Today, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Miriam Sapiro co-chaired a meeting of senior U.S. and EU officials on the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC). The participants reviewed progress since the last meeting of the TEC in November 2011 and discussed upcoming work. Ambassador Sapiro co-chaired the meeting with her European Commission counterpart, Jean-Luc Demarty, Director-General for Trade, and Acting Assistant Secretary of State, Kathleen Doherty. Representatives of the various agencies involved in the work of the TEC took part, including officials from the Departments of Commerce, State, Treasury, Energy, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Management and Budget.
Ambassador Sapiro, Assistant Secretary Doherty, and DG Demarty welcomed agency plans to accelerate ongoing cooperation, noting in particular the upcoming launch of e-vehicle interoperability labs in Chicago and in Italy, and e-Health Week in May 2013, where officials will discuss implementation of activities associated with a roadmap on interoperability of electronic patient records. They reviewed current exchanges and policy coordination in the area of raw materials. They called for new work in areas including but not limited to emerging innovative sectors, such as nanotechnology, cloud computing, and advanced chemical management, which have high potential to produce increased jobs and growth on both sides of the Atlantic.
Ambassador Sapiro and her counterparts affirmed that the TEC is a valuable tool for increasing transatlantic economic integration that complements other bilateral initiatives, such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, the High Level Regulatory Cooperation Forum, and the Energy Council.
The Transatlantic Economic Council was created by a mandate from the 2007 U.S.-EU Summit, which laid the foundation for a growth-driven agenda foreseeing great dialogue and cooperation. The TEC is co-chaired by the White House Deputy National Special Advisor for International Economic Affairs, Michael Froman, and European Commissioner for Trade, Karel De Gucht.
To learn more about the Transatlantic Economic Council, click here.
