Lantos Names Costa to Help Lead Prestigious Foreign Policy Program, Praises His Skills in International Relations
Washington, DC -Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA), chairman of the House Committee on ForeignAffairs, today praised the foreign policy acumen and skills of Rep. Jim Costa(D-CA) as he named him the new vice-chair of the Transatlantic Legislators'Dialogue.
"Jim Costa's interestin foreign policy is profound, and he makes a great contribution to our work onthe Foreign Affairs Committee," Lantos said. "I am convincedthat he is the right person to help lead this most importantinter-parliamentary exchange program. He will do us all proud."
The TransatlanticLegislators' Dialogue brings together members of the U.S. Congress and membersof the European Parliament twice a year to discuss issues ranging fromterrorism to energy independence, immigration, education and how to expandcommerce and trade. These exchanges are held on both sides of the Atlantic;the next event is this spring, and will take place in Berlinsince Germanycurrently holds the rotating chairmanship of the European Union.
"It is extremelyimportant at this time in our nation's history that the Congress maintainexcellent working relationships with the legislatures of our allies,"Costa said. "Chairman Lantos' confidence in my ability to contributeto this undertaking is most gratifying. I look forward to representing theCongress in expanding our dialogue with other federal legislative bodies."
The grandson of Portugueseimmigrants, Costa represents California's 20thCongressional District, located in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. He was elected to Congress in 2004 following a 24-year career as a memberof the Californiastate Legislature. In addition to the House Foreign Affairs Committee,where he is a member of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia andthe Subcommittee on Europe, Costa serves onthe House Agriculture Committee and House Natural Resources Committee andchairs the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
Costa has wide-rangingexperience in exchanging ideas with government leaders from othercountries. He met with leaders of Israel,Jordon, Turkeyand Iraq,and was a member of the first delegation of the U.S. Congress to meet withIraqi Prime Minister Maliki after the latter took office. In December2006 he traveled to Rometo discuss trade policy and its impact on agriculture with leaders of the WorldTrade Organization.
The aim of the TransatlanticLegislators' Dialogue is to strengthen and enhance the level of discoursebetween European and American legislators. This cooperation aids in thedevelopment of shared approaches to a wide array of issues and helps to preventdisputes in sensitive areas before they occur. Topics covered duringprevious sessions of the TLD include:
* Iraq and Afghanistan
* Energy Security
* Middle East Peace Process and Lebanon
* International Terrorism
* Iran and North Korea's Nuclear Programs
* Immigration
* Education
* Trade
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