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A Year of Milestone Achievements in the U.S.-EU Relationship
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14 MINUTE READ
June 15, 2022

Three people stand on platform with flags behind them.One year ago, President Biden traveled to Brussels to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel for the U.S.-EU Summit. The result was an ambitious road map to shape the course of the transatlantic relationship for the years ahead.    

Since June 2021, the U.S. and EU have made significant progress in resolving outstanding issues and charting a common path forward. The information below provides an overview of our key achievements. 

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Key Achievements

 

  • In June, President Biden traveled to Brussels, joined by Secretary Blinken, Commerce Secretary Raimondo and USTR Ambassador Tai. President Biden’s participation in the U.S.-EU Summit underscored America’s commitment to a strong transatlantic partnership based on mutual interests and democratic values. Read the full Summit Statement. 
  • During the June 2021 U.S.-EU Summit, Presidents Biden, von der Leyen, and Michel established the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC).  Learn more about the TTC. 
  • The U.S. and EU reached an agreement in the Boeing-Airbus dispute and agreed to work together to challenge and counter China’s non-market practices in this sector.  
  • The EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council (TTC) met for the first time in Pittsburgh in September. The European Union and the United States reaffirm the TTC’s objectives to coordinate approaches to key global technology, economic, and trade issues, and to deepen transatlantic trade and economic relations, basing policies on shared democratic values. 
  • In October, the U.S. and EU took joint steps to re-establish historical transatlantic trade flows in steel and aluminum and address global steel and aluminium excess capacity.  
  • In November, the United States and the EU began closely cooperating to try to stop Russia from invading Ukraine.  Together, we were prepared to impose harsh sanctions on Russia following the February invasion of Ukraine.   
  • European Union Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski and United States Secretary of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack launched a new transatlantic collaboration platform on agriculture designed to take on the global challenges of sustainability and climate change. 
  • At COP26, the United States and European Union formally launched the Global Methane Pledge, an initiative to reduce global methane emissions to keep the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach. More than100 countries representing 70 percent of the global economy have signed the pledge.   
  • At COP26, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced Romania’s Intent to Build first-of-a-kind U.S. Small Modular Reactor (SMR) plant to address the climate crisis. In addition, Romania is set to receive over $2 million in U.S. technical assistance to advance its goals to become an SMR educational and training hub in the region. 
  • The United States and the European Commission have committed to a new Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework to foster trans-Atlantic data flows and address the data and privacy concerns.  
  • The U.S.-EU High-Level Dialogue on Russia took place March 30, 2022 to focus on policy coordination aimed at ending Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. 
  • The United States and European Commission announced a new task force to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels. Read the fact sheet.  
  • Deputy Secretary Sherman and Secretary General Sannino held the third high-level meeting of the U.S.-EU Dialogue on China in Washington in December, and the fourth in Brussels in April.   
  • Following the September launch of the EU’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, the Deputy Secretary and Secretary General Sannino also convened high level consultations on the Indo-Pacific in December 2021.  Following the U.S. release of our Indo-Pacific Strategy, the two convened further discussions in April in Brussels.  
  • The U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) held its second ministerial meeting in Saclay – Paris, France on May 15-16, 2022.  

 

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