European Institute

On October 6, 2014, The European Institute and the European Parliament Liaison Office with the U.S. Congress held a live stream viewing of the hearing for European Commission Vice President-Elect Andrus Ansip.  Charged with the portfolio of the Digital Single Market, Mr. Ansip's main objective is to make Europe a world leader in information and communication technology and he has also been asked to oversee, within the first six months of his mandate, the conclusion of negotiations on the reform of Europe’s data protection rules as well as the review of the Safe Harbor agreement with the U.S.  Following the viewing, a panel discussion was held with Stephen Ezell, Senior Analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation; Bart Forsyth, Chief of Staff for U.S. Representative Jim Sensenbrenner; Dr. Michael Nelson, Adjunct Professor for Communication, Culture and Technology at Georgetown University; and Yael Weinman Vice President for Global Privacy Policy & General Counsel at the Information Technology Industry Council to assess European digital competitiveness and ways in which Europe and the United States can continue to work together in the telecommunications sector.

On September 23^rd, The European Institute held its Annual Meeting of the Members and Board of Advisors at the Embassy of Austria in Washington, DC. Following opening remarks by Joëlle Attinger, President of the European Institute and Sigurd Pacher, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Austria, Julieta Valls Noyes, Deputy Assistant Secretary for European & Eurasian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, gave an overview of the current U.S.-EU relations and singled out the need for stronger cooperation in light of the crisis in Ukraine, the importance of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, and possible solutions for European energy security as the areas of most immediate concern. François Rivasseau, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United States,surveyed the current security challenges facing the EU with a special emphasis on its Southern and Eastern neighborhood. Everett Eissenstat, Chief International Trade Counsel for the United States Senate Finance Committee, elaborated on the significance of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, and Dr. William Pomeranz, Deputy Director of the Kennan Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center, offered an analysis of the current events from a Russian perspective and provided his insights on the future of the relationship between Russia and the West. The discussion was moderated by The Honorable Bart Gordon, Partner at K&L Gates, LLP.

On October 2, 2014, The European Institute held its 2014 Annual Ambassadors’ Dinner.  At this year’s dinner, the Institute honored The Honorable Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science with the Transatlantic Leadership Award for her seminal role in reviving the Transatlantic Research and Innovation Dialogue and for the deftness and vision with which she has helped shape and secure the European Union’s ambitious research agenda, Horizon 2020.  The Institute also presented the Transatlantic Leadership Award to The Honorable Robert Hormats, former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment for his multiple contributions and steadfast leadership in strengthening trade and economic ties between Europe and the United States, in particular, helping to launch the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership initiative.

Click here to read Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn's remarks.

On June 19, 2014, The European Institute held a breakfast discussion in Brussels on the European Commission’s proposal, “Regulation of interchange fees for card-based payments” which looks to ensure transparency, trim transactional costs, and encourage further innovation in e-commerce. Todd Zywicki, Professor atGeorge Mason University Law School & Senior Fellow at the International Center for Law and Economics in Washington, DC; Leo Van Hove, Professor at the Free University of Brussels; and Marcin Nowacki, Director of Public Affairs at the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers, Poland presented case studies from the U.S., France and Poland where different degrees of e-payment regulations have been implemented and discussed the outcomes of these directives.