Christian Ehler: for the US there is no partner comparable to Europe | WPN World People News

The EU-US partnership has had its ups and downs recently, as evidenced by the NSA snooping scandal. However, with the recent crisis on Europe's borders, having good allies might prove vital for resolving conflicts and tackling threats. On the day the EU-US summit in Bruxelles started, we spoke to Christian Ehler, the chair of the delegation for relations with the US. The German member of the EPP group stressed that links with the US were still strong and vital.

Christian Ehler

What does the Ukraine crisis mean for the EU-US partnership? How can the two sides of the Atlantic work together to address what looks like a Russian challenge to the post Cold War status-quo?

The summit has a tragic background and gives at the same time a certain reassurance that the two sides are cooperating on how to protect international law and the idea of democracy. It’s the EU and United States – the two blocks that have formed a successful partnership for decades - that as usual have stepped in. It's reassuring to know what we will act jointly, if what looks now as an attempt to revert to the Cold War gets serious.

The US has for a very long time been seeking to place Asia at the centre of its foreign policy. What does this mean for the EU?

It’s not only the United States, the European Union has also been looking to Asia, as it gains in economic and political importance. But if something goes wrong, the United States does not have a partner there comparable to us. We have to remember that it’s not a kindergarten-like rivalry between kids. It goes back to the substance of the question: who is the real reliable ally?

What do you expect from this week's summit? Is the free-trade agreement still on track?

The free-trade agreement is still on track. We hoped that there would be more substantial proposals during the latest round of negotiations in terms of tariffs, possibly even reducing them to zero.

But this is a part of the negotiations. We just have to keep our aim in mind: to have a well prepared free trade agreement. I look forward to further negotiations.