The USA and the EU

News about the United States of America and the European Union. The European Union and the United States of America established diplomatic relations as early as 1953, but it was only in November 1990 that the cooperation was formalised for the first time with the Transatlantic Declaration. Since December 1995, the New Transatlantic Agenda (NTA) has provided the foundation for the relationship. The ambitious agenda of cooperation between the EU and the US is taken forward via constant, intensive dialogue. This dialogue takes place at various levels, from the annual summit meetings between EU and US leaders to technical work at expert level. Within the framework of the NTA and in line with the Transatlantic Economic Partnership (TEP)launched in 1998, the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC) was created in 2007 to take forward efforts to boost the transatlantic economy. Under the TEC umbrella, a High-Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth was established by the 2011 EU-US Summit, tasked to identify policies and measures to increase EU-US trade and investment to support job creation, economic growth, and international competitiveness. The final report with conclusions and recommendations from the Working Group was produced on 12 February 2013. On 14 June, the Council of the European Union adopted negotiating directives for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the US. Together, the EU and the USA have the largest bilateral trade and investment relationship in the world, roughly 31% of the world trade and over 49% of the world GDP. In keeping with the evolving political and legal personality of the EU, there is active cooperation across a host of sectors, such as cooperation in justice and home affairs, energy and energy security, environment, science & technology, and education & training.

Commission investigation into acquisition of oilfield service provider Baker Hughes by Halliburton — 13 January 2016, 13:21 CET

The European Commission opened pm 12 January an in-depth investigation to assess whether the proposed acquisition of oilfield service supplier Baker Hughes by rival Halliburton would impede effective competition in breach of the EU Merger Regulation. Both companies are US-based.

EU offers investment court for TTIP — 12 November 2015, 22:46 CET

One issue in particular has been a thorn in the side of the ongoing talks between the EU and US over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) - the subject of investment protection and resolution of investment disputes.

TTIP: proposal for investment protection and Court System — 12 November 2015, 16:22 CET

The EU formally presented to the US on 12 November its proposal for a reformed approach on investment protection and a new and more transparent system for resolving disputes between investors and states: the Investment Court System.

New, safe 'Safe Harbour' agreement needed urgently — 15 October 2015, 16:57 CET

MEPs from the Civil Liberties Committee have called on the European Commission to come up with safe alternatives to the EU-US Safe Harbour agreement, in the wake of the European Court of Justice ruling that the arrangement - used by companies like Facebook to send citizens' personal data to the US - was invalid.

Trade for All: new EU trade and investment strategy — 14 October 2015, 22:47 CET

The European Commission presented on 14 October a new trade and investment strategy, Trade for All. It says this is a more responsible approach which responds to new economic realities in line with the EU's foreign policy. Based on three key principles - effectiveness, transparency and values - it ensures trade policy benefits as many people as possible.

New Investment Court System for TTIP and other EU trade and investment negotiations — 16 September 2015, 17:45 CET

The European Commission has approved its proposal for a new and transparent system for resolving disputes between investors and states – the Investment Court System.

EU-US data protection "Umbrella agreement" — 09 September 2015, 00:29 CET

The EU has finalised negotiations with the United States on high data protection standards for transatlantic law enforcement cooperation. The finalisation of the Umbrella Agreement negotiations is seen as an important step to strengthen the fundamental right to privacy effectively and to rebuild trust in EU-US data flows.

TTIP: ISDS mechanism for resolving investor disputes — 09 June 2015, 21:50 CET

How to resolve disputes between foreign investors and states remains a thorny issue in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), currently being negotiated by the European Commission and the United States. One of the mechanisms for arbitrating these disputes is known as Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS), but what does it really mean and what is the concept behind it? This guide details the differences between ISDS and the other options available to protect investors.

SMEs and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) - report — 20 April 2015, 16:45 CET

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) has significant potential for small and medium sized enterprises, according to a report released in Brussels on 20 April. It presents the results of a survey of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) carried out in 2014 on challenges they face when exporting to the United States. It also uses newly available data to look at the scale of exports by EU SMEs to the United States.

