The future Secretary of the US Treasury, Janet Yellen, has made several announcements during a hearing in the Senate on Tuesday 19 January that presage solid progress being made in trade relations with the European Union.
On the hot topic of digital levies, she gave out positive signals for cooperation over tax on digital giants. She also spoke favourably about discussions within the OECD framework on taxing companies more equitably.
For its part, the EU reiterated its willingness to establish a technology council for the two sides that would deal with regulatory issues and issues on standards relating to digital technologies.
Furthermore, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, pointed the finger at the practices of Silicon Valley's multinationals, while encouraging the United States to further regulate them. “This unbridled power held by the big internet giants must be reined in”, she said on 20 January.
China. On a multilateral level, Janet Yellen, who was asked about future relations between the US and China, reiterated the willingness of the new Biden administration to work with its allies and tackle their Chinese rival.
American sanctions. MEPs, for their part, once again addressed the European Commission on the subject of US sanctions within the context of the Airbus/Boeing dispute, which is affecting some European agricultural producers.
Charged with conveying the words of the European Parliament in this dossier, Norbert Lins (EPP, Germany) sent a letter to the European Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, asking him to negotiate a moratorium with his American counterpart regarding the sanctions that are currently in force.
“This would allow negotiators to find an effective and long-lasting solution to this dispute”, he said in his letter.
Read Mr Lins' letter: http://bit.ly/3iwk5vG (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)