EU-US seeks shared technology rules despite France’s anger
The EU and the United States have embarked on a clever effort this week to deepen their ties with technology regulation, but France has resisted the project in the wake of its dropout with Washington over the submarine deal.
A US city in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, despite Paris’ attempt to postpone the meeting in retaliation for a US-Australia-UK agreement (called AUKUS) in which Canberra abandoned billions of dollars in submarines. High-level talks begin at. Order from France.
The EU-US Trade Technology Council, established after the June summit, considered issues that included trying to regulate Internet giants and coordinate strategies to defend democratic values.
The council has come at the request of Europeans seeking concrete signs of increased cross-Atlantic cooperation after years of tension, especially over trade, under former President Donald Trump. rice field.
President Joe Biden’s administration is represented by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
On the European side, EU Vice Presidents Marguerite Vestager and Valdisdon Broskis will lead the talks.
EU technology policy expert Vestager said the talks would seek to strengthen cooperation “in areas where there is a common value of two big old democracy.”
In her comment, the rise of China was not mentioned, and Washington understood that it was pressing EU partners to work together to isolate Beijing on the world stage. ..
This has been resisted in Europe, with strong member states France and Germany hesitating to blindly follow Washington’s growing claims.
In a paper by the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, former EU trade boss Cecilia Malmström and analyst Chad Bown said, “European authorities want to avoid TTC simply becoming an unproductive exercise in a Chinese attack. “.
The talks in Pittsburgh, a city of rusty belts that have grown into a technology hub, are the first installments of the Trade Technology Council, with another round scheduled for spring, Vestagger said.
EU diplomats said France sharply criticized the talks at the meeting on Friday, reminding member states that previous attempts to deepen trade relations with Washington were unsuccessful.
“There is no place in democracy”
EU trade commissioner Donbrovsky warns that the new effort is not an attempt to conclude a trade deal, but still freshly remembers the failure of an ambitious attempt to reach an agreement between the Obama administrations. bottom.
The European Commission, which deals with trade policies of 27 EU member states, has also failed to close a small deal with former US President Donald Trump beyond the zero tariff agreement on Metanephrops japonicus.
“It’s not like a free trade agreement,” the former Latvian Prime Minister told reporters. “It’s about long-term profits.”
Dombrovskis pointed out potential cooperation in banning unnecessary foreign investment and addressing supply chain issues such as microchips.
The talks will be divided into 10 working groups on a wide range of issues, and Vestagger aims to find common ground on how to control big brothers, such as preventing excess artificial intelligence.
“I don’t think these practices should be the home of democracy,” she said. “I strongly feel that this is really something that is shared with Americans.”
Negotiations will take place while both remain in the loggerhead turtle on steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by Trump but not yet removed by Biden.
Regarding tariffs, Donbrokis said, “We are very serious about working with the United States and we are also aware of the timeline that we need to resolve this issue by December 1.”
Gloss