Det Europæiske Økonomiske og Sociale Udvalg
EU, USA og Canada har den samme indstilling til værdier som demokrati og respekt for menneskerettighederne samt økonomisk og politisk frihed og nogle udenrigspolitiske og sikkerhedsmæssige bekymringer, der på nogle punkter ligner hinanden. USA og Canada er blandt EU's vigtigste handelspartnere, og de er desuden med til at udforme den internationale retsorden. De transatlantiske forbindelser udøves på nye præmisser og står over for nogle voksende udfordringer. Vi mener, at civilsamfundets deltagelse sikrer, at de transatlantiske forbindelser kan imødekomme borgernes forventninger og effektivt bidrage til, at samarbejdet bliver til alles fordel.
Den samlede økonomi- og handelsaftale (CETA) mellem EU og Canada og den strategiske partnerskabsaftale blev undertegnet den 30. oktober 2016. Vi håber på et konstant engagement fra civilsamfundet i gennemførelsen af disse aftaler. Forhandlingerne om det transatlantiske handels- og investeringspartnerskab (TTIP) mellem EU og USA står for tiden stille. TTIP-forhandlingerne har dog bidraget til at styrke forbindelserne mellem EU's og USA's civilsamfund og til at udforme civilsamfundets syn på, hvordan det fremtidige handelsforhold mellem EU og USA bør se ud, og det bør ikke gå til spilde. Vores opfølgningsudvalg for transatlantiske forbindelser blev oprettet i september 2014 med mandat til at overvåge de transatlantiske forbindelser til civilsamfundet og afholde regelmæssige dialoger og høringer om forhold, der er relevante for forbindelserne til USA og Canada.
The EESC’s Transatlantic Relations Follow-up Committee met to discuss two current and timely topics with the aim of strengthening the EU-US partnership on a global scene, particularly important in the current challenging international context: the state of play of the transatlantic trade policy and the Year of Action between the two Summits for Democracy.
With China and Russia on the offensive, a renewed and reliable transatlantic partnership is the key to maintaining international and legal order and peace. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) supports the idea of an Alliance of Democracies, ensuring that civil society has significant say in the joint defence of universal values and rights.
Through increased transatlantic dialogue, the Trade and Technology Council and the upcoming Summit for Democracy, the United States and the European Union have reached out to each other to jointly face global and internal challenges, and build a strong partnership on the basis of common democratic values.
Transatlantic relations remain strong and important even though they have recently had a very bad press. Business, both in the EU and the US, has a role to play in overcoming current difficulties. Together, we can effectively promote a positive transatlantic agenda and help to fight stereotypes and misinformation. These are just some of the conclusions of the debate with Susan Danger, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU. The debate took place during the Employers' Group meeting on 11 July 2018.
The role of trade as a generator of growth and jobs is undeniable, but public perception of the further liberalisation of trade is getting worse and citizens' concerns must be addressed far more effectively than before. This was one of the conclusions of the conference on "Strengthening European Growth and Competitiveness: Proactive Trade Agenda – NOW!" that took place in Helsinki on 26 October.
The role of trade as a generator of growth and jobs is undeniable, but public perception of the further liberalisation of trade is getting worse and citizens' concerns must be addressed far more effectively than before. This was one of the conclusions of the conference on "Strengthening European Growth and Competitiveness: Proactive Trade Agenda – NOW!" that took place in Helsinki on 26 October. Jacek Krawczyk, President of the EESC Employers' Group, added: It is our responsibility to advocate for trade; we cannot take it for granted that people understand what the benefits ...
With discussions for TTIP now at a critical point, the EESC has published a new opinion, ‘The position of the EESC on specific key issues of the TTIP negotiations’. The own-initiative opinion assesses some key issues of the negotiations and identifies the main considerations for European civil society. This new ...
