The European Policy Centre has teamed up with the Atlantic Council (Europe Centre) to run an independent “Track 2” dialogue on the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC). This project aims to advance the stakeholder engagement envisioned for the TTC and input towards its development and outcomes.
The launch of the TTC represented a significant reset of transatlantic relations, with the two sides committing to revamp their bilateral economic agenda after the Trump era. The TTC’s stated objectives cover a wide range of areas for transatlantic convergence, from trade and investment to innovation, standards and emerging technologies. As seen in the Paris ministerial meeting
Joint Statement on 16 May 2022, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has given new urgency to the partnership. In the context of growing geopolitical and geoeconomic tensions, the TTC is also a response to the rise of China as a trade and technological power and the need to defend democratic values.
The use of the TTC as a cooperation framework is only in its initial stages but promises to be, US and EU politics allowing, a structuring endeavour for years to come. The EPC-Atlantic Council ‘Track 2’ project provides a critical link between relevant actors, such as businesses, advocacy NGOs, trade unions, think tanks, and independent experts from both sides of the Atlantic and EU and US authorities. The project is divided into three workstreams
(i) Trade and Supply Chains, (ii) Green Transition, (iii) Data and Technology Regulation. Under each workstream, closed-door roundtables and public events feed into policy briefs containing concrete recommendations for US and EU decision-makers.