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: An Accident Report - ECIPE Policy Brief — 29 January 2015, 17:03 CET

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) was launched with highest of ambitions. Yet after more than 500 days of negotiations, the results are plainly discouraging. The EU and the US misunderstood each other’s intention on market access, and deteriorated into retaliatory behaviour. Each side has also its set of politically sensitive issues, but TTIP negotiations stimulate sensitive issues when European governments are at their weakest. The revelations of US electronic surveillance and wiretapping coincided with the first round of TTIP talks; Europe’s decision to open up public consultations on ISDS gave the opposition space to congeal public opinion, and the anti-trade forces appear better organized and possibly even better funded than business groups. It is in the interest of the US and EU to fashion a new, open and fair global trading system for the 21st century. But time is running out. Getting TTIP back on course will require, three elements. First, the EU and the US need a common understanding of ambitions. Are the parties negotiating a regular FTA, or a new form of an economic partnership going beyond any existing precedent? The second element concerns political leadership and mobilizing support – in the end, this question comes down to: Who is willing to pay for TTIP? The last element concerns the overarching objective of TTIP, which must be approached as strategic in its purpose. TTIP could be the third pillar of a new global economic governance together with TPP and EU-Asia agreements. TTIP should be the most comprehensive and sturdiest of these three pillars – not the weakest.

Proposals to improve transparency in Investor-to-State Dispute Settlement — 29 January 2015, 17:48 CET

The European Commission proposed on 29 January to allow UN rules on transparency for Investor-to-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) to apply also to existing investment treaties that the EU and Member States have in place.

Consultation on investment protection in EU-US trade talks — 13 January 2015, 16:39 CET

The European Commission published on 13 January its analysis of the almost 150,000 replies to its online consultation on investment protection and investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The Commission asked the public for their views on a possible approach to protecting investments and settling investment-related disputes between private investors and governments. A key question in the consultation was whether the EU’s proposed approach for TTIP would achieve the right balance between protecting investors and safeguarding the EU’s right and ability to regulate in the public interest.

Commission publishes TTIP legal texts — 07 January 2015, 15:28 CET

The European Commission published on 7 January a raft of texts setting out EU legal proposals in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) it is negotiating with the US. This is the first time the Commission has made public such proposals in bilateral trade talks and it says this reflects its commitment to greater transparency in the negotiations.

EU negotiating texts in TTIP — 07 January 2015, 15:19 CET

The European Commission is negotiating TTIP as openly as possible. A final agreement would have 24 chapters, grouped together in 3 parts: Market access - Regulatory cooperation - Rules. As part of the Commission's latest transparency initiative, it is publishing: new 2-page factsheets, in plain language; negotiating texts we've given US negotiators: EU textual proposals on parts 2 and 3 of the TTIP – these set out how the Commission would want a final deal to read, line by line; EU position papers – what we want to achieve in a chapter.

Transatlantic Relations: a European perspective - Regent's Report 2014 — 11 December 2014, 18:09 CET

The relationship between the EU and the US is one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world. They are the biggest economic and military powers in the world, they dominate global trade, and they play the leading roles in international political relations. Yet they have regularly disagreed with each other on a wide range of specific issues, as well as having often quite different political, economic, and social agendas. Regent's Report 2014 explores this complex relationship through 15 specially commissioned essays. This publication follows the inaugural Regent's Report 2013 The UK and Europe: Costs, Benefits, Options.

Transatlantic trade talks: what is the problem? — 20 November 2014, 22:09 CET

This week, Europe's Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem attempted to breath new life into the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership talks that have run into opposition particularly as regards one of the deal's most controversial components.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) — 12 November 2015, 21:15 CET

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a trade agreement that is currently being negotiated between the European Union and the United States. It aims to remove trade barriers in a wide range of economic sectors to make it easier to buy and sell goods and services between the EU and the US. On top of cutting tariffs across all sectors, the EU and the US want to tackle barriers behind the customs border – such as differences in technical regulations, standards and approval procedures. These often cost unnecessary time and money for companies who want to sell their products on both markets. For example, when a car is approved as safe in the EU, it has to undergo a new approval procedure in the US even though the safety standards are similar. The TTIP negotiations will also look at opening both markets for services, investment, and public procurement. They could also shape global rules on trade.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) — 09 October 2014, 21:03 CET

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a trade agreement that is presently being negotiated between the European Union and the United States. It aims at removing trade barriers in a wide range of economic sectors to make it easier to buy and sell goods and services between the EU and the US. On top of cutting tariffs across all sectors, the EU and the US want to tackle barriers behind the customs border – such as differences in technical regulations, standards and approval procedures. These often cost unnecessary time and money for companies who want to sell their products on both markets. For example, when a car is approved as safe in the EU, it has to undergo a new approval procedure in the US even though the safety standards are similar. The TTIP negotiations will also look at opening both markets for services, investment, and public procurement. They could also shape global rules on trade.

