’s economic market and disputes affect only 2% of trade. See below for details of trade flows.

Eu – US policy

Annual Summits are held between United States and European Union policy makers. When these take place in Europe, they have historically taken place in the country that holds the rotating Precidency of the European Union.

Defence contracts

In March 2010 EADS and its U.S. partner pulled out of a contract to build air refuelling planes worth $35 billion. They had previously won the bid but it was rerun and EADS claimed the new process was biased towards Boeing. The European Commision said it would be “highly regrettable” if the tendering process did prove to be biased. There was substantial opposition to EADS in Washington due to the ongoing Boeing-Airbus (owned by EADS) dispute.

Delegations

The current Eu ambassador of the United States is Jao Vale de Almeida and the Eu’s embasssy in Washington D.C., was the first overseas delegation of the EU to open.

The U.S. ambassador to the EU is William KennardThe United States was the first third-country to recognise the EU’s earliest forerunner, the European Coal and Steel Community, and first appointed an observer in 1953: David E. Bruce. Their first mission opened in 1956.

The Transatlantic Economic Council is headed by the U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs and the EU’s Commissioner of Trade.

sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States%E2%80%93European_Union_relations

Eu relations with Turkey

Istanbul Mosque ©

 Turkey has been a candidate for EU membership since 1999. Accession negotiations started in 2005.

As a major emerging economy and a member of NATO and the G20, Turkey is a key partner for the European Union. It is recognised as an active regional foreign policy player, with a strategic location, including for the EU’s energy security. The EU is therefore committed to intensify further the political dialogue with Turkey in particular on foreign policy issues of mutual interest.

EU-Turkey political dialogue is carried on at all levels on issues of mutual concern. At ministerial level, dialogue is led for the EU by Federica Mogherini (High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) and Johannes Hahn (Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations).

The Ankara Agreement and the Additional Protocol of 1970:

Turkey-EU relations were initiated in the framework of the association regime based on Ankara Agreement which was signed with the European Economic Community on 12 September 1963 and took effect on 1 December 1964. Ankara Agreement envisaged three stages for the integration of Turkey and the EU, namely a preparatory stage, a transitional stage and a final stage. The completion of the Customs Union was planned at the end of the transitional stage. With the finalisation of the preparatory stage as foreseen in the Agreement, provisions of the transitional stage and the obligations of the Parties were determined in the Additional Protocol signed on 13 November 1970 and put into effect in 1973.

Customs Union:

With the completion of the transitional stage, the Customs Union, which constitutes an important stage for our integration with the EU, entered into force on 1 January 1996. The level of integration between the Parties reached an advanced point with the Customs Union and the next goal of Turkey became the membership to the EU, as indicated in Ankara Agreement (Article 28). The Customs Union continues to be a fundamental dimension of our relations with the EU. (The main organs of the existing association regime are the Association Council, the Association Committee, the Customs Cooperation Committee and the Joint Customs Cooperation Committee.)

The Helsinki Summit, the “candidate status” and the opening of accession negotiations:

A new period began in the relations between Turkey and the EU after Turkey assumed “candidate status” during the Helsinki Summit on 10-11 December 1999. At the Brussels Summit on 16-17 December 2004, the decisions taken in the 1999 Helsinki Summit were reaffirmed, as the Council took note that Turkey sufficiently fulfilled the political criteria and decided to open accession negotiations with Turkey on 3 October 2005. Accession negotiations were launched on the abovementioned date, as planned.

The reform process:

Turkey is going through a comprehensive political and economic transformation process. The impetus created by Turkey’s accession negotiations has been influential in this process as well. Large-scale reforms are being realised in order to attain the highest norms and standards in the field of democracy, the rule of law and human rights in line with the needs and expectations of the society. The Constitutional amendment package adopted by the referendum held on 12 September 2010 was an important step in the reform process. On the other hand, work is also under way to prepare and adopt a new, progressive and comprehensive constitution.

The 3rd Judiciary Reform Package which institutes new arrangements to increase the efficiency of judiciary services and on postponement of cases and sentences related to offences committed through the press, took effect on 5 July 2012. The 4th Judiciary Reform Package was adopted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly on 12 April 2013. In addition, on the basis of the laws adopted in June 2012, Ombudsman and the Human Rights Institutions were established. Ombudsman started to receive petitions in March 2013.

The 28th meeting of the Reform Monitoring Group which first gathered in 2003, with the participation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, EU, Justice and Interior, was held on 15 June 2013 in Ankara.

Despite the standstill in the accession negotiations due to blockage of negotiation chapters, the establishment of the Ministry for European Union Affairs in 2011, is another demonstration of Turkey’s determined drive towards EU membership and in this context, for reforms.

Sources:http://www.mfa.gov.tr/relations-between-turkey-and-the-european-union.en.mfa