AMBASSADOR'S JANUARY 6 MEETING WITH JOSE MANUEL

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 000042 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/13/2020 TAGS: ECON EFIN EU PGOV PINR PREL SENV SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S JANUARY 6 MEETING WITH JOSE MANUEL BARROSO Classified By: Ambassador William E. Kennard for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d ). ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On January 6, Ambassador Kennard presented his credentials to Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission. Barroso was positive about the U.S.-EU relationship, saying, &We want to work with you.8 The 45 minute meeting covered climate change, energy security, data privacy, and the changing role of the European Parliament under the Lisbon Treaty. Barroso warned that while European public opinion has been favorable to the Obama Administration, European publics will begin asking themselves &what Obama has delivered.8 The Ambassador similarly urged throughout the meeting that the U.S. and EU achieve tangible results that will resonate with our publics. End summary. CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY SECURITY - AND CHINA ¶2. (C) Barroso opened by focusing on the strength of the U.S.-EU Trade relationship, then highlighted the EU,s disappointment with the COP15 at Copenhagen. Rather than blaming the U.S., Barroso criticized China and India,s lack of engagement and limited negotiating scope, saying these actions had created a problem of trust which would pervade future negotiations. Barroso noted that small, developing countries most affected by climate change may no longer see China as the champion of all developing nations. Barroso later returned to the subject of China, stressing the potential power of the U.S.-EU partnership to challenge China,s role in the developing world, in particular through regulatory convergence. With regard to energy security, Barroso stated that the EU had achieved results in this field by successfully coupling climate legislation with security concerns (i.e., a fear of Russia) and financial incentives for Member States, particularly for the Central and Eastern Member States. Several Eastern and Central European Member States of the EU had not been happy with the EU,s ambitious 20-20-20 environmental goals. The other EU Member States, Barroso admitted, bought them off by promising them security in natural gas and petroleum shipments should Russia cut off their supplies. DATA PRIVACY ¶3. (C) According to Barroso, the Commission will focus more on justice and home affairs (JHA) issues such as the Passenger Name Record (PNR) as a result of the Lisbon Treaty. Barroso warned that some Members of European Parliament (MEPs) were obsessed with fundamental freedoms while others failed to recognize that real threats to security do exist. Per Barroso, both groups oppose PNR due primarily to misinformation or a lack of understanding. Barroso counseled the Ambassador to work with the Commission - and not simply with a few Member States - on JHA issues, saying that working through the EU, and particularly the EC, to achieve a common position would be &more productive8 in the long run, as information and rules filter down. Do not, he warned, try to work these issues only through the four or five larger Member States. This could undermine EU-wide uniformity in security practices or law enforcement. EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ¶4. (C) When asked about the changing role of the European Parliament (EP) under the Lisbon Treaty, Barroso responded that while the EP,s power has grown under the Lisbon Treaty, he strongly recommends that the U.S. view the European Commission as its primary partner. Barroso likened the emerging role of the EP to that of the U.S. Congress, saying that the EU is &becoming more like the United States,8 i.e., as a consequential player in areas such as trade and justice and home affairs. Barroso described, as an example, how MEPs had attempted to use his confirmation process as a means of attempting to extract Barroso,s position on controversial issues such as Turkish membership in the EU. KENNARD .