The European Institute's Roundtable on Trade and Investment examines the development of the transatlantic market by providing its members with information from leading public and private sector decision makers in the U.S. and Europe. The Roundtable assesses the progress of the Transatlantic Economic Council, as well as the ongoing Doha Round and other multilateral and bilateral trade agreements. This program will also focus on the reemergence of protectionist policies spurred by the global economic crisis, evolving antitrust cases and laws, non-tariff trade barriers such as investment controls and tax policies, and intellectual property rights. The Roundtable on Trade will also examine the implications of U.S. and EU trade relations with third countries and any advancements in agricultural policy between the U.S. and EU.
Recent Meetings:
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On February 23, 2010, The European Institute held a special breakfast meeting of its Transatlantic Roundtable on Financial and Monetary Affairs with His Excellency Vassilis Kaskarelis, Ambassador of Greece to the United States, who spoke about the implications of Greece’s financial crisis.
Ambassador Kaskarelis explained that serious structural problems have existed in Greece for 7 years and that for most of 2009, no action was taken to correct these problems due to the upcoming elections. As a result, he argued that the new government elected in October 2009 faces the herculean task of solving Greece’s longstanding financial woes. Ambassador Kaskarelis said that he is optimistic for Greece’s future because this is the first time that the EU is enforcing specific economic measures in Greece and he believes that Greece has hit rock bottom, which means that people will soon start buying and investing in Greece again.
The Ambassador remarked that while the current crisis needs guidance from Brussels, domestic concerns must also be taken into consideration. He argued that if the Greek people do not approve of the measures implemented by external actors, the government will lose the next election and the reform process will be stalled or possibly halted. Reform will take time, the Ambassador emphasized, and he advocated for selling these reform measures to the public the right way in order to avoid a social crisis.
Finally, Ambassador Kaskarelis turned to Europe and the impact on the Eurozone. He argued that the situation in Greece is not unlike financial crises other EU countries have faced; Greece is just the first country to allow the crisis to go this far. The Ambassador argued that measures could have been imposed on Greece last year by the EU if the process to do so had been clearer and less complicated. He stated that the problems in Greece affect the whole of the EU, not just the Eurozone and that the EU is testing how much they can react to this situation. Ambassador Kaskarelis believes that the EU is reluctant to loan money to Greece because they fear what will happen if another Eurozone country faces a similar problem. He concluded by saying that decisions have to be made and it is up to Europe because Greece has already made their decisions. |
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02/05/10 |
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On February 5, 2010, The European Institute held a meeting of its Transatlantic Roundtable on Trade entitled “Staying Competitive - Europe's Response to Institutional and Societal Challenges” focusing on Europe’s Competition Policy under the Lisbon Treaty and the EU’s 2020 Policy. Isabelle Benoliel, Director for Registry and Resources at the Directorate-General for Competition at the European Commission spoke about the challenges to competition policy within the European Union, especially while tackling the ongoing global economic crisis. Elizabeth Kraus, Deputy Director for International Antitrust at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s Office of International Affairs spoke about the need for the U.S. to continue to work with the Commission on the challenges facing competition focusing in particular on the need for cooperation and convergence of EU and U.S. policies. John Briggs, Co-Chair of Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider’s Antitrust Practice and Managing Partner of the firm’s Washington office, was the moderator of the discussion. |
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04/29/09 |
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While the EU and the new U.S. Administration are trying to harmonize their views, trade in food and regulations regarding biotechnology remain among the most delicate areas in transatlantic trade negotiations, in part because of the different backgrounds on which public opinions are based. Dan Rotenberg, Counselor for Agricultural Affairs at the Delegation of the European Commission addressed the status of the Doha Trade Talks in this sector. His colleague at the Delegation, Dr. Wolf-Martin Maier, Counselor for Food Safety, Health and Consumer Affairs addressed questions regarding food safety and consumer protection regulations. |
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03/25/09 |
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This meeting hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia, addressed trade issues in light of the current economic crisis and declining trade. Speakers included: Mauro Petriccione, European Commission's DG Trade Director for bilateral relations including the United States and China; Dr. Tihomir Stoytchev, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission for the Embassy of Republic of Bulgaria; and William “Bill” Craft, Jr., Acting Assistant Secretary for Trade Policy and Programs at the U.S. Department of State. All of the panelists agreed that despite the economic crisis, it is vital to avoid protectionism policies and that transatlantic cooperation is needed to keep world trade markets open. |
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12/11/08 |
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Jürgen Thumann, European Co-Chair of the Transatlantic Business Dialogue reviewed the achievements of the TEC, and offered an outlook on the future of transatlantic economic cooperation, in light of the current upheaval in the global financial sector and the emerging priorities of the incoming U.S. Administration. As one of three members of the TEC’s Group of Advisers, the Transatlantic Business Dialogue plays a central role in communicating the private sector’s priorities for achieving transatlantic economic integration. On the occasion of this summer’s US-EU Summit, the TABD stressed four areas of particular importance: investment protectionism; fostering innovation with strong protection of intellectual property; facilitating the freest possible movement of people and goods within transatlantic borders, and enhancing cooperation on energy supply and climate change. |
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