EU NewsBrief: European Foreign Policy Scorecard Finds EU Remains America's Most Dependable Partner

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The latest edition of the European Foreign Policy Scorecard 2013 published by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) finds that the transatlantic relationship remains resilient and vital to both partners. Europe is singled out as the only dependable partner the U.S. has.

The study highlights how the EU has been able to advance its foreign policy objectives. In particular, the European External Action Service, under the leadership of High Representative Catherine Ashton, has "continued to develop and consolidate its role."  The study notes that from the Middle East to Asia, the EU and the United States increasingly consult and cooperate with each other. And the ECFR highlights relations with the United States as one of the most successful areas of EU foreign policy.

"This report provides a thorough assessment of our relationship," said Ambassador Joao Vale de Almeida, Head of the European Union Delegation to the United States. "I'm pleased to see the recognition the EU receives for its foreign policy contributions - whether it be in dealing with Iran's nuclear proliferation or the Arab Spring. And it clearly shows the added value of the EU and the U.S. working together."

The report also notes the preparatory work in 2012 for a comprehensive EU-U.S. trade and investment agreement. The ECFR believes that "such an agreement would not only be a symbol of both the resilience of transatlantic relations but would also give the West a further edge in defining the economic standards and norms of tomorrow."

Finally, the report credits the EU Delegation in Washington with playing "an increasingly substantial role of coordination and advocacy" of European interests and as "a place for consultation and exchange of information" among the EU Member States. The report also underlines the EU Delegation's "growing ability to match the U.S. bureaucratic machinery and hence to advance European interests."

MORE: http://www.eurunion.org/eu/European-Policy-Scorecard-Finds-EU-Remains-America-s-Most-Dependable-Partner.html

SOURCE Delegation of the European Union to the United States