| Herman Van Rompuy addresses the UN — hopes and worries, but no firm convictions |
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Addressing the UN General Assembly (UNGA) last week, EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy for the first time represented all 27 EU member states at the UN, after the EU had gained enhanced observer status in May this year. The speech was however perceived as rather moderate, drawing a “rosy picture” of current issues, as experts have claimed. Van Rompuy took the opportunity to outline some global “hopes” and “worries”, including the current Eurozone crisis, the Arab spring as well as the Palestinian quest for official recognition at the UN. The high official however excluded the Palestinians from his praise of Arab Spring Revolutionaries and did not reveal anything on the EU’s voting behaviour, should Palestine seek full UN membership or become a “non-member state”. Experts have criticised the Council president for painting a “rosy picture” of current issues, especially regarding the Eurozone crisis. “We are acting with determination and in a spirit of solidarity ... You may be assured that we will continue to do what it takes to safeguard the financial stability of the Eurozone”, Van Rompuy said. This statement clearly disregarded the current struggle among member states to agree on further measures to be taken, putting the EU currency at a severe risk of failure, experts have warned. Van Rompuy further depicted the EU as a global advocate for human rights, poverty eradication and the fight against global warming. He expressed the EU’s solidarity with the Arab spring movements, describing them as “one of the most momentous political developments since the end of the Cold War”. The EU would further support "democratic transformation and economic reforms benefitting the people — with financial resources, with access to our markets, with mobility among our countries, and with assistance for state and nation building”, the official stressed. “Van Rompuy’s statement to the UN General Assembly is a historic moment for the EU,” commented Eurostep Director Simon Stocker. “But while the grand claims he made of the role it is playing to end poverty, promote people’s rights and tackle unsustainability might echo its policy rhetoric, but is harder to reconcile with much of its practice. I doubt that many in the General Assembly hall will have recognised the EU that they know!” Read Van Rompuy’s full speech here: Council of the European Union (pdf) Sources:  |
