Article in Äripäev

For fifty years, the United States government has supported the development of a more unified Europe capable of being a full partner in defending and expanding political and economic freedom. Though we are not a member of the European Union, and EU decisions are for EU members states to make, the United States views an enlarged EU as a natural complement to NATO enlargement and will solidify, in the words of President George W. Bush, a Europe that is "whole, free and at peace." Enlargement will promote reform, democracy, economic liberalization and the rule of law in both Central Europe and the Balkans, and, we hope, one day in Turkey. Those who believe candidate countries must choose between Europe and the United States are posing a false choice.

Enlargement will make the relations among the new members, including Estonia, and the United States richer. The EU is the United States' principal global partner on a wide range of political and economic issues. It shares our worldview on the wide variety of issues including the importance of democracy, stability, human rights and economic liberalism. Because of Estonia's unique experience and its invitation to NATO, we think it will make a healthy addition to the discussion of key political and security topics in the European Union.

With EU accession, Estonia will become part of both the world's largest market and America's principal trade and investment partner. We have a $2 trillion trade and investment partnership with the European Union. The United States and the EU account for nearly 40% percent of world trade. When the U.S. and the EU act together, we become a force for trade liberalization and prosperity in trade and economic negotiations. We will work intensely with Estonia and other European Union member states to create a common front for trade, free markets and prosperity.

United States businesses have done well in Estonia's business-friendly environment and will be able to take advantage of the larger market that EU membership will bring. U.S. firms also expect that EU membership will bring greater prosperity to Estonia itself, thus paving the way for a deeper bilateral commercial relationship between Estonia and the United States.

Within this overall positive development, Estonia will also be part of the challenges we face with the EU. The United States government is very watchful, for example, about aspects of enlargement that could close candidate states to trade and investment with the U.S. We have worked successfully with the government here and with the European Commission to minimize such difficulties.

The vast majority of our trade and investment relationship with the European Union is conducted without dispute, without rancor, without headlines. When issues arise, we work in Brussels to resolve them. We also work intensively with other European Union member states to find reasonable compromises to resolve such problems.

EU enlargement is clearly in United States and Estonian interests. It is good for stability, good for prosperity, good for trade between us and good for our political relations. It will also, however, make life more active, our dialogue broader and deeper as we work even closer together to find solutions to difficult problems.