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L’Europa nel Mondo: Speech by British Ambassador, Chris Littlecott
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The following article has been recommended to you. You can find the original article together with any associated downloads at http://www.e3g.org/programmes/climate-articles/leuropa-nel-mondo-speech-by-british-ambassador/ ********************************************************************************* The launch of the Italian version of E3G’s ‘Europe in the World’ pamphlet was held in Rome on 16th May at Villa Wolkonsky, the residence of the British Ambassador. Ambassador Edward Chaplin gave an introductory speech to the event, focusing on the role Europe can play in responding to the double challenge of energy security and climate security. The text of the Ambassador’s speech follows below, and is also published on the Embassy website. Europe in the world: political choices for security and prosperity Launch of the E3G pamphlet, in asociation with Fondazione Willy Brandt, Villa Wolkonsky, Rome. Opening address by British Ambassador Edward Chaplin, 16th May 2007. I’m very pleased to welcome you to Villa Wolkonsky today for the publication of the Italian version of the pamphlet ‘Europe in the World’ produced by the independent organisation E3G. I’m very pleased to welcome some of the authors of that report here today, and the Director General of Environment, Corrado Clini, who played a large part in its development. Ambassador Edward Chaplin The subtitle of the pamphlet is “political choices for security and prosperity”. And it’s those issues of security and prosperity I want to focus on today. We have recently celebrated 50 years of the European Union. I think this report sets out very clearly some of the achievements we have made over this period. Achievements which, as the report says, we inside the EU don’t always recognise as fully as we should, but which are clearly visible to those outside, including those neighbouring countries who see entry into the European Union as a safeguard for their own security and prosperity. The EU was established following two European wars and the devastation they left in social and economic terms for our citizens. The European Union (and its predecessor organisations) has established half a century of peaceful cooperation between its members, with the economic prosperity that flows from such a period of stability. One thing that struck me about this report was the comparison between the challenges the European Union faces now, with those it faced at its inception 50 years ago. I’d like to highlight just one comparison. The report says that energy and climate security must become central to the work of the EU in the way that food security was in the past. The over-riding challenge when the EU was created, in the aftermath of the 2nd World War, was how to feed our citizens. Self-sufficiency in agriculture was core to our security, health and prosperity. Whatever criticisms there are of the Common Agricultural Policy - and there are many, which I won’t go into here! - it more than succeeded in its initial objective of producing enough food for Europe’s population. Today we face an equally large and serious challenge. I’m talking about the challenge of energy security and the related issue of climate security. I agree with the statement in the report that climate and energy security are two sides of the same coin, so I address them here as one single challenge. This is another challenge that affects the security, health and prosperity of our citizens. We only have to look at the costs in both human and economic terms of the heatwaves and floods Europe has experienced over recent years to see that. And what were once termed “extreme” weather conditions are predicted to become “normal” patterns over the coming decades, with the implications that has for our health and prosperity. This is why the debate about climate change is moving out of the narrow confines of being an environmental issue, to become a social, economic and security issue. Last month the UK initiated a debate in the United Nations Security Council, under our Presidency, on Climate Security. Many wondered why a body such as the Security Council should be considering climate change. I think that was answered by the interventions of representatives from some of those countries most at risk. The Congolese delegate said “this will not be the first time people have fought over land, water and resources, but this time it will be on a scale that dwarfs the conflicts of the past”. The Ghanaian representative spoke about nomadic cattle herdsmen arming themselves with assault rifles to confront local farming communities. The debate came the day after the Security Council had been discussing Darfur. A conflict in which 200,000 people have already died and a conflict which also sees the same struggle between nomadic and pastoral communities over increasingly scarce resources. This week the charity Christian Aid predicted that the effects of climate change could make at least one billion people homeless by 2050, with all the consequences that would have for security. The chilling phrase they used to describe the possible scenario was “a world of many more Darfurs”. I believe this is an area where Europe is demonstrating real global leadership, and can continue to do so. The targets agreed at the European Spring Council on emissions, renewable energy and energy efficiency set an ambitious course for EU member states and laid down a challenge to other nations. Italy and the UK are now working closely together - along with Germany and France - to get the G8 to match this level of ambition. If Europe over the last 50 years has been predominantly inward looking - developing the single market, its own institutions and so on - over the next 50 years it will become increasingly outward looking. It will be more and more concerned about its role in the world, about the challenges and opportunities of globalisation, and about its relationship with the economic powers of the US and, increasingly China. The report produced by E3G is a very timely and interesting contribution to the debate we need to be having over Europe’s future direction. In addressing the challenges Europe faces in a globalised world - above all the issues of energy and climate change - and the need to connect Europe to its citizens the report touches on issues which are fundamental to the future direction of the European Union. In marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome Prime Minister Prodi spoke of the need to celebrate what Europe had achieved and look ahead to “the Europe we still need to construct”. In doing so he identified the need to create a model of “peace, stability, solidarity and prosperity” to manage the social, economic and environmental challenges ahead. These are the challenges we face and which the UK and Italy can work together to tackle. I’m grateful for this contribution to the debate ahead and I hope today’s discussions can further strengthen the cooperation between the UK and Italy for the challenges to come.
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