Expectations for U.S. President Barack Obama's first trip to Europe

"We could be watching the US take over the leadership role on climate issues, which until recently seemed to belong to Europe," explains Cem Özdemir in POLITICO's Arena.

What message do you think President Obama should deliver to Europe; what message should Europe deliver to Obama?

Cem Özdemir, National Chairman, German Green Party and Member of the European Parliament:

Responsibility doesn't end at our respective borders. Obama would be right to press us Europeans to move beyond the outdated "Fortress Europe" mentality when it comes to dealing with Russia or opening up to Turkey. Europe would be right to thank Obama for shutting Guantanamo, but press him on why the US is expanding Bagram.

Europe has waited a long time for this moment in transatlantic relations, as have many of our friends in the US. But now that a new administration is in power and ready to make up for lost time on a number of issues, we have to ask: Where is Europe? Have we used the wait to get our own house in order? What about the Lisbon treaty? What about Russia? Even after the gas crises in Belarus and Ukraine, which have become our annual wake-up call, Europe still does not have a common strategy towards Russia. And Afghanistan? The lack of a European strategy there explains Europe's mild anxiety in anticipation of what President Obama will now ask of us as he puts his own plan into action.

I don't mean to only criticize Europe. Europe has played a leading role at key times in the past few years. Europe took the initiative on Iran. Or think of Georgia: Say what you want about President Sarkozy of France, but be thankful that the French held the EU presidency last summer.

Finally, the climate crisis: In President Obama, Europe now has a partner in Washington who sees the economic crisis as an opportunity to tackle the energy and climate crises through better regulation and investment in green collar jobs. The Waxman-Markey proposal for a US cap-and-trade system, just released this week, underscores the new sense of urgency now coming from Washington. This is a remarkable and welcome change from the recent past.

We could be watching the US take over the leadership role on climate issues, which until recently seemed to belong to Europe. The EU is quickly undermining its own credibility by not meeting its own (relatively low) emissions and renewable energies targets, while stalling on proposals for new and more progressive targets. I hope Europe can get its act together and the U.S. can maintain the momentum because it would be wonderful to renew the transatlantic alliance around green innovation and cooperation -- and use the power of our example to promote responsibility beyond our borders. The U.S. and Europe agree that China, India and the rest of the developing world need to be brought on board, but it looks like they might get to Copenhagen before we do.

Source: Politico, April 2, 2009.
www.politico.com/arena/perm/Cem_Ozdemir_90A99C3D-F0CB-4CA2-8D74-CFC79E80535C.html