In the uncertain global context, with the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and a more assertive China, Transatlantic cooperation remains key. The EU-U.S Trade and Technology Council, which gathered for the fourth time this week, is now a well-established, positive and relevant framework for our solid relationship. The European Union and the United States’ commitments to deepen our cooperation on Artificial Intelligence and greener trade are a good step.
However, Renew Europe expects substantive progress, including swift agreement on critical raw materials and a solution on the trade dispute over steel and aluminium. This is critical to progressing transatlantic relations.
Catharina Rinzema (VVD, Netherlands), Renew Europe standing shadow rapporteur for EU-US trade relations in the International Trade committee, said:
"Work needs to be done! I would like to see ambitious outcomes on Transatlantic trade. We have to think bigger, not only for this mandate but also beyond when it comes to our trade arrangements with the US. The geopolitical situation requires that we stand closer together as democratic allies. It is good to see the Transatlantic Initiative on Sustainable Trade being shaped. It is of great importance that the Trade & Tech Council is used to protect children on online platforms against harmful content and sexual abuse. Meanwhile, we should also find agreements on critical raw materials, as well as steel and aluminium, as soon as possible. The Trade & Tech Council was established two years ago. Time to show big results."
Dragoş Tudorache (REPER, Romania), Renew Europe standing shadow rapporteur for EU-US relations in the committee on Foreign Affairs, added:
"The TTC is a statement of the enduring transatlantic bond in the new digital age. We need to write the rules of the future together, and the TTC is one of the places where we can coordinate to do so. But it is precisely because of its importance that the TTC needs to be reinforced against political turbulence and against bureaucracy-induced irrelevance. Its mission and vision need to become strategic, even geopolitical. And its functioning and outcomes need to be anchored in political legitimacy; Congress and Parliament should have a much more prominent role in the TTC".
