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European Parliament Diplomat Addresses Dean Rusk Center

by Ryan Roddenberry
11/13/2007

On a quest for information in order to do things better and learn from other systems of government, Diana Wallis, Vice President of the European Parliament, came to the United States for four days to see firsthand our legislative bodies at work.

Wallis is the first liberal democrat and the first British woman of any political affiliation to be elected to the post of Vice President of the European Parliament.

Wallis is also an attorney and politician from the region of Yorkshire and the Humber and has approximately five million constituents.

Wallis addressed students, faculty and guests Tuesday afternoon at the Dean Rusk Center. Her lecture was entitled “Who Runs Who: does Europe follow the U.S., or the U.S. Europe, on major policy issues?”

In her speech, Wallis gave her position on pertinent issues facing the European Union, such as the War in Iraq, terrorism, the Arctic region, the death penalty and Europe’s four freedoms of movement.

The E.U. is body of 27 member states which was founded upon the basis of peace, nonintervention and nonaggression so the Parliament’s decision to send troops into Iraq was met with “huge, huge opposition” by many, especially liberals.

Wallis herself is upset about the United Kingdom’s efforts in the War in Iraq.

Terrorism is another issue faced by the E.U., with recent attacks in London and Madrid and attacks by the Irish Republican Army in the late 1970s.

“Ireland’s membership in the E.U. helped solve this problem of terrorism,” Wallis said.

The Arctic is a very important region to Wallis and the future of the planet. Wallis has visited the region on several different occasions.

“The Arctic represents the U.S. and E.U. border and represents how we can share the valuable resources and opportunities the region offers.”

“International law is a foundation to the solutions of global warming,” Wallis said.

The death penalty is an issue that is highly opposed by the E.U. A country cannot be a member state of the E.U. if the death penalty is in place. “Abolishment of the death penalty is being pushed by the E.U.,” she said.

A potential problem arose when Poland tried to reintroduce the death penalty but the legislature was not passed due to the E.U.’s stance on the issue.

Europe has four freedoms of movement, including free movement of goods, persons, services and capital. This means the borders of member states are inherently nonexistent. “The heightened security at airports and seaports is the antithesis to E.U.’s values,” she remarked.

Wallis commented on the future of our country, saying she “hoped the new president will be someone who is open to E.U. values and an internationalist.”

Wallis also commented on the issue of potential member states being admitted into the E.U., specifically Turkey.

The biggest issues facing the admittance of Turkey into the E.U., according to Wallis, are the economic soundness of Turkey and its current position on human rights issues.

Wallis closed her speech with the thought provoking quote from “European Dream,” saying “the American dream was once dying for but the new European dream is worth living for.”

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