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EU Envoy: Brussels Must Take Itself Seriously

(EUobserver.com)July 30, 2004

The outgoing EU ambassador to the United States has called for Brussels to take itself more seriously if it wants to be seen as an equal partner to the US.

https://p.dw.com/p/5NHf

The European Union has to learn to take itself seriously before it can expect the United States to treat it as an equal, the outgoing EU ambassador to the US has warned. Speaking before the Foreign Affairs Committee in the European Parliament on Thursday, Günter Burghardt said that getting Washington to treat the 25-nation bloc as a partner "depends on how seriously we take ourselves" adding "that is something only we can manage." The German diplomat said that while there is an overall general will by the EU to "enter into a partnership of equals" it is undermined by the fact that some member states continue to accord bilateral interests more importance.