Tag: United States

The EU has reacted coolly to speculation about a potential new direction in US climate policy during President Barack Obama’s second term.

European markets reacted positively after the last-minute deal to avert a feared US fiscal cliff that could have plunged the United States into a new recession.

The coming of shale gas will magnify the importance of geography. Because it can be transported across oceans in liquid form, states with coastlines will have the advantage, writes Robert D. Kaplan.

A change of face at the White House would clearly have an impact on transatlantic relations, according to EU policymakers in Brussels contacted by EurActiv. Although the European Union is closely watching the US presidential campaign, politicians are reluctant to take sides.

European Union lawmakers approved an agreement on Thursday (19 April) allowing US authorities to obtain and store data on passengers flying to the United States from Europe, ending years of resistance to a deal on handing over such information.

As pressure on the eurozone eases, Europe and the United States are becoming increasingly convinced that they need to strengthen their partnership in order to maintain a leading competitive edge in the global economy.

Concerns are growing in Brussels that persistent denial of human-caused global warming among Republican presidential hopefuls could damage EU-US relations and even spark a trade conflict.

European Union plans to charge airlines for carbon emissions are "discriminatory" and violate global laws, a group of 26 countries including the United States and China, according to a joint declaration.

When we reflect on September 11th and other terrorist attacks, whether in London or Madrid or Mumbai, we have to recognise that this is a global issue that affects all of us, making the anniversary of 9/11 "an international day of reflection," US Ambassador to the EU William E. Kennard told EurActiv in an exclusive interview.

The killing of an unarmed Osama Bin Laden by US forces in Pakistan violated America's democratic and legal principles as well as religious values, argues legal expert Andreas Geiger.

More oil and gas drilling, biofuels, the abandonment of climate change ambitions and perhaps more fuel-efficient vehicles: this is the United States' recipe for energy in the next decade, writes Eberhard Rhein in a post on Blogactiv.

Barack Obama may be the "least European" president in fifty years, but the US recognises the need for partnership with the EU, according to a senior adviser at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. EurActiv France reports.

Contrary to other European leaders who downplayed the importance of sometimes unflattering reports about them in the US diplomatic cables revealed by Wikileaks, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he was working on legal action against claims that he owned eight secret Swiss bank accounts.

The United States has condemned the publication by WikiLeaks, a whistle-blowing website, of hundreds of coded messages by US diplomats, many of which appear embarrassing for Washington while others could possibly put human lives at risk.

In a commentary written on 3 November, Tom Spencer, executive director of the European Centre for Public Affairs, discusses Britain's coalition government, recent political developments in the EU and the United States, and the public affairs of climate change.

Flaws in the US anti-terror system exposed by the recent arrest in Amsterdam of two suspected terrorists flying from Chicago pushed MEPs from the two main parties in the European Parliament to ask for "better" rather than "more" security checks ahead of a crucial new round of negotiations between the EU and the US over Passenger Name Records (PNRs).

The European Parliament is tomorrow (8 July) expected to rubber-stamp a revised EU-US agreement on bank data-sharing, called 'SWIFT', that is set to give significant new powers of oversight to US anti-terror investigators. Some MEPs feel, however, that the ongoing saga represents "misuse" of parliamentary power.

US President Barack Obama's security strategy is a clear departure from that of its predecessor and a decisive step towards solving the challenges of the 21st century and preparing us for the world of tomorrow, writes Javier Solana, the European Union's former High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy.

Leaders did not deliver an international agreement in Copenhagen and the US is dragging its feet on a climate bill, but all is not lost as positive action on reducing carbon emissions is developing quickly and we are rapidly approaching the climate-energy tipping point, American climate guru Lester Brown told EurActiv in an exclusive interview.

With the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, the US Congress is ready to reap the benefits of the European Parliament's strengthened role and renew its ties with legislators in Brussels.

If US President Barack Obama's plan to ban proprietary trading at some banks were to be applied in the European Union, it could be problematic for the bloc's universal banks, an EU document obtained by Reuters said.

China and India must play their full part in fighting climate change and accept that programmes financed by the West to modernise their industries will only come in return for making genuine efforts at home, warns the EU's chief climate negotiator in an interview with EurActiv.

Despite the outgoing US President's optimism, EU officials highlighted the fundamental differences that remain between the two sides on the climate issue, while no major breakthroughs were achieved on other touchy subjects like trade and visa-free travel.

The United States has been "AWOL – away without leave" on the climate change issue over the past six or seven years, but things will change after the November elections "regardless of who wins," US President George W. Bush's former Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta told EurActiv in an interview.