Wednesday,
June 11, 2008
The
ANNOTICO Report
Officially,
President Bush is in Europe to improve cooperation on dealing with
For 11 years,
American chicken has been unwanted in Europe, banned because of the chlorine
solution used to disinfect the birds in the
The World is on
the verge of the Apocalypse and ALL that is on Geo Bush's mind is
"CHICKENS" ??????
Bush
is considering this six-day trip through
The
question then would be a more existential one for trans-Atlantic relations:
Instead of wondering if the cross-ocean relationship can survive Bush's
presidency, the question will be whether Europe and the
Spiegel
On Line
By Gregor Peter Schmitz in
June
9, 2008
US
President George W. Bush will arrive in
European Union
diplomats in
Preparation
for such phone calls has always been something of a strong suit for European
bureaucrats, and their desks are covered with thick files documenting every
possible topic to be addressed in Brdo:
But this time,
only one file has been necessary to field the calls from across the
For 11 years,
American chicken has been unwanted in Europe, banned because of the chlorine
solution used to disinfect the birds in the
Recently, the
European Commission has shown signs of wanting to solve the deadlock and has
been working on a compromise deal to allow the import of American cluckers. The hope on both sides is that a solution to the
chicken dilemma could lead to breakthroughs on other trade issues. But
Fixated on
Fowl
In terms of the
total volume of trans-Atlantic trade, the chicken question is minor at best.
As usual with
such disputes, however, there is more at stake in the current altercation than
just a couple of chickens. The issue is a major test of the Transatlantic
Economic Council, a group born out of a suggestion by German Chancellor Angela
Merkel and which, since last year, has been trying to strengthen trans-Atlantic
trade ties. A primary aim of the council is that of working to eliminate
barriers to the free flow of goods between Europe and the
The Americans,
however, have never been overly enthusiastic about the project. Indeed, many
observers think that Bush agreed to the council merely as a favor to Merkel.
Since then, his government seems to have lost interest entirely -- a
development that the chicken showdown could accelerate. The
The fact that
such an issue as minor as the chicken debate has hit the headlines, though,
shows more than anything that trans-Atlantic relations have once again hit a
standstill. Officially, President Bush is in Europe to improve cooperation on
dealing with
'Looking
Beyond the Bush Era'
A
Bush seems to be
as well. Even given the chicken differences,
That, though,
seems unlikely. Since the
Bush, though,
will encounter very little of that sentiment on his carefully planned trip. In
Paris, he will likely get a rousing welcome from President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has re-oriented his country on a pro-US course. In
Little
Interest in a Joint Appearance
And
in
Bush himself
seems content to play his bad-guy role right to the very end. Just recently,
his government presented plans to require Europeans -- even those who don't
need visas -- to register online at least three days before travelling
to the
Still,
"The Bush
visit," says John Glenn of the German Marshall Fund, "is a reminder
that one of the most interesting periods of all times is about to begin in
trans-Atlantic relations: What is the post-Bush era going to look like?"
The
ANNOTICO Reports Can be Viewed (With Archives*) on:
Blog: www.AnnoticoReport.com
Italia
Italia Mia: www.ItaliaMia.com *
Topix.net:
www.topix.net/world/italy
Annotico
Email: annotico@earthlink.net