USA Relations
The European Union and the United States are the two largest economies
in the world. They account together for about half the entire world economy.
The EU and the US have also the biggest bilateral trading and investment
relationship. Transatlantic flows of trade and investment amount to around
$1 billion a day, and jointly, our global trade accounts for almost 40
% of world trade. By working together, the US and the EU can promote their
common goals and interests in the world much more effectively.
Diplomatic Relations
The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with the European
Union and its forerunners since 1953, when the first US Observers to the
European Defence Community and the European Coal and Steel Community were
nominated. In 1961, the US Mission to the European Communities - now the
European Union - was established. The European Commission is represented
in the United States by a Delegation in Washington, which was established
in 1954 largely thanks to the work of the then President of the ECSC,
Jean Monnet. A New York office, accredited as observer to the United Nations,
was established in 1964. In 1971 the Washington office became a Delegation
with full diplomatic privileges and immunities. The Delegation represents
the European Commission in its dealings with the US government. It reports
on US developments to headquarters in Brussels and acts as a liaison with
other international institutions in Washington, DC.
Transatlantic Cooperation
The landmarks in EU-US relations in recent years are the Transatlantic
Declaration, the New Transatlantic Agenda and the Transatlantic Economic
Partnership. The Transatlantic Declaration was adopted by the US and the
EU in 1990. It laid down the principles for greater EU-US cooperation
and consultation. Cooperation in the fields of economy (liberalization,
OECD, competition policy etc.), education, science and culture, and transnational
challenges was established. A machinery of biannual summits and ministerial
meetings, ad hoc Troika/Presidency meetings with the Secretary of State,
and briefings on European Political Cooperation (now CFSP) was set up
in the Declaration.
In 1995 the New Transatlantic Agenda (NTA) and the EU-US Joint Action
Plan was adopted. The NTA and the Action Plan provide a framework for
EU-US partnership and cooperation across a wide range of activities under
four broad chapters: promoting peace and stability, democracy, and development
around the world; responding to global changes; contributing to the expansion
of world trade and fostering closer ties; building bridges across the
Atlantic.
In the area of promoting peace and stability the EU and the US are working
together in areas such as the former Yugoslavia and in the Middle East
Peace Process. The chapter on response to global challenges covers cooperation
in fields such as environment protection, the protection of public health
and law enforcement issues. In the economic area the EU and the US mostly
work together within the framework of the Transatlantic Economic Partnership
and under the multilateral umbrella of the WTO. In building bridges over
the Atlantic a number of dialogues have been established. The aim of the
dialogues is to work together on the level of civil society. There are
a transatlantic business dialogue, a transatlantic labor dialogue, a consumer
dialogue, an environmental dialogue and also the EP/US Congress and Senate
legislative dialogue. Other important projects such as the EU Centers
in the US are also included under this chapter.
Significant progress has been made since 1995 with the signature at the
EU-US Summit of May 1997 of the Agreement on Custom Cooperation and Mutual
Assistance in Customs Matters; the entering into force on 1 December 1998
of the Mutual Recognition Agreement covering specific goods areas (telecom
equipment, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, electromagnetic compatibility,
electric safety, and recreational craft); the EU-US Veterinary Equivalence
Agreement aimed at facilitating trade in live animals and animal products
and signed on 20 July 1999; the signature on 4 June 1998 of the EU-US
Agreement on the application of positive comity principles in the enforcement
of their competition laws; the Science and Technology Agreement signed
on 5 December 1997, which extends and strengthens the conduct of cooperative
activities between EU scientific institutions and a range of US government
research agencies.
The EU and the US launched the Transatlantic Economic Partnership (TEP)
at the London summit in may 1998. The TEP is an extension of the approach
taken in the NTA. It includes both multilateral and bilateral elements.
Bilaterally the purpose is to tackle technical barriers to trade. The
purpose of the second part is to stimulate further multilateral liberalization
– by joining forces on international trade issues. An innovative
aspect of the proposal is to integrate labor, business, environmental
and consumer issues into the process. It is however too early to say what
will come out of this partnership.
In the Bonn Declaration adopted at the 21 June 1999 EU-US summit in Bonn,
both sides committed themselves to a "full and equal partnership"
in economic, political and security affairs. This explicit recognition
is a step forward from the NTA. The Bonn Declaration outlines how the
EU and the US want to shape their relationship over the next decade and
is embedded in the NTA process.
Courtesy: European Commission |
