This article was written jointly by three EU ambassadors in Riyadh: Ambassador Luigi Narbone, head of the Delegation of the European Union, Jan Thesleff, ambassador of Sweden, whose country currently holds the EU Presidency, and Manuel Alabart, ambassador of Spain, which assumed the EU Presidency for a transitional period from Jan. 1.
TODAY, the European Union (EU) is the greatest and most integrated bloc of independent states; it has a GDP of some 12 trillion euros and it is the world’s greatest exporter, accounting for one-third of the world’s economic production. People often exaggerate by referring to a certain date and claiming that on that day, the world changed. However, this usually dubious claim is very much true in our case. On Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009, the EU changed — and the changes brought greater hope and inspiration, not only to EU citizens but to all of its neighbors and partners.
As the EU embarks on a new era, with the Treaty of Lisbon coming into force, it is important to underline the global implications of the treaty and its significance to our friends and neighbors in the Arab world and in the Gulf in particular.
Since a 1989 accord, the EU and the GCC have cooperated closely on all fronts. The EU is by far the GCC’s most important economic partner and it is the major market for Gulf exports. For example, EU exports to the Gulf states are worth about 70 billion euros and EU imports from the Gulf region are about 37 billion euros. EU investment in the Gulf is over 2.5 billion euros. An EU-GCC Free Trade Agreement would heighten even further this cooperation and exchange. Economic cooperation has been further strengthened by cultural exchanges and people-to-people interaction.
Over the last few years, cooperation in fields such as science and technology and exchanges between researchers and students have been steadily increasing. Recently, the EU launched a special facility for the Erasmus Mundus Program for the Gulf to increase cooperation in the field of education. And we look forward to more fruitful cooperation in the future.
The changes brought by the Treaty of Lisbon will facilitate these cooperative ventures. The treaty aims to achieve more efficient and democratic decision-making mechanisms within the 27-country bloc.
Indeed, the history of the 27-country bloc represents a unique experience — so much so that many countries and regional entities have taken inspiration from it. The first European entity was established in 1957 by the Treaty of Rome and had only six members.
With the 1992 Treaty of Maastricht, the European Union was created, paving the way for much more cooperation on foreign, military and monetary policies.
Under the new treaty, with the appointment of a new EU president and the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy — who is also a vice president of the European Commission — the EU will have a stronger say on global issues and will strengthen its role in dealing with world challenges, such as the economic and financial crisis, climate change and terrorism.
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy will bring greater coherence to the way the EU conducts foreign policy and will increase the EU role in mediation and intervention in order to assist parties in resolving conflicts.
In addition, the treaty adds to the influence of citizens, national parliaments and the European Parliament (EP) on the way the EU operates. It gives Europeans a more direct say in decisions made in the union.
The treaty creates the “European citizens’ initiative,” which enables one million citizens who are nationals of a significant number of member states to call directly on the European Commission to bring forward a legislative proposal in any area of EU competence. This sort of direct participation should lead to greater engagement with the increasingly influential European institutions.
The Treaty of Lisbon gives the European Parliament more power, enabling it to decide on most EU legislation in coordination with the Council of Ministers. Yet with more power comes more responsibility. The EU with its new apparatus will be more accountable to its citizens.
In conclusion, with the structural changes of the EU’s decision-making apparatus now that the Treaty of Lisbon has come into force, the EU and the GCC will certainly be able to further increase cooperation in all areas. We are close neighbors and as such, exchanges in all fields — political, economic and cultural — should be increased. A strengthened, unified European voice will make the EU an even more active, attractive and reliable partner of the six GCC states.
