John Bruton
John Bruton, European Union ambassador to the United States and former prime minister of Ireland, will speak to both houses of the Wyoming State Legislature in Cheyenne and to University of Wyoming audiences Thursday, Feb. 28, and will continue with events at UW Friday, Feb. 29.
He will speak to the members of the House of Representatives at 10:10 a.m. and to
members of the Senate at 10:25 a.m. in their respective Capitol chambers.
At 2:30 p.m., Ambassador Bruton will deliver the keynote talk, "Strengthening U.S.-EU
Relations: National and Local Approaches," in the UW Union ballroom. The talk will
inaugurate the university's new academic minor in European studies that will be offered
to students beginning this summer.
At 3 p.m., in the Union Family Room, he will join UW faculty members and others in
a round-table discussion on "National Approaches to Strengthening U.S.-EU Relations."
Friday, Feb. 29, at 11:30 a.m., he will participate with regional faculty members
and selected UW administrators in a second round-table discussion, "Local Approaches
to Strengthening U.S.-EU Relations," in the Garden Ballroom at the new Hilton Garden
Inn/UW Conference Center at 22nd and Grand in Laramie. His keynote talks and both
round-table discussions are open to the public.
As ambassador of the world's largest economic bloc, Bruton is charged with raising
the EU's profile in the United States. He consistently stresses the economic importance
of maintaining strong ties between the two economies. When goods and services are
combined, the EU and the United States comprise the world's largest bilateral trade
relationship, accounting for about two fifths of the world's trade and 57 percent
of Gross Domestic Product.
In a recent talk, he noted, "At a time when America's attention is increasingly turning
toward Asia, it is important to keep in mind that the $4 trillion economic relationship
between the European Union and the United States is the largest, most profitable,
most integrated and longest lasting in the history of humankind. It is also the most
important driver of global economic growth, trade and prosperity."
This relationship has a strong influence on Wyoming's economy, says Stephanie Anderson,
assistant professor in UW's Department of Political Science. She says in 2002, the
then 15 EU nations were the largest foreign direct investors in Wyoming, supporting
5,500 jobs in the state. In 2003, Wyoming exported $63 million worth of products to
the EU, with chemicals comprising the majority of goods exported.
Anne Alexander, director of international programs, says UW has established strong
academic ties with EU member nations. An average of more than 50 students from 19
of the 27 EU countries have enrolled at UW since 2002, with the largest contingents
from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Romania and the Netherlands.
