EU Ambassador to US calls for new forms of international cooperation

From the December EU News Brief:

Ambassador João Vale de Almeida, Head of the European Union Delegation to the United States, discussed EU-US relations at the European Institute in Washington, DC. Noting that this is a moment in history when the pace of change is accelerating, he stressed the importance of new forms of international coope! ration and collective governance to deal with the challenges of globalization. "The principle of 'shared problems, shared solutions' has been at the heart of the European project for the last 50 years. In a sense, we have already managed a 'regional globalization', one that could usefully serve as a model for the rest of the world," he said.

He added that "in shaping these new forms of global governance, we, the United States and Europe, need to decide if we want the world to be shaped by our values of freedom, democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights. If that is the case, as I am sure it should be, then we must work together, combine our efforts and maximize our influence. For that to happen, we need to set aside our differences, concentrate on what unites us and move forward with a positive agenda, making full use of the potential of each of our member states as well as the EU as a whole."