President Obama tours the
American cemetery at Flanders Field with
Belgian King Phillipe, middle, and Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo.
Belgium's Green Party
wants to make the most out of Obama's visit.
What Belgium Should Ask of Obama While He's Here (Knack,
Belgium)
"In Waregem, a site with the
graves of hundreds of victims of bloodshed, it should be the perfect time for Di
Rupo to ask for the removal of nuclear weapons at KleineBrogel Air Base. ... Di Rupo must ask Obama to put an end to the persecution of Mr.
Snowden so the whistleblower can travel to Europe. ... Di Rupo
should obtain guarantees from Obama that any free trade agreement in no way undermines
the European social and environmental policies - even indirectly."
President Barack Obama is on the ground in Belgium, meaning it is time for Belgiac leaders to strike while the iron is hot. Will Obama look kindly at their requests?
All
the limelight in this country and elsewhere is aimed at a small cemetery in Waregem. Side by side, U.S. President Barack Obama and our
Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo
will commemorate the fallen soldiers of World War I. It will be an important
moment because the ceremony not only looks back at the horrors of war a hundred
years ago, it also symbolizes the strong transatlantic partnership between the
U.S. and Europe. With the confidence of Europeans in America continuing to
sink, the Green Party has presented Di Rupo with
three tips to restore close relations.
Restore
confidence
During
the First World War, the U.S. for the first time came to our rescue against
bloody imperialist ambitions. Forty years later it happened again, and finally led
to a lasting alliance.
But
after years of unilateral action under George W. Bush, and despite a promising
start, Obama hasn't prevented a widening gap from opening between the U.S. and
Europe. The espionage scandals, human rights abuses at Bagram
Air Base, Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo, the replacement
of the U.S. nuclear weapons in Europe and the extrajudicial U.S. drone killings in Pakistan
are just a few examples of why the divide keeps growing.
It's
time for a new strategic partnership, a relationship in which both sides make
an equal contribution to standing strong. Faltering multilateral cooperation
will benefit if the E.U. and the U.S. raise the bar, triggering a virtuous
cycle around themes like climate change, weapons of mass destruction, growing
income inequality, tax havens, the arms race in outer space, the protection of
cyberspace and the North Pole, and much more. Without the U.S. there will be no
progress on these issues. To lay the foundation for renewed confidence, the
Green Party asks Prime Minister Di Rupo to broach
three contentious issues at Waregem on which we can obtain
quick results.
1. Remove nuclear
weapons from Belgium and Europe
On
Feb. 19, 2010, Guy Verhofstadt, Jean-Luc Dehaene, Louis Michel, and Willy Claes
wrote in a pointed opinion piece: "By maintaining nuclear weapons in
Europe, we continue to signal to the rest of the world that such weapons are
'necessary.' Sometimes we must have the courage to set an example and hope
it inspires others."
Greece
and Canada put their money where their mouths are and showed nuclear weapons on
their territory the door. In June of last year, President Obama promised "bold
reductions" of the 200 or so U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in Europe, and
according to senior diplomats, Obama is favorably disposed to European demands
to remove the expensive weapons. In Waregem, a site with
the graves of hundreds of involuntary victims of bloodshed, it should be the
perfect time for Di Rupo to ask for the removal of
nuclear weapons at KleineBrogel Air Base.
2. Protect our
right to privacy
This
year, the NSA scandal highlighted the grip that U.S. intelligence has on the
privacy of ordinary citizens. That doesn't only apply to Americans, who
recently began enjoying stronger protections, but to Europeans, who have not.
As long as we have no guarantees that European citizens, politicians, and
businesses are not being spied upon, it remains impossible to work together on
the basis of trust. We need a clean slate.
Edward
Snowden has agreed to answer questions from the European Parliament. That would
be a clear signal. Di Rupo must ask Obama to put an
end to the persecution of Mr. Snowden so the whistleblower can travel to
Europe. The prime minister should also make it clear that we expect a higher
level of data protection in Europe, and that the U.S. should provide the
necessary guarantees
3. The bar for E.U.-U.S.
free trade deal must be raised
In
his 2013 State of the Union, Obama announced talks on a free trade agreement
between the U.S. and E.U. That came after repeated calls from the European
Commission. As things stand now, it is debatable whether such an agreement will
strengthen trust between Americans and Europeans. It seems that the
multinationals will benefit most from the deal. According to the principle of
mutual recognition, these companies have the capacity to go "regulatory
shopping." In other words, multinationals choose the lowest standard and
then impose it on Europe or America.
Di
Rupo should obtain guarantees from Obama that any
agreement in no way undermines the European social and environmental
policies - even indirectly. To conduct a joint social and environmental policy
which is economically viable, the bar must be raised. Only then can we avoid a "race
to the bottom."
A
transatlantic alliance on equal footing is in our mutual interest. When he took
office, Obama made the planet dream of a better world. It is up to our European
leaders to help make that better world possible.
