European Sovereign Debt: Insights into the Crisis, the Response, and New Opportunities

João Vale de Almeida, the new Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United States, made his first public presentation in the United States at the Peterson Institute, September 17, 2010. His speech, entitled "European Sovereign Debt: Insights into the Crisis, the Response, and New Opportunities—With a Little Help from Mark Twain," covered both the outlook for the European economy as it recovers from its crisis earlier this year and the current state of transatlantic economic relations.

Ambassador Vale de Almeida was formerly director general for external relations at the European Commission (EC) (2009–10), head of cabinet for Commission President José Manuel Barroso and his sherpa for G-8 and G-20 summits (2004–09), and an associate of former Commission Presidents Jacques Delors, Jacques Santer, and Romano Prodi.