Brussels, 24/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - As briefly announced yesterday, the European Commission carried out, on Wednesday, an inventory of transatlantic relations and the strategy launched last year in Gothenburg, just a few days from the next EU/US Summit to be held in Washington, on 2 and 3 May. With a view to this meeting, which comes in a particularly tense political and commercial context, like the meetings which are to take place in coming months, Mr Lamy and Mr Patten presented a memorandum for discussion by the College - finally placed under the seal of confidentiality. It identifies the avenues and messages likely to refocus Washington's attention - and also the attention of the press - on this "indispensable partnership" and its most convincing results, rather than on the trade disputes, that always hit the headlines, and the points of difference that have also held a prime media place recently, concerning foreign and security policy. The idea is essentially to replace emphasis on common points and interests, as well as on the successes that cement the relationship against and despite everything, to renew dialogue mainly in the context of a "positive" trade agenda and to manage, in an adult manner, the inevitable and most wounding subjects within the transatlantic relationship.
EUROPE has reason to believe that, far from the idea of a transatlantic free trade area which is regularly refloated across the English Channel, the project of an agenda for "favourable trade" (no doubt the most "sellable" element of the package on which internal and transatlantic work and consultation will continue) could include the aims of:
1. Development of a common air space, the Commission's goal still being at this stage to secure a negotiating brief to liberalise the market (on the model of "open skies" agreements but not only that). The services also suggest aiming for co-operation and convergence in areas such a competition, environment and security. 2. Liberalisation of access to transatlantic stock markets, by rekindling and further exploring the idea of facilitating cross-border trade of services provided by this market, notably by authorising the setting up of European negotiating screens on the other side of the Atlantic: combating money laundering and administrative co-operation on tax on savings ( exchange and closer collaboration at bilateral level and within the OECD) may also have a prominent position in future co-operation in financial matters. 3. Strengthening co-operation on the identification and implementation of prototypes of systems of electronic customs procedures (an early modification of the Community custom's code has already been operated), the facilitation of trade as essential aspect of the Multilateral Doha Agenda. 4. The development of protection for transatlantic intellectual property, possibly by the creation of a transatlantic trade mark (which is legally and technically feasible if the political will is there and if certain conditions are met) and of securing from the United States, in matters of patents, that it renounces the system of "first inventor" to the benefit of the principle of "first depositor" that it is now the only one in the world not to apply. 5. Extension of co-operation in matters of regulation and possible adoption at the summit of guidelines on this co-operation, including the identification of regulatory projects covered. 6. Standards and controls for organic farming. 7. Enlargement of the scope of transatlantic public procurement with initiatives like the key covering electronic calls for tender, facilitation of access to information and improvement of market access (extension of the cover of the sector of defence and security, better cover of services, integration on concessions for public works, etc.).. 8. Reduction in subsidies in key industrial sectors, notably in disputed sectors such as steel. 9. Common strategies on access to medicines. According to the Commission's services, the partners both have interest in enhancing co-operation in legal matters, sustainable development, on world satellite navigation systems in transport. EUROPE will return to other aspects, notably political, of this appraoch.