The Honorable Margot Wallström, Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Institutional Relations and Communications Strategy discussed the challenges of communicating Europe to 500 million citizens in 27 member states, and the methods in which the European Union is utilizing to bridge the information gap between Brussels and the rest of Europe. Dr. Beth Noveck, Deputy Technology Officer for Open Government in the Executive Office of the President presented the American perspective and how methods of new media impacted the U.S. 2008 Presidential election. Ian Koski, Senior Manager at Blue State Media and Aaron Smith, Research Specialist with the Pew Internet & American Life Project, also offered their views.

UNESCO’s current agenda and the challenges it faces were the focus of a discussion with The Honorable Irina Bokova, Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to France and Bulgaria’s Permanent Delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Ambassador Bokova, who is a candidate for the position of Director General of UNESCO, also offered her vision for the organization moving forward. Participants included Donna Roginski, Deputy Assistant Secretary (Acting), Bureau of International Organizations, U.S. Department of State;  Phil English, Member, U.S. National Commission for UNESCO; and Ambassador Louise Oliver, Former U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO.
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.
This meeting assessed the reasoning behind U.S. and EU positions on the merits and effectiveness of global human rights frameworks and identified opportunities for transatlantic cooperation in the promotion of human rights.  Speakers included: Ambassador Thomas Greminger, Head of Political Affairs Division IV, Human Security of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs; Robert Harris, Assistant Legal Advisor for Human Rights and Refugees at the U.S. Department of State; Claudia Pinto, Senior Political Advisor at the Delegation of the European Commission; and Dr. Ruth Wedgwood, Edward B. Burling Professor of International Law and Diplomacy and Director of the International Law and Organizations Program at The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.  The session was moderated by Elizabeth Andersen, Executive Director of the American Society of International Law.

Peter Hustinx, European Data Protection Supervisor, addressed the transatlantic debate over data privacy, focusing on the EU’s existing data protection system and the risks posed by constant technological innovation as well as increased demands by law enforcement officials on both sides of the Atlantic for deeper and more immediate data exchanges. Paul Rosenzweig, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Department of Homeland Security, offered the U.S. perspective on building an effective law enforcement framework for the sharing of personal data. Yael Weinman, Counsel for International Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission gave the consumer protection aspect. The meeting was moderated by James Halpert, Partner, DLA Piper.