Tag: EUUS

A new chapter offered by the election of President Sarkozy in France and the elevation of Gordon Brown to UK prime minister provides a chance of better transatlantic relations over Iran and energy security, claims Simon Henderson – director of the Gulf and Energy Policy Programme at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy – in a June essay for the Transatlantic Institute.

As opposition to more trade liberalisation grows in the US Congress, MEPs have voted for a transatlantic market without barriers to be implemented within the next ten years.

International CEOs will meet Presidents Bush and Prodi to discuss a barrier-free transatlantic market at the EU-US summit. Consumers' unions are boycotting the summit after being declined direct assess to top leaders.

The Commission's DG Taxation and US Ambassador to the EU, Rockwell Schnabel, initialled an agreement for closer co-operation on transport security on 18 November.

No consensus could be reached on granting the US exemptions from the requirement to phase out methyl bromide during the UN conference on the Montreal Protocol (MOP-15) held in Nairobi (Kenya) from 10-14 November 2003.

As part of a flurry of joint initiatives aimed at improving bilateral relations in the shadow of the Iraq conflict, the EU and the US will sign an agreement on extradition in Washington on 25 June.

The EU and the US agreed on a temporary solution of their dispute over music copyright. They have agreed on a process that will result in a US financial contribution to support projects and activities for the benefit of European music creators.

The publication of the EU's annual US trade barriers report highlighted the large number of outstanding trade disputes that remain between the two trading partners. Whilst there were notable successes during the past year, such as the resolution of the long-running bananas dispute, the EU still takes issue with a large number of US trade measures, including the Helms-Burton Act and foreign sales corporations (FSCs).

A survey of public opinion in France, Germany, Italy and the UK has revealed that Europeans are overwhelmingly opposed to the foreign policies and actions of US President George Bush. The poll, conducted by the Pew Research Center for the International Herald Tribune and the US Council on Foreign Relations, says that 70% of people in each country see President Bush's decisions as based solely on US interests.

The WTO has ruled against the EU in a case brought over the trademark rights for a brand of Cuban rum. The EU had argued that a US law designed to protect the rights of companies whose trademarks were confiscated by the Cuban government following the revolution was incompatible with the trade related intellectual property rights (TRIPS) agreement.

The EU and US have reached an agreement on their WTO dispute over the American Copyright Act. They will try to look for ways to compensate European performers and composers for the economic losses due to the US "business exemption".

Blocked acquisition by General Electric of Honeywell International leads to new calls for greater cooperation between competition authorities

EU rejects 11th-hour effort by General Electric to save merger with Honeywell International

Interim WTO report on EU complaint about foreign sales corporations rules against US raising spectre of trade war

Gothenburg produces few surprises as EU and US agree to disagree over climate change whilst committing themselves to continued co-operation

Bush repeats commitment to missile defence in visit to NATO dominated by NMD, RRF, Macedonia and NATO expansion