EU-US Trade and Technology Council

The European Union and the United States are partners strongly committed to driving digital transformation and cooperating on new technologies based on their shared democratic values, including respect for human rights.

The EU-US Trade and Technology Council serves as a forum for the United States and European Union to coordinate approaches to key global trade, economic, and technology issues and to deepen transatlantic trade and economic relations based on these shared values. It was established during the EU-US Summit on 15 June 2021 in Brussels.

EU and US flag

Objectives of the partnership

Through the Council, the EU and the US are working together to:

<a href=Ursula von der Leyen (left) and Joe Biden (right)" />

Sixth Ministerial Meeting (4-5 April 2024)

EU/US Trade and Technology Council, in Leuven (5 April): group photo, doorsteps, round table and press briefing

The EU and US met in Leuven (Belgium) on 4-5 April 2024 for the sixth ministerial-level meeting of the Trade and Technology Council. They agreed on:

1. Advancing transatlantic cooperation on AI, 6G, critical and emerging technologies

2. Promoting easier, more sustainable and more secure trade on the transatlantic market

3. Defending human rights and values in a changing geopolitical digital environment

Areas of cooperation

At its inaugural meeting on 29 September 2021 in Pittsburgh, USA, the Council agreed on five key areas of cooperation:

Ways of working

The Council is comprised of working groups led or co-led by relevant departments, services or agencies, to operationalise the political decisions and coordinate the technical work.

The Council has initially included ten working groups:

1. Technology standards cooperation
2. Climate and clean tech
3. Secure supply chains
4. ICTs security and competitiveness
5. Data governance and technology platform
6. Misuse of technology threatening security & human rights
7. Export controls cooperation
8. Investment screening cooperation
9. Promoting SME access to and use of digital technologies
10. Global trade challenges

Background

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Joe Biden launched the EU-US Trade and Technology Council at the EU-US Summit in Brussels on June 15, 2021.

The Council meets periodically at political level to steer the cooperation, co-chaired by European Commission Executive Vice-President and EU Competition Commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, and European Commission Executive Vice-President and EU Trade Commissioner, Valdis Dombrovskis, on the EU side; and US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, and US Trade Representative, Katherine Tai, on the US side.

In parallel, the EU and the US have set up a Joint Technology Competition Policy Dialogue that will focus on developing common approaches and strengthening the cooperation on competition policy and enforcement in the tech sectors.