EU ambassador to US takes up job with wider mandate

(WASHINGTON) - Joao Vale de Almeida on Tuesday became the new European Union ambassador to the United States with a wider mandate than his predecessors in security and foreign policy matters such as Iran.

"I'm the first new type of ambassador for the European Union anywhere in the world," Vale de Almeida told AFP after presenting his credentials to US President Barack Obama at a White House ceremony.

"I'm supposed to have a wider mandate than my predecessors," the head of the EU delegation to the United States added during an interview at the EU mission in Washington.

"Our delegations now cover a wide spectrum of issues well beyond the economic dimension, trade dimension and regulatory dimension, to cover all policies in the union, including foreign policy and security policy," he said.

His job reflects changes introduced with the Treaty of Lisbon which came into force in December enhancing the EU's capacity to "operate more effectively and act more cohesively in matters of foreign affairs and security," the EU said.

Vale de Almeida takes over the job of the ambassador of the rotating EU presidency, which is held by one of the 27 member states for six-month periods.

He represents European Commission President Manuel Barroso and President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, under the authority of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton.

The ambassador said he hopes to "work to favor a better trans-Atlantic relationship," adding he would push for a "more consistent policy on our side and more effective cooperation with the United States."

In addition to the economic front, he plans to work on foreign policy and on the issue of meeting the challenge of globalization.

"On the economic front we responded well to the (global financial) crisis," he said.

"We are in the process of recovering, regaining growth but we have some problems on both sides of the Atlantic," he said, adding much more had to be done to create new jobs.

He called for a balanced approach to recovery.

"I don't buy this idea that there is a fight between the pro-stimulus and pro-austerity (camps). I think we need both," the ambassador said.

"We need a growth that at the same ensures fiscal sustainability in the medium term because we cannot live with high levels of deficit and public debt," he added.

"On the foreign policy side, Iran is top of the list," he said.

Top priorities, he said, also include Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Middle East peace process and other regional conflicts.

On the future of globalization, he said United States and the European Union need to cooperate "to establish the mechanisms that will regulate the economy in the future, with the emergence of China, Brazil and India and others."

"How to bring all these people together. The G20 is a good start, but we can work more and better together to design the way this globalized world will be managed in the near future," he said.

EU relations with the United States of America