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I believe cooperation between the two great blocks
positioned at both sides of the Atlantic,
is unavoidable in a globalized world,
where you have to work together to solve problems.
And we notice that the Americans are beginning to realize
that they cannot manage or control the world alone.
This has been indicated by USA foreign policy failures,
including more than Iraq and Afghanistan,
and I believe both sides of the Atlantic
have understood that, in order to manage the big problems,
like climate change and those kinds of global challenges,
like the struggle against terror and financial challenges,
that you must cooperate. And that's why I believe
it is crucial both for Europe and America,
to maintain good relations with the other power
and tackle a number of challenges together.
There already exist very extensive ties
between those two blocks, in many fields.
We are major trade partners
and the dependence is mutual
Europe on America and vice versa.
So, that's also a good reason
to be on good terms.
And the new president Obama seems a good opportunity to stimulate this further.
Besides, many decisions we take in Europe
also have consequences for America.
For example, we decide in Europe to
make strict legislation about chemicals,
the European REACH legislation,
which limits the amount of chemicals released on our market,
that they should be tested, that they should get clearance,
that some dangerous chemicals should be replaced, etc.
We've made a whole legislation around this,
which was created for the European market,
but the European market, almost 500 million people,
..relatively prosperous consumers..
is also very attractive for American business.
American businesses that want access to our market
are forced to take into account the rules we set
to regulate our own economy.
American businesses are currently copying the European REACH law
to maintain access to the European market.
We have actually become greatly entangled with each other,
and that entanglement will probably increase,
despite the calls for protectionism,
which will probably get support the next weeks, months, years...
Yet, in the long run, we are condemned to cooperate very intensely,
and maybe one day .. and they are working on it ..
create one huge single market.
But that doesn't mean we'll form a political union.
We remain two blocks,
with a different history, with different priorities,
with different methods to make decisions.
Yes, with different priorities,
and with a different view on problems
and that means, that
we will cooperate, but not that we will merge into
one great project or something of the kind...
but cooperation, of course, and very functional.
Economic integration etc. will intensify the coming years.
It certainly is still on the agenda.
And the negotiations with Turkey keep continuing.
They're slow and some chapters have been blocked,
and are dependent on what happens in the Cyprus story,
but the negotiations with Turkey keep going,
they won't be stopped, they won't be rewinded.
My feeling is,
that Turkish membership has entered some kind of dynamic,
which makes rewinding the clock very difficult.
Negotiations were started. Turkey has been promised membership,
they have the official membership candidate statute...
and that makes it very difficult for the EU to suddenly change our mind.
..To have a different intention than you had before..
Because you will pay a price for it.
Maybe, in hindsight, better constructions were thinkable
to arrange relations between the EU and Turkey,
but we have now entered a dynamic you cannot escape from.
Suppose you would suddenly say: "Turks you're nice guys,"
"and we want good relations,"
"but EU membership is no longer an option,"
"forget about the negotiations"
"and won't be restarted."
Then the EU would pay a price,
and, for example, you would get a very frustrated Turkey,
that would point at the many reforms it already did to get in the EU,
and quit reforms as a reaction.
The first victims will be those groups who got some more rights,
the Kurds, the women, the labor unions, etc.
There is also a number of Western businesses who have invested in Turkey,
Suppose Turkey would focus on Asia, instead, and our neighbors,
what would happen to those businesses?
We need Turkey for our energy supply,
especially now that we are having some conflicts with Russia.
The Nabucco Pipeline will go through Turkey, what would happen to that?
The greying of Europe...
Turkey has a very young population. They could fix our population decline.
There exist some connections between Turkey and the EU today,
and if we would cancel negotiations and their dream about membership,
we could get ourselves into trouble,
and I believe this is why important politicians,
like Sarkozy in France or Merkel in Germany,
who campaigned against Turkish membership,
and are still opponents of Turkish membership today,
and who could block those negotiations at any time,
do not - even Sarkozy and Merkel - and continue negotiations.
I believe, they consider that the situation is not ideal,
but that the process cannot be stopped or blown off,
because the price of doing so, would be much higher.
That price explains why negotiations keep continuing.
Another question is whether the Turks aren't losing patience,
because they have the feeling they're being put on hold,
that it seems to be taking longer and longer,
that conditions are sometimes added, etc.
A frustration is brewing...
"If it takes this long, we're no longer interested."
We notice growing opposition and resistance in Turkish public opinion.
Maybe Turkish public opinion is a greater danger for Turkish membership,
than the position of the EU. But it will surely take more time...
The EU did set a number of conditions, and those conditions must be met.