EP-voorzitter Schulz benadrukt belang samenwerking tussen EU en VS (en)

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to be here with you today. Thank you for this kind invitation. I look forward to discussing with you the state of the transatlantic partnership. It is indeed a fascinating time to analyse our crucial, and sometimes difficult, relationship - now, that the negotiations on Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership are underway!

I am convinced: negotiations between the EU and the US, is a good deal easier - and certainly more polite - than negotiating within the EU or the US internally - whether you look at the fierce debate about the debt-ceiling in Washington, or agreeing to a EU budget in Brussels or coalition making in Berlin.

The US and the EU are indeed tied together by strong bonds, bonds of shared culture, shared values and shared interests - and bonds of friendship. We are democracies and market societies. Much more unites us than divides us.

Yet, the times are changing. The world in which the transatlantic partnership emerged and prospered does not exist in the same way. We have put the Cold War and its bipolar logic of confrontation behind us. But the fall of the Berlin Wall did not come with "an end of history", as some have proclaimed - the eternal triumph of Western values.

On the contrary, today we are living in:

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  an increasingly multipolar world, a world in which new powers are rising,

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  a world in which we have to deal with more and more problems caused by interdependence,

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  a world in which regions, rather than states will dominate world politics.

We are faced with a question: Do we want to shape this emerging new world order together?

Will we together stand up for our shared values: democracy, human rights, and multilateralism? Will we tackle new challenges together - from engaging rising powers in taking more responsibility in global governance, from Syria to Egypt, from financial market regulation to climate change?

Yes, the US and the EU are still tied together by strong bonds. Yet, there has been a lot of talk about the "Asian pivot". A lot of speculation that the US is shifting its focus away from the EU to Asia, that the US is becoming a Pacific power. The US is currently negotiating a Trans-Pacific Partnership which would stretch from the US to New Zealand and from Japan to Peru.

Europeans should not ignore these developments; they reflect the current changes in the world. And we are not afraid of this either. Europe is today in a position to make its own strategic decisions, we are also in our own way, trying to work out how to best deal with the growing economic dominance of China. We are also, albeit more tacitly, engaged in the Asian pivot.

Yet, we should not forget that the US sells almost three times as many goods to the EU than to China, and the EU sells twice as many goods to the US than to China, too. We are each other's most important investor and trade partner. We are in this together.

TTIP or the Free Trade Agreement is about making sure the United States and Europe remain standard makers rather than standard takers. If we do not unite behind common standards it will soon become difficult to even up-hold our own standards.

Production is increasingly global and economic power is shifting towards emerging markets - this will erode the leverage of both the US and the EU to up-hold the high consumer standards our citizens expect.

Yes, the US and the EU still account for almost half of the world's GDP - but this also means that the other half of the world's GDP is generated in other countries - and their share is growing. This is good news. Millions of people have risen out of poverty. Millions of people now have access to education. We should not create barriers. We can only be part of that process by tearing them down. This is what the EU and the US are good at: tearing down barriers.

The window of opportunity for the US and the EU to shape the future world order is becoming smaller and smaller. Will we use this time wisely? Will we succeed in strengthening our ties for the future? The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will be a test case for the viability of the transatlantic relationship in the 21st century.

Ladies and gentlemen,

let me admit that I'm not a big fan of all these Euro jargon acronyms: ESM, SSM BEPGs, European Economic policy is full of these terms. But let's get real: Who understands what these terms mean? How can we expect people to feel that their actual problems and concerns are being addressed with all this empty technocratic jargon?

I'm convinced: If we do not want to see more and more people turn their backs on the idea of Europe, then we have to make policies people can actually understand. So please forgive me, if instead of saying TTIP I will say: the Free Trade Agreement. Hammering out this agreement won't be easy. It comes with many challenges but also many chances. At least, it will be built on solid ground:

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  We already exchange 2 billion euros in goods and services - every day!

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  We have already invested more than 2.8 trillion Euros in each other's economies.

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  We already have very low tariffs.

So, what are the benefits? What the experts tell me is that:

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  every European family could safe 545 Euros every year

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  two million jobs will be created in the EU alone

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  it could provide an additional bonus the EU's economy by €120 billion; the US economy by €90 billion; the rest of the world by €100 billion.

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  On top of this it would come at no price for the taxpayer.

I hope the experts are right.

That's what makes this adventure worthwhile - not only for the short term economic benefits.

Because long-term our 800 million citizens stand to gain more. The Trade and Investment Partnership is not only about free trade - it's about better regulation, about protecting our model of society and about shaping the future world.

Ladies and gentlemen,

There is already a lot of talk about the challenges - the worries range from chlorinated chicken to genetically modified food, data protection for social media users and derivatives trading. And let's not forget, the US bugging of EU embassies and monitoring of emails and phone calls of ordinary EU citizens which almost ended the negotiations before they even began. And rightly so. We want a relationship based on trust. And it will for sure be a challenge to bridge the diverging take on data privacy.

Cultural attitudes on each side towards consumer safety, environmental protection, and privacy run deep - and they will not be overcome with promises of diffuse economic benefits and future job growth.

They deserve to be taken seriously and the European Parliament will take them seriously! Let me add, the "exception culturelle" it's neither protectionist nor Anti-American. We simply don't want to risk jeopardizing the Union's cultural and linguistic diversity - nor the diversity in the audiovisual and cultural service. Culture is a public good - and the European Parliament will defend it!

Yes, the Free Trade Agreement is about cutting tariffs - but it's about much more: It's about tackling trade barriers like technical regulation, standards, certification - and the resulting bureaucracy. At the moment, we have divergent or duplicative regulatory policies in the US and the EU. This is effectively a trade barrier - one that makes it very difficult for small and medium sized enterprises to gain access to the market on the other side of the Atlantic. Cutting red tape will make it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises to do business. And they are the ones creating most jobs.

Transatlantic cooperation between businesses is essential for highlighting problems and suggesting solutions - we count on your expertise in this field! To be clear: the goal of the Free Trade Agreement can't be that one side takes over the rules of the other side; nor can the goal be a race-to-the bottom - we do not and will not end up with lower social, health or environmental protection standards.

This Agreement must mean safer consumer goods and improved public health. And the European Parliament will ensure that our citizens’ interests will be well protected and that there will be no unnecessary haste. We will only give our consent, which is needed for the agreement to enter into force, if we are satisfied that our citizens’ interests and the interests of the EU as a whole are safe-guarded.

Production is increasingly global and economic power is shifting towards emerging markets - this will erode the leverage of both the US and the EU to up-hold the high consumer standards our citizens expect.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In the US and in Europe we share a model of society that is unique in human history, a model which combines freedom and democracy, prosperity and solidarity. It is a model that embraces a free press and an independent judiciary, pension provision, education and opportunities for all, parliamentary democracy and participatory politics, equality before the law and civil rights. This is the society I want to live in and I want my children and my children's children to be able to live in that kind of society.

In today's changing world we need to cooperate more than ever to defend our model of society. Because together we are stronger. And I'm convinced that we have a lot to offer each other and to the world. It's time to up-grade the transatlantic partnership and make it fit for the challenges in the 21st century.

It won't be an easy ride. There will be many stumbling blocks along the road. I'm convinced we can overcome these hurdles as long as we go into the negotiations with an open mind and willing to compromise. Now, we are still in a position to formulate high global standards and invite others to join. Let's not drag our feet, let's use this window of opportunity wisely.

Thank you for your attention.