Consultation on provisions in EU-US trade deal on investment and investor-state dispute settlement — 21 January 2014, 18:39 CET

EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht has announced his decision to consult the public on the investment provisions of a future EU-US trade deal, known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The decision follows unprecedented public interest in the talks. It also reflects the Commissioner's determination to secure the right balance between protecting European investment interests and upholding governments’ right to regulate in the public interest. In early March, he will publish a proposed EU text for the investment part of the talks which will include sections on investment protection and on investor-to-state dispute settlement, or ISDS. This draft text will be accompanied by clear explanations for the non-expert. People across the EU will then have three months to comment.

Restoring Trust in EU-US data flows — 27 November 2013, 13:53 CET

The European Commission has set out actions to be taken in order to restore trust in data flows between the EU and the U.S., following deep concerns about revelations of large-scale U.S. intelligence collection programmes, which have had a negative impact on the transatlantic relationship.

EU-US agreement on the transfer of Passenger Name Record (PNR) data — 27 November 2013, 13:39 CET

In 2011 the EU and the US agreed on a new PNR Agreement regulating the transfer of Passenger Name Record (PNR) by air carriers to the US. This agreement entered into force on 1 July 2012, replacing the previous one from 2007. It provides for a first joint review one year after its entry into force and regularly thereafter.

Frontiers of Fear: Immigration and Insecurity in the United States and Europe — 14 June 2012, 22:56 CET

On both sides of the Atlantic, restrictive immigration policies have been framed as security imperatives since the 1990s. This trend accelerated in the aftermath of 9/11 and subsequent terrorist attacks in Europe. In Frontiers of Fear, Ariane Chebel d'Appollonia raises two central questions with profound consequences for national security and immigration policy: First, does the securitization of immigration issues actually contribute to the enhancement of internal security? Second, does the use of counterterrorist measures address such immigration issues as the increasing number of illegal immigrants, the resilience of ethnic tensions, and the emergence of homegrown radicalization? Chebel d'Appollonia questions the main assumptions that inform political agendas in the United States and throughout Europe, analyzing implementation and evaluating the effectiveness of policies in terms of their stated objectives. She argues that the new security-based immigration regime has proven ineffective in achieving its prescribed goals and even aggravated the problems it was supposed to solve: A security/insecurity cycle has been created that results in less security and less democracy. The excesses of securitization have harmed both immigration and counterterrorist policies and seriously damaged the delicate balance between security and respect for civil liberties.

The EU at the G8 summit in Camp David - guide — 18 May 2012, 11:09 CET

The G8 summit will take place from 18 to 19 May in Camp David (US). The European Union will be represented by the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, and the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy. The G8 summit continues to play an important role in shaping global responses to global challenges. This year, G8 leaders will address the following main topics: regional and political developments and security issues the global economy energy and climate issues food security

Europe's Economic Crisis: Transatlantic Perspectives — 10 May 2012, 22:01 CET

Today the Eurozone is in turmoil, beset by stresses and strains that could challenge Europe s very construction. How did the current crisis come about, and how may it be resolved? And what does it mean for Europe s historic experiment in political and economic integration? This book addresses these questions and offers invaluable perspectives for anyone attempting to understand the roots and continuing impact of Europe s economic crisis.

Passenger Name Record - guide — 19 April 2012, 15:52 CET

A new agreement on the transfer of EU air passengers' personal data to the US authorities was approved by the European Parliament on Thursday. The deal sets legal conditions and covers issues such as storage periods, use, data protection safeguards and administrative and judicial redress. The agreement will replace a provisional deal in place since 2007.