1) Fact Sheet
The U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) held its third ministerial meeting on December 5 at the University of Maryland in College Park. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, and United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai co-chaired the meeting with European Commission Executive Vice Presidents Margrethe Vestager and Valdis Dombrovskis to discuss progress and advance concrete action on transatlantic cooperation that demonstrate our approach to trade, technology, and innovation in line with democratic principles and universal human rights. As the largest trade and investment relationship in the world, the United States and the European Union are advancing projects that align with our shared values and promote a rules-based economic system.
In conjunction with the TTC, Ambassador Tai, EVP Dombrovskis, and U.S. Department of Labor Under Secretary Lee convened a meeting of the Trade and Labor Dialogue to hear from labor and business leaders about how trade can promote labor rights and create good-paying jobs on both sides of the Atlantic and globally. The U.S. and EU Co-Chairs welcomed virtually senior leaders from Kenya and Jamaica to launch new cooperation with both countries on digital connectivity and discuss how the United States and the EU can better engage third countries to promote secure digital infrastructure. They also engaged with U.S. and EU stakeholders to hear views on advancing the development of resilient supply chains and opportunities for cooperation on digital policy and technology standards.
Geostrategic challenges, including Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and increased assertiveness of autocratic regimes, have reinforced the importance of our shared democratic values, commitment to universal human rights, and leadership role in upholding an international rules-based order, including in the areas of trade, technology and innovation. The U.S. and the EU continue to coordinate efforts to address the spread of Russian information manipulation and interference, particularly in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and its impact on third countries, notably in Africa and Latin-America.
At this ministerial, the United States and the European Union launched a number of new, concrete initiatives that will deepen our cooperation bilaterally and in partnership with third countries, including:
Supporting Secure and Resilient Digital Connectivity in Third Countries . . . .
Cooperating on New and Emerging Technologies . . . .
Building Resilient Semiconductor Supply Chains . . . .
Promoting our Values Online . . . .
Enhancing Trade, Security, and Economic Prosperity . . . .
Advancing Efforts to Support Trade-Related Environment, Labor, and Health Initiatives . . . .
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/12/05/fact-sheet-u-s-eu-trade-and-technology-council-advances-concrete-action-on-transatlantic-cooperation/
https://www.commerce.gov/news/fact-sheets/2022/12/fact-sheet-us-eu-trade-and-technology-council-advances-concrete-action
2) U.S.-EU Joint Statement of the Trade and Technology Council
I. Introduction
The U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) met outside Washington, D.C., on December 5, 2022. The meeting was co-chaired by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, European Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager, and European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, joined by U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Labor Thea Lee, Jamaica Minister for Information Communication Technology Floyd Green, and Kenya Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communication and the Digital Economy Eliud Owalo.
The TTC is a key mechanism to support stronger transatlantic relations and to deliver concrete outcomes. We reaffirm that international rules-based approaches to trade, technology, and innovation that are founded on solid democratic principles and values can improve the lives of our citizens and generate greater prosperity for people around the world. Through the TTC’s ten working groups, we are supporting sustainable, inclusive economic growth and development, promoting a human-centric approach to the digital transformation, and ensuring that international norms and the international trade rulebook are respected and reflect our shared values. We will continue to work together to modernize and reform the World Trade Organization (WTO) as set out in the WTO MC12 Outcome Document.
Geostrategic challenges, including Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and increased assertiveness of autocratic regimes, have reinforced the importance of our shared democratic values, commitment to universal human rights, and leadership role in upholding an international rules-based order. The United States and the European Union reiterate our strong condemnation of Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable war of aggression against Ukraine and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes to ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. We condemn attacks by Russia on Ukraine’s infrastructure and will continue supporting Ukraine in securing, maintaining, and rebuilding this infrastructure, including its telecommunications and internet infrastructure. We resolve to continue to impose severe and immediate costs on Russia and hold it accountable for its brutal war against Ukraine, including through unprecedented cooperation on sanctions-related export restrictions, and countering Russian disinformation. We will also hold Belarus to account for its complicity in Russia’s war. The TTC Working Groups on Export Controls and on Misuse of Technology have made critical contributions to this successful and ongoing collaboration. The TTC Working Groups on Data Governance and Technology Platforms and on Misuse of Technology Threatening Security and Human Rights are coordinating to understand and address the spread of Russian information manipulation and interference, particularly in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and its impact on third countries, notably in Africa and Latin-America.
The impact on our supply chains of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has further underscored that we share an urgent need to identify and address supply chain vulnerabilities. The United States and the European Union recognize that the concentration of resources in key supply chains can expose our economies to challenging disruptions. We plan to explore coordinated actions to foster diversification and make key supply chains more resilient.
To support our shared desire of tackling climate change, the United States and the European Union intend to launch a new Transatlantic Initiative for Sustainable Trade to advance our shared objective of achieving a green and sustainable future. We also took stock of the work of the dedicated U.S.-EU Task Force on the Inflation Reduction Act and noted the preliminary progress made. We acknowledge the EU’s concerns and underline our commitment to address them constructively. We underline the TTC’s role in achieving this and in supporting a successful and mutually supportive green transition with strong, secure, and diverse supply chains that benefit businesses, workers, and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.
The United States and the European Union are establishing a Talent for Growth Task Force that will pursue our collective objective to recognize and develop the talent of our working-age populations.
II. Key Outcomes of the Third TTC Ministerial . . .
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/12/05/u-s-eu-joint-statement-of-the-trade-and-technology-council/
https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2022/12/us-eu-joint-statement-trade-and-technology-council
https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2022/december/us-eu-joint-statement-trade-and-technology-council
3) Secretary Antony J. Blinken U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council Ministerial Co-Chairs Joint Press Availability
MR PATEL: Good afternoon, everybody. We will take four questions. The first question goes to Yuka Hayashi with The Wall Street Journal.
QUESTION: Hi. Thank you very much for doing this. I would like to ask about the disagreement over the (inaudible) Inflation Reduction Act. Could you give us the highlights of what was discussed today and whether the two sides are any closer now than we were? And specifically, President Biden mentioned last week that the U.S. could make tweaks to the IRA to address some of the concerns of the allies. Could you give us specifics about what those tweaks would be and if there’s been progress on those? Thank you.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Great. Thank you. I’m happy to start. Let me just first put this in context. The Inflation Reduction Act represents the most significant investment in dealing with the climate challenge that we both face that has ever been made, and that investment is going to be to the benefit of people in the United States, in Europe, indeed around the world, as it sees fruition, making sure that renewable energy comes online as soon as possible, that it does it at low prices, that it creates good jobs, including on both sides of the Atlantic, and that ultimately it benefits our planet. And so we’ve been moving forward on that. At the same time, we’ve heard concerns clearly from our European friends about certain specific aspects of the legislation. As soon as we heard those concerns, we agreed to establish a task force between the United States and the European Union that is up and running. . . .
https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-u-s-eu-trade-and-technology-council-ministerial-co-chairs-joint-press-availability/
4) Secretary Antony J. Blinken At a Stakeholders Roundtable
https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-at-a-stakeholders-roundtable/
5) U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) website
https://www.trade.gov/useuttc