The Obama Moment. European and American Perspectives

John Bruton
I believe the biggest challenge facing the EU now is that of framing a common approach
towards Russia. Russia has a capacity to exploit divisions within the European
Union. EU Member States have different historical and economic relationships
with Russia. But, if the EU takes itself seriously, it has to mould these differences
into something common.
This will require a huge investment of time by full-time EU leaders, who are working
day-in and day-out to identify and articulate the common EU interest.
The Lisbon Treaty can play a key rôle. In addition to a full-time Foreign Minister,
the Lisbon Treaty will also give the EU a full-time President of the European Council
to preside over the quarterly meetings of EU Heads of Government in the same
way as the Foreign Minister will preside over the 27 Foreign Ministers.
I believe he or she will be the key figure in coordinating the entire EU policy-making
operation. Working at the highest level with Heads of Government, the President
of the European Council will be able to resolve difficulties that may arise with and
between other EU institutions, and become the principal interlocutor for the EU
with the President of the United States. While there will be no comparison in terms
of their respective power, the President of the European Council will have a capacity
to respond to the President of the United States in a unique way. He or she will have
the time, the contacts, and the institutional clout necessary to forge agreements
between the EU institutions and the 27 EU Member States.
Progressively the President of the United States will find that it will be easier, and
less time-consuming, to develop initiatives by working through the President of the
European Council, and where appropriate the President of the European Commission,
than by trying to work individually with Heads of individual EU Member State
governments. At the end of the day, all policy-making in the EU depends on the
consent of Member States, who remain sovereign, so it will be important that the
President of the European Council be given strong backing from the outset by bigger
EU Member States, so that he or she will be able to develop a unique relationship
with the US President.
But, just as they have been able to achieve more in the economic field by voluntarily
pooling their sovereignty, the European Union countries will find that they will
achieve more by working as a unit with the United States, than by working separately.
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