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Regulatory Cooperation: U.S.'s Price Discusses Transatlantic Economic Council's Successes, Future | Treasury's Sobel Discusses Transatlantic Regulatory Issues Ahead of TEC Meeting | More
Transatlantic Relations: State’s Volker’s Remarks on U.S., European Challenges
Middle East: Background Briefing on Bush’s Upcoming Trip to the Middle East | Bush Prepares for a Six-Day Middle East Visit | U.S. Backs Peaceful Solutions, Democratic Leaders in Middle East | More
Food Aid: U.N. Food Aid Agency Urges Countries to Lift Food Export Bans | Bush Asks Congress to Approve $770 Million More in Food Aid | Fact Sheet: Leading the Fight Against Hunger | USAID on Food Crisis | More
Zimbabwe: Campaign of Terror Unleashed in Zimbabwe
Burma: Burma Aid Is About Saving Lives, Not Politics, Rice Says | Treasury Issuance of General License to Speed Funds to Burma | U.S. Provides $3.25 Million to Aid Burma Cyclone Victims | More
Terrorism: Terrorism, Crime Often Linked, Says Report | U.S. Releases Country Reports on Terrorism 2007 | Europe and Eurasia Overview
Travel to the U.S.: DHS Announces New Aviation Security, Traveler Screening Enhancements (Remarks by Homeland Security's Chertoff) | DHS Proposes Biometric Airport and Seaport Exit Procedures for Travelers | CBP Announces Pilot for "Global Entry" Program (Global Entry^TM FAQs)

Latest Articles and more from America.gov

U.S.-EU Issues: U.S., EU Officials Meet on Product Safety Issues | DHS Signs Visa Waiver Program Agreements with Slovakia, Hungary and Lithuania | Joint U.S.-EU Statement on Visa Waiver Program Talks | U.S., Germany Agree to Share Fingerprint Databases and Terrorist Information | DHS Signs Visa Waiver Program Agreements with Estonia and Latvia | U.S., Czech Republic Sign Visa Waiver Program Understanding | Special Envoy Gray Named Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy | U.S.-EU Air Transport Agreement Effective March 30 | U.S., EU Adopt Roadmap on Mutual Recognition of Supply Chain Security Standards | Panel Finds EU Ban on Hormones Remains WTO-Inconsistent | U.S. Department of Transportation and European Commission Launch Joint Research Project on Airline Alliances and Competition as Part of Open Skies Agreement | U.S.-EU Cooperative agreement signed at the 10th Transport Security Cooperation Group | EU-U.S. Technical Dialogue and Increased Cooperation in Crisis Management and Conflict Prevention

Upcoming Webchats May 13: English-language Round Table Will Cover Teaching Vocabulary | May 15: Scholar Will Give an Afghan View of American Academia, Society
SPECIAL WEBCAST! Five Myths and Misperceptions about the U.S. and Environmental Protection with Bill Cline, Global Environment Team Leader, U.S. Foreign Commercial Service
U.S. Elections 2008: “Ask America.gov” to Focus on U.S. Elections | Videos, news, stories and other information about the U.S. electoral system
Recent USINFO podcasts on 2007 Country Reports on Terrorism | This Week from Washington | Elections 2008 - Immigration | Elections 2008 – Energy Policy | Green Communities in America | Foreign Internships in the United States
Electronic Journals: The Olympic Experience | The Greening of U.S. Corporations | U.S. Food Aid: Reducing World Hunger | Electronic Journal Highlights Personal Diplomacy of Youth Exchanges
CRS Reports: Europe's New Trade Agenda | European Approaches to Homeland Security and Counterterrorism | Undisclosed U.S. Detention Sites Overseas: Background & Legal Issues

"There is merit to identifying divergences that are unnecessary and options for minimizing them and the associated costs to the transatlantic economy," Daniel M. Price, Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs and U.S. chair of the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC), said April 30. "There also is merit to taking a hard look at existing regulations and considering whether they really are the best way of accomplishing the desired objectives, or whether they can be improved by learning from each other’s experience," he said in remarks ahead of the May 13 TEC meeting in Brussels. Price said the meeting would focus on differences in how the U.S. and the EU approach the regulatory process, bilateral information sharing relating to medicinal products, poultry, the EU's REACH chemicals legislation, U.S. rules on the certification of certain electrical products, and investment and product safety issues in third countries. Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Sobel said the participants would also discuss financial markets.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced April 22 a notice of proposed rulemaking that will establish biometric exit procedures at all U.S air and sea ports of departure. The majority of non-U.S. citizens are already required to submit digital fingerprints and a digital photograph for admission into the country. The US-VISIT Exit proposal would require non-U.S. citizens who provide biometric identifiers for admission to also provide digital fingerprints when departing the country from any air or sea ports of departure. The proposed rule would require commercial air carriers and cruise line owners and operators collect and transmit international visitors’ biometric information to DHS within 24 hours of leaving the United States. Carriers are already required to transmit biographic information to DHS for all passengers prior to their departure from the United States. DHS is committed to protecting the privacy of international visitors and will require that these systems meet the department’s transmission capability and data security requirements.

DHS Announces New Aviation Security, Traveler Screening Enhancements
CBP Announces Pilot for "Global Entry" Program (Global Entry^TM FAQs)

A Middle East peace settlement remains possible, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, if negotiators redouble their efforts to translate diplomatic progress into tangible improvements in the lives of Palestinians. “Improvements in the daily lives of the Palestinians and the ability of the Palestinian Authority to deliver for its people will certainly improve the capability of that leadership to deliver a political agreement with Israel,” Rice said May 2 in London. The secretary met in London with the other representatives from the Quartet for the Middle East -- Russia, the European Union and the United Nations. Rice highlighted quiet progress between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators toward the peace deal pledged at the U.S.-sponsored November 2007 Annapolis Conference. She also underlined the need for continued improvement on two parallel, but linked, components of the process: action on diplomatic and security measures outlined in the Quartet’s road map plan for Mideast peace and international efforts to help strengthen Palestinian Authority governance. “We have no option but to carry on working on this,” says Quartet Special Representative and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. “It is, in my view, the single most important thing that we can do to bring about a different atmosphere in that whole region.”

Palestine Investment Conference Set for May 21-23