The envoy of Europe

The European Union’s ambassador to the United States says he is at the vanguard of an effort to turn the EU into “a more reliable, more credible, and a more results-oriented partner” for the U.S. on the international stage.

“The United States is at the top of our list of priority partners,” said Portuguese national João Vale de Almeida, who rose through the ranks of the EU as a close ally of José Manuel Barroso, the European Commission president.

{mosads}“We have a vibrant relationship, but we want to move further and improve and deepen the relationship in a number of areas,” Almeida said in an interview. “We believe we can do more.”

Almeida assumed the leadership of the EU Delegation to the United States in August with more powers than his predecessors.

Under a new treaty approved by the 27 members of the EU, Almeida is empowered to speak on behalf of the entire body when all of the member-states agree to a formal position — an unprecedented show of diplomatic unity for the regional bloc.

Almeida, stressing the need to maintain a strong trans-Atlantic partnership in the face of global challenges, said he has a “wider mandate” than previous EU representatives on crucial questions of foreign and economic policy.

He also rejects the notion that the Obama White House is somehow less committed to European affairs than previous administrations.

“I think everybody sees President Obama as someone who is very much … committed to relations with Europe,” Almeida said.

“We share so many values, we have so much in common, that it’s only natural that in this globalized world we should seek to improve and further strengthen this relationship,” he added.

Almeida’s role as voice of the EU comes with substantial challenges. He must win the confidence and trust of other diplomats from Europe, many of whom were critical of his appointment and fear an erosion of their authority.

Almeida said he looks forward to building a rapport with members of Congress and stands ready to counter any impression that the EU is not an elite international alliance.

“I’m ready to engage even with those who may have doubts about the importance of Europe, because I want to convey to them the sense that we want to work with American legislators. We believe there’s a lot we can do together,” he said.

Almeida, a former journalist, served as Barroso’s chief of staff and main adviser from 2004 to 2009 and was recently dispatched as his personal envoy to meetings of the G8 and G20.

Before his appointment as ambassador, Almeida was the director general for external relations at the European Commission, where he helped Catherine Ashton, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, implement foreign policy positions.

{mosads}Almeida pointed to the EU’s recent cooperation on sanctions for Iran as evidence of the bloc’s power to influence international affairs.

“What we’ve just approved was restrictive measures regarding Iran. I think this is a very good example of where the union comes together with a solid common position, matching what the United States had done previously, [but] moving forward and beyond what we had both agreed to within the Security Council of the United Nations,” he said.

EU countries spent a good portion of this year grappling with a severe debt crunch in Greece that threatened to plunge the global economy into a second recession. Almeida touted the EU’s “decisive” response to that crisis and stressed the need for debt reduction worldwide.

“We cannot pass to the current generation the burden of what we are spending today,” he said. “We need job creation in order to fully recover from this crisis. But we also need to make sure that this recovery is sustainable, that it has solid foundations. It’s a common challenge for both sides of the Atlantic.”

Almeida said there is “room for growth” in trade relations between Europe and the U.S. and noted that the rise of emerging economies such as China and India provides an opportunity for increased international cooperation on market access.

“If you’re going into the Chinese market, being a European or an American doesn’t change much. You are confronted with the same problems,” he said.

The ambassador praised the Obama administration’s commitment to fighting climate change even as he acknowledged the EU would like to see more action from the U.S. on the issue. He expressed hope that a new consensus on climate policy is within reach despite the disappointing talks in Copenhagen, Denmark.

“We need to bring an additional momentum to the fight against climate change. …It will be difficult, it will take time, but it certainly requires Europeans and Americans to be together,” Almeida said.