The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the role of the EU in promoting a broader Transatlantic Partnership.
Bilateral relations : Parliament invites Barack Obama to address the European Parliament at its plenary session in Strasbourg during his next visit to Europe. It calls for an EU-US summit to be held as soon as possible to decide on a common agenda of short-term and long-term goals with regard to both bilateral matters and global and regional issues.
The resolution stresses that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will represent a significant boost to the EU and US economies and will reinvigorate the EU-US relationship and that its global impact would go beyond its bilateral implications, by providing common approaches to rules and standards in global trade, investment and trade-related areas. It is expected to engender a renewed political momentum in transatlantic relations, which could and should be used to stimulate closer cooperation in other areas, including foreign policy.
The coordination of EU policy vis-à-vis the US administration should be enhanced so as to send out a convincing message that the EU is a coherent and efficient international player. Parliament suggests that a Transatlantic Political Council (TPC) be created to serve as a body for systematic consultation and coordination on foreign and security policy.
Members strongly condemn the Boston terrorist attacks of 15 April 2013 and encourage both partners to continue the fight against terrorism. In an amendment adopted in plenary, they are deeply concerned by recent revelations on the US surveillance and data gathering operations under the PRISM programme, and their implications for the protection of EU citizens' civil liberties. Parliament calls on the Commission and the Council to raise the issue at the forthcoming JHA EU-USA Ministerial meeting on June 14th 2013. It notes the fact that the Passenger Name Records Agreement and the Terrorist Finance Tracking Programme Agreement (SWIFT Agreement), approved by the European Parliament, are already in force but calls on the partners to increase their cooperation on the Data Privacy and Protection Agreement, in order to finalise the negotiations in such a manner as to ensure the proper transparency of data processing and sufficient protection of personal data.
Furthermore, the resolution underlines the need for a vigorous debate on armed drones and their limits and the need to take steps towards a future international regulation, given the global implications.
Atlantic and global agenda : the resolution calls on both partners to study areas and frameworks through which broader transatlantic cooperation could be carried out in a pragmatic way, and to explore with other Atlantic countries the usefulness of this extended cooperation. It calls for a study on the possibility of a broader cooperation including the African rim of the Atlantic Basin. It stresses the growing relevance of the countries of the Atlantic Basin with regard to energy production and reserves as well as raw materials.
On climate change, Parliament urges the partners to agree, as early as possible and by 2015 at the latest, on binding commitments on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in line with maintaining climate change below 2°C. It also considers that the EU and the US should lead the way towards a global agreement on the regulation of airline emissions in the context of the ICAO General Assembly.
Members call on the EU and the US to adopt a common strategy in international forums, especially the UN, for reducing stocks of weapons of mass destruction and conventional arms, and to involve the Atlantic countries in those endeavours.
Current issues and conflicts : Parliament calls on the EU and the US to maintain pressure on Russia and China with a view to an urgent political solution for the tragic crisis in Syria and stresses the need for a common response to the political instability and looming economic crisis in Egypt. Support should also be given to the implementation of a roadmap to transition in Mali. It also calls on both partners to work together on the resumption of direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
A diplomatic solution should be found to the Iranian nuclear issue.
As regards Russia, the resolution emphasises the importance of cooperation with Russia on global challenges, including disarmament and non-proliferation.
Lastly, Parliament condemns the escalating war rhetoric on the part of North Korea and its direct threats made against the US. It calls on Pyongyang to abide by the relevant UN Security Council resolutions calling for a cessation of its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles programmes. Further coordinated efforts should be made by the EU and the US as regards China.