The next meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) will be held on 15-16 May in Paris. EUROPE had access to a draft version of the Joint Statement, dated 22 April, which will be published after the meeting. EU Commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis and Margrethe Vestager, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo will participate in the meeting.
This document, which is currently under discussion between the US and the EU, recalls the commitments of both parties under the TTC. It also provides reports on the activities of each of the TTC working groups.
The mention, and condemnation, of the Russian invasion of Ukraine comes in the second paragraph of the statement. Both sides indicate that they will continue to coordinate their actions to limit the effects on the global economy and Ukraine in particular. To do this, and to “stand up to actors who threaten the multilateral rules-based order and fundamental principles of international law”, cooperation within the TTC is essential, according to the draft statement.
Bilateral relations
In addition to reiterating the importance of the transatlantic relationship, the two sides pledge to intensify their work to “resolve trade disagreements to our mutual advantage, reduce barriers to bilateral trade and investment, prevent new ones from emerging and refrain from taking any unilateral measures against each other”. While the document was drafted by the European Commission, several European sources expect to see some changes, especially on this part, which may not satisfy Washington.
The rest of the paragraph also refers to the painful liabilities of both partners: “We reaffirm that trade between the European Union and United States does not represent a national security threat to each other”. In 2018, former US President Donald Trump used this as a justification for imposing tariffs on steel and aluminium.
The document will be back on the table of the Member States’ Permanent Representatives on Wednesday 4 May. At an earlier meeting, some member countries called for more elements on World Trade Organization reform and on China. This last point is not expected to be included in the declaration, according to an EU source.
Furthermore, the draft statement foresees a next meeting of the TTC, possibly in December, this time in the US.
See the draft statement: https://aeur.eu/f/1f8 (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)