Germany’s European Union Presidency came to an end at the end of June. New Era spoke to German Ambassador to Namibia, Arne Freiherr von Kittlitz und Ottendorf.
By Catherine Sasman
Q: New Era: What were the highlights and the low-lights, if you like?
A: Ambassador Arne Freiherr von Kittlitz:
The highlights of the six-month period can best be described in terms of the two Summits – one in March and the last in June – and the results from these.
The March Summit highlighted and celebrated the 50th anniversary of the EU.
The Berlin Declaration discussed there dealt in some detail with the issue of climate change and how to deal with it. Some benchmarks in this regard were accepted, including, for instance, to reduce CO2 emissions in the EU by 20 percent by the year 2020, compared to the level of 1990.
It also dealt with parts of the EU Constitution.
More importantly, the 21 to 23 June Summit in Bruxelles dealt with Germany’s mandate since 2006 concerning the European Treaty reform process. The background to this is that the European Constitution faced a double veto in 2005 by France and The Netherlands. A two-year reflection period followed.
That has come to an end and Germany was then tasked – and identified with this task – to find a compromise on a new reform treaty that everybody could agree on.
That formula was difficult to agree on, but in the end it was. That constitutes the most important part of the German presidency.
For us, the European Constitution has always been a key issue because the EU, having grown its membership to 27, has to retain some of the basic functions and values of its nations. This means that it should be a democratic and transparent organisation, and that it should retain its ability to act as an international player. It is sometimes cumbersome to come to a consensus, and to do so quickly, with so many member states.
Hence, one of the results of the June Summit was that one person would be dealing with the foreign policy of the EU, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. This is a big achievement in terms of the EU’s ability to formulate a cohesive foreign policy.
Also important is that by 2014 the voting procedure will be based on the double majority voting system with the elements of 55% of the member states and 65 % of the population of the EU. This was a contentious issue, but that is now the agreed target for 2014.
The reform of the European Treaty is now handed to Portugal. It has been mandated to draw up a draft which will be discussed at an inter-governmental conference that will produce a text on the basis of which the next European Parliament elections in 2009 will be held.
There was also an important element in the German presidency that dealt with energy and energy security in particular. There was also an African aspect to this issue, and that was how to cooperate with African governments regarding securing the energy provision for Africa.
Of course, there is the constant need for compromise. This means that not everybody will be happy all the time. But by and large all compromises reached are such that we cannot only live with them, but can be described as a success. A success best illustrated by the rising approval rate of 57% among European citizens, which is the highest approval rate for the EU in the past 10 years.
For the German Embassy in Windhoek the local EU presidency will continue. We will be in charge of the Portuguese presidency until the end of this year because Portugal does not have an embassy here.
Having said that, I think there were no low-lights.
Q: What has the EU presidency meant for Germany?
A: The resolution of the EU Treaty issue was a major undertaking especially for Chancellor Angela Merkel, but of course for the entire German government.
In addition it meant that we could focus more attention – not just in the EU, but worldwide – on the interrelated issues of energy and climate change.
Q: Namibia has a special historic relationship with Germany. Has it in any way benefited from Germany’s presidency?
A: This special historic relationship is a bi-lateral one, and under the EU presidency bi-lateral issues cannot be brought to the EU table. But Namibia has been part of the focus as an African nation and especially as a member of SADC.
There have been meetings with southern African partners, and a special focus on relations with the EU and South Africa; that was an important issue on the agenda.
Most important are of course the continuing negotiations on the EPAs [economic partnership agreements]. As far as southern Africa is concerned, the EPA negotiations are complicated for a number of reasons. But there is a genuine will on the part of the European Commission – underlined recently by German Federal President K??????’??