Brussels, 04/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - In addition to the climate and international issues (see other articles), responses to the economic and financial crisis, energy, cyber-security and anti-bioresistance were on the agenda of the EU/United States summit, which brought together the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, the Commission of the External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the Swedish Prime Minister and President-in-exercise of the Council Fredrik Reinfeldt and the High Representative Javier Solana with the American President, Barack Obama, in Washington on 3 November. As anticipated, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to promote an international climate agreement on the post-Kyoto regime at the Copenhagen conference, and also to continue with commitments made at the G20 summit in Pittsburgh to respond to the economic crisis and to remodel the international financial architecture. In this context, the parties reiterated, their commitment to resist protectionism and to conclude the multilateral trade negotiations of the Doha Round in 2010.
Bilaterally, the two sides agreed to step up their work, in the framework of the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) which was created in 2007, to step up economic integration between the EU and the United States. Meeting in Washington on Tuesday (EUROPE 10008), the TEC decided to reinforce regulatory cooperation to reduce non-tariff barriers to trade and investment and to set in place a working group on innovation. In order to reinforce their partnership in the field of development aid, the parties also decided to relaunch their dialogue on development, laying emphasis on sustainable food safety. The Europeans and Americans also undertook to prepare, by September 2010, for the revision of the Millennium Development Objectives. As well as the ministerial council on energy, which held its first meeting this Wednesday (see other article), the partners also created a working group on anti-bioresistance, which will be tasked with identifying the major problems relating to this threat to human health and to draft an action plan. This new working group is called upon to present a report at the next summit in 2011. The parties have decided to reinforce transatlantic dialogue on cyber-security so as to identify possible priority areas of cooperation to create a virtual future infrastructure which is reliable, easy to use and safe.
Lastly, both sides welcomed the joint text adopted at the EU/United States ministerial meeting held in Washington on 28 October on justice and home affairs, aiming to reinforce transatlantic cooperation in this matter (EUROPE 10009). In a final declaration, the party has said that they were awaiting the forthcoming entry into force of the extradition and mutual legal assistance agreements and reiterated their commitment in favour of negotiating a binding international agreement on data protection to guarantee "full protection for the citizens". They also call for the implementation of the agreement signed between the American authorities and Frontex. Finally, the declaration engages the two partners to establish full visa reciprocity "as soon as possible", which is not yet the case as five countries are still obliged to apply for visas to visit the United States. (E.H./B.C./trans.fl)