US, EU seek to boost cooperation through tech

PITTSBURGH, Sept 29: US and EU officials will hold two days of high-level meetings in Pittsburgh this week in an effort to repair relations damaged under the administration of Donald Trump and boost cooperation on technology issues.
The timing of the inaugural meeting of the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) is important, coming amid a global semiconductor shortage.
The venue, the Pennsylvania city that was the heart of the once-mighty American steel industry and which has evolved into a tech hub, is symbolic, especially as the two sides have yet to resolve a conflict over Trump-era tariffs on steel and aluminum.
The former president cited US national security in June 2018 when he imposed punitive tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum, which have been a thorn in trans-Atlantic relations since.
Washington and Brussels have made it clear that resolution of that conflict would not be part of the discussions in Pittsburgh, but it looms in the background.
The TTC was born out of President Joe Biden's summit in Brussels in June, when he attempted to repair the partnership, and reached a deal to defuse the longstanding Airbus-Boeing dispute, suspending tariffs on both sides.
But more recent stumbles have renewed doubt, including the sudden US exit from Afghanistan at the end of August, and the more recent  announcement of a security pact between the United States, Australia and Britain viewed as a snub by Europe.
There could be a lot riding on the Pittsburgh meeting, beyond the official agenda. The talks will be led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and on the European side by EU executive vice presidents Margrethe Vestager and Valdis Dombrovskis. The White House said the United States and EU are "indispensable partners" that will aim to "promote shared economic growth."
The TTC has 10 working groups on diverse and at times touchy topics such as regulation of digital platforms, privacy concerns, supervision of artificial intelligence, controls on foreign investment, strategic exports, and critically the shortage of semiconductors.    -AFP