Background

High-ranking U.S. and EU officials gathered in Pittsburgh, Pa., Sep. 29 for the inaugural meeting of the bilateral Trade and Technology Council. At the meeting, the two sides agreed to closely coordinate on an “expansive set of critical economic and technology issues over the coming months and achieve concrete outcomes by the next meeting.” Areas of focus include the following.

Non-market practices and trade barriers. The two sides committed to develop common strategies to mitigate the impact of non-market practices domestically and in third countries and work to avoid new and unnecessary trade barriers, especially in products and services derived from emerging technologies. Tools will also be used to protect workers and labor rights, combat forced and child labor, and consult on relevant trade, climate, and environmental matters.  

Export controls. Shared principles and export control cooperation areas were determined, including capacity building assistance to third countries to support multilateral export control regimes, prior consultations on current and upcoming legislative and regulatory developments, and developing convergent control approaches on sensitive dual-use technologies. 

Semiconductor supply chains. Cooperation will be enhanced on measures to advance transparency and communication in the semiconductor supply chain, including by identifying gaps, shared vulnerabilities, and opportunities to strengthen the R&D and manufacturing ecosystems.

Investment screening. Information will be exchanged on investment trends affecting security, including industry specific trends, origin of investments, types of transactions, and best practices to analyze and address risk, with a focus on sensitive technologies and related sensitive data.

Artificial intelligence. The two sides will develop and implement AI systems that are innovative and trustworthy and that respect universal human rights and shared democratic values, explore cooperation on AI technologies designed to enhance privacy protections, and undertake an economic study on the impact of AI on the future of their respective workforces.

For more information, please contact Nicole Bivens Collinson at (202) 730-4956 or via email.

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