Nowadays, however, a name does not readily come to mind if we are to say who would answer Europe's phone when President Obama called!
And in this case Omaba has no need to call anyone. There's a multi-level bilateral summit hosted by the EU. The EU can suggest a number of events that will take place during the summit and the US can send whomever to each one. Obama is not going to show up at a meeting where he can send Geithner. Or Clinton. Obama is saying that he has no need to be at the summit. His underlings can do all that needs done except for the photo ops. Hopefully he will send Clinton.
As for phone calls, the Secretary of State's counterpart is the High Representative. In this case, Clinton calls Ashton.
That's the only clear-cut case, admittedly.
Van Rompuy's function is like that of the speaker of the Senate. It's probably Biden's job to meet with him. In that sense it's totally appropriate despite the derision of the sewious people that van Rompuy wants to hold an informal Council meeting in a library. The problem is that the position of Counci President was invented so that Blair could grandstand and steal the High Representative's attributions. See A-B-C, The Seven Dwarfs, And The Giant Bird by afew (October 20th, 2009).
Barroso is the head of the EU's executive. Obama should probably meet him. But that's from the point of view of managing the EU bureaucracy. The political direction is intergovernmental and lies with the Council, and that means the rotating President, in this case Zapatero. So Obama would have to meet with him, too. Which is only fair in any case since ZP is the head of government hosting the summit.
I understand Obama might prefer to just meet with Brown, Sarkozy or Merkel, but that's three people, too, right? En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma
Yeah, because the EU just does whatever the British Prime Minister tells them, right?
Just because the US president calls No.10 when he wants to speak to Europe doesn't mean that's what he should be doing. En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma
Left to right: High Representative for the CSFP Javier Solana, US President Barack Obama, European Commission President José Barroso and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrick Reinfeldt.
Note also that Javier Solana was not only High Representative but also Council Secretary General - a job that has now been beefed up and given to van Rompuy.
But any excuse is good to sound the [Europe.Is.Doomed™ Alert] . En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma
Why put about this suggestion that the EU is a joke that can't get its act together? Perhaps because it suits American interests that Europe should not unify. What the US, as an imperial power, would prefer is Europe as a group of separate countries that each follows the American lead. Washington prefers bilateral relations with each European country, in which the power relationship of major to minor is evident, rather than with a bloc that could claim a more even power-share.
Oh, bilateral relations means picking up twenty-seven telephones... But we never hear that joke, do we?
