Press conference by president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy
Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, first permanent European Union head and former prime minister of Belgium, was in Tokyo this April for the annual EU-Japan summit. It was his first summit after taking up his new role in January, and at a press conference for local media, the noted haiku aficionado was choosing his words carefully.
“Japan and Europe have a lot in common today,” said Van Rompuy. “We, as civilian powers, are both committed to the value of democracy and the principles of the market economy. Both Europe and Japan need to be not only global economic actors, but also global political actors.”
For all Van Rompuy’s unflappable demeanour, a storm was already gathering in Europe over Greek debt. The EU president used the press conference to announce a meeting of eurozone heads of state to discuss the crisis.
Van Rompuy also tip-toed around the hottest political topic in Japan, the Futenma air base relocation. “It would not be appropriate for me to comment on this delicate issue,” he said. Although, he did again note similarities to the situation in Europe. “We are both in the process of redefining our relationship towards the United States, and vice-versa,” he said.
He identified four major issues for the EU and Japan. First came trade, “the backbone of our relationship”. Another was foreign policy. Another was network security (threats to the free flow of goods, people and information). Lastly, came climate change, with Van Rompuy praising the ambitious CO2 reduction targets of Japan.
With barely a hint of the smug or stuffy politician, Van Rompuy was impressively clear and precise. (Reportedly, his haiku are written to “penetrate the essence of words”.)
Yet asked about a possible East Asian Community along the lines of the EU, he was reluctant to give advice. “I can only refer to the example of the EU,” said Van Rompuy. “What we have today is the results of 60 years of work.” He noted that the EU grew from something as mundane as an economic agreement on mining and steel production.
“A cooperative partnership including Japan, China and South Korea would be a formidable breakthrough; a clear end to a long history of conflicts between your peoples,” he said. “Is it possible? Well, at least, it is not impossible.”