• Move signals 'greater emphasis' on US domestic agenda
• European leaders told following press reports
• European leaders told following press reports
Ewan MacAskill in Washington| Tuesday 2 February 2010 19.32 GMT
The US and EU flags at the European Council building in Brussels. A senior Spanish official expressed disappointment that US President Barack Obama would not be attending an EU-US summit in Spain in May 2010. Photograph: Virginia Mayo/AP
The move is being seen as a snub in Europe and a sign that the promise of a more international approach from the US under Obama is being overtaken by more pressing domestic concerns. It is also a blow to EU attempts to be taken seriously in the global arena.
EU politicians and officials, particularly from Spain, which holds the EU presidency, expressed disappointment and suggested the US-EU summit might have to be downgraded, or even cancelled. "If there is no Obama, there is no summit," one envoy said. "We will now have a period where we focus on substance – on foreign affairs, energy security, climate matters – and we will organise a new meeting at the highest level when the political situation and the agenda make it possible."
The Spanish prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who is scheduled to visit Washington this week, was described as angry and embarrassed. José Antonio Alonso, the governing Socialist party's spokesman in the Spanish parliament and close ally of Zapatero, said: "I think the US administration is and must be aware of what Europe is."
There were a series of diplomatic exchanges overnight yesterday after officials in Europe read about the decision on media websites. The US president normally attends the annual summit, held in alternate years in Europe or the US. However, there is a feeling in the Obama administration that a lot of summits are light on substance. Obama was reported to be "fairly unimpressed" with the last EU-US summit in Prague last year.
Obama also wants to be seen to be spending more time in the US dealing with domestic issues, in particular job creation, particularly after the Democrats' surprise defeat in Massachusetts last month.
However, part of the European consternation arose from comments from the US assistant secretary of state, PJ Crowley, who suggested yesterday there was confusion in Washington over who is in charge in Europe. "Because of the changes involving the establishment of a EU council president and a European Commission president on top of the rotating EU presidency, I think it's taking some time to work through exactly how various high-level meetings will happen," he said.
The White House left open the possibility of a visit to Europe later this year. A spokesman said: "We are still working through the president's travel schedule … and will make announcements on trips and summits when those are set."
