Contemporary Issues in EU-US Relations

Contemporary Issues in EU-US Relations: On the State of Trade and Technology

Please note that due to technical issues, this event will now take place online via Zoom. Attendees will need to have a Zoom account to access the webinar, a free Zoom account can be set up here. Joining details will be sent prior to the event.

This event is organised by the City Law School, Institute for the Study of European Laws, Jean Monnet Chair in Transatlantic Relations.

The seminar examines key contemporary issues in EU-US relations. The EU and US have been pivotal historically in developments towards convergence in international law and the institutional frameworks underpinning them. The transatlantic relationship constitutes one of the most established and far-reaching democratic alliances globally, that has propelled multilateralism, trade regulation and the EU-US relationship in Global Challenges. This seminar examines the current state of trade, business and human rights, the EU-US Trade and Technology Council. The panel brings together leading experts on transatlantic trade, digital regulation and consumer rights on either side of the Atlantic to engage in reflections upon key issues and themes. Is the Biden administration’s emphasis upon labour and trade or the EU’s Green Deal significant in the transatlantic and global direction of issues? How are individuals, citizens, consumers, likely to fare with the advent of the new EU-US Trade and Technology Council? Early critiques of the EU-USTTC point to its lack of transparency and complex stakeholder engagement.  At the WTO, reform of dispute settlement will  be pivotal- is it realisable and achievable to see the transatlantic lead here? The seminar considers whether the focus more on growth and innovation in Europe, while at the same time pushing for some notion of strategic autonomy in certain key areas that are crucial for EU citizens and the EU’s bid for digital conditionality are compatible with EU-US relations?

Speakers: (in Alphabetical order):

Andreas Aktoudianakis is EU Lead Digital Policy Analyst at the European Policy Centre, working within the Europe’s Political Economy programme. 

Doug Cassel is counsel in the New York office of the global law firm of King & Spalding, specializing in matters of business and human rights.

Sylvia Chen is an independent policy advisor in Berlin, advising international businesses on diverse trade policy questions. 

Anna Fielder is Senior Policy Advisor to the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD). 

Rupert Schlegelmilch is currently Acting Deputy Director-General of DG TRADE at the European Commission. 

Chair:
Elaine Fahey, Professor of Law & Jean Monnet Chair, City Law School, City, University of London