1. What is your current assessment of the 'state' of Transatlantic relations?

Transatlantic relations are currently quite troubled, over specific trade and "world order" issues. There seems to be a growing propensity in the United States to discount European views * "they complain about everything all the time so why listen; you can't make them happy." On the other hand, European perceptions of the United States seem to be veering off in strange directions. I just finished reading Will Hutton's The World We're In, and didn't recognize the country I am living in.

2. Do you think that the next decade will bring positive news in the two 'historical' pillars of the US-EU relations: security and trade?

The outlook here is mixed. There are a lot of factors pushing in the direction of better and increased cooperation * high levels of investment, and the need to work together to combat terrorism. But there is also much that fuels conflict. The EU * and in particular the Commission * seems to think that a uniting Europe is on the ascendancy and should have a lot more say in defining the rules of the game in security and trade. Many Americans, in contrast, are inclined to think that Europe has enjoyed a rather privileged position in the world since the 1940s and there is less need than in the past to defer to European sensibilities. These two perceptions of Europe's place in the world could clash head on.

3. You support the organization of the congress 'Reshaping Transatlantic Relations for the XXIst century: the citizens' perspective' to be held in Miami on November 14th-16th. Do you think that such an event can bring new fresh ideas on the present debate over the transatlantic relations ?

Yes; citizens on both sides need to understand each other better and to understand different points of view.

4. Is the 'people-to-people' cooperation able to open new fields of constructive US-EU cooperation in the coming years? In which way?

Yes; of course. Better understanding of regional and functional diversity will be most important. It is natural for Europe, as it develops, to define itself somewhat "against" the United States. In this environment, it will be
useful for Europeans to see that there is great internal diversity in America (as there is in Europe) and large areas of agreement and overlap between the two sides, once things are disaggregated more to the local level. For their part, Americans still tend to be U.S.-focused and insufficiently attuned to how their actions and attitudes are seen in other
parts of the world. Being exposed to how others see us is important for Americans.

5. Being the two richest and most democratic areas on the planet, do you think that both the EU and the US societies face a special responsibility regarding globalization on the one hand; and on the other hand, do you think that they will face a growing number of similar challenges in their way towards the next decades?

In principle this is true, but in practice they have failed to face up to this responsibility. Instead of defining a consensus on a basic program of values that they can support together in the developing world, the US and EU
tend see the rest of the world as an arena in which they need to fight their own surrogate battles over many issues (biotechnology, intellectual property, environmental and world order issues). They are not working together or in parallel, because all too often each is trying to win the support of third countries in bitter EU-US battles that really aren't very important to the poorest countries, who need very basic assistance.

6. Beyond treaties, organizations, common interests, ... the cooperation between Europeans and Americans is, in the end, a matter of people cooperating with people (politicians, civil servants, businessmen, executives, professors, activists, ...). How do you assess this 'human factor' today? Should it be improved?

The human factor is very solid - in fact it's the most solid thing there is.
It needs to be built up, with new forms of cooperation and contact launched.