The EU and US met in Leuven (Belgium) on 4-5 April 2024 for the sixth and last ministerial-level meeting of the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) before the EU and US elections. Both sides reached agreements on a wide range of topics and areas for further cooperation, from critical and emerging technologies, to sustainable trade and the use of digital tools for trade facilitation.
With this iteration being the last one before EU & US elections, it is fit to reflect on this experience and what both sides should consider to reinforce their cooperation and make more progress on pressing issues going forward. Much has been said about the lack of tangible results in certain areas – particularly trade – stemming from the TTC. As a sector caught in various transatlantic disputes unrelated to us, but touching upon some of these pressing issues the TTC was partly set up to address, we do regret the lack of tangible progress in mending these differences and putting an end to these disputes and the unwelcome tariffs coming with them – which, let’s not forget, are merely suspended. Yet, we must recognise that the TTC has provided a useful platform to deepen mutual understanding and at least avoid the emergence of new transatlantic disputes. In this sense, the TTC has fulfilled its role and provides a positive start for reinforced transatlantic cooperation.
The successor of the existing TTC will have its work cut out for it to address strategic challenges and issues affecting the EU & US and help both sides mend their differences and increase their mutual understanding. The first order of business after the EU & US elections should be to put a permanent end to ongoing disputes, where possible, or to at least agree to pursue the transatlantic dialogue on solutions to these disputes without the threat of tariffs – particularly on sectors unrelated to the matter at hand.
A second priority for the TTC’s successor should be to provide a platform for increased transatlantic cooperation in a wide range of sectors and areas, going well beyond the focus on security, digital and the green transition – however critical these issues may be. Given the strong level of interconnectedness between the EU & US spirits sectors and our strong alignment with our US colleagues on many issues, we can see plenty of avenues for reinforced cooperation in the field of spirits and more generally agri-food matters. Such a cooperation could provide a blueprint for EU cooperation and engagement with other countries (particularly other spirits producing countries around the world) in sectors such as ours, which continue to be exports’ powerhouses for the EU. We look forward to this positive agenda and stand ready to contribute with concrete ideas in the coming year.
