EU/US TTC: AI/Sustainable Trade remain focal points

The May 31 ministerial meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council examined issues ranging from cooperation on AI to reinforcing “sustainable supply chains”. In terms of concrete outcomes, the Transatlantic Initiative on Sustainable Trade now has a work programme (annexed to the outcomes of the meeting). This includes an “initiative to jointly assess supply chains, including risks of disruptions, critical for the green transition, with an initial focus on solar” .

Forced labour (and how to address it through trade policy) was discussed in a second meeting of the Trade and Labour Dialogue (TALD). This forum (set up in May 2022) includes representatives from labour, business, and government. A group of representatives from social partners submitted a set of recommendations and called for enhanced cooperation, including broader actions to help third countries eliminate all forms of forced labour. The EU/US committed to “discuss how these recommendations can be taken into account”.

For the Joint Statement from the TTC see here