Key takeaways
- The U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council’s (TTC) latest meeting was held without much fanfare last week in Washington. With expectations already set low for this ‘stocktaking meeting,’ officials mainly discussed economic security, semiconductors, and AI. The sixth and final round of the TTC will take place in Belgium in early April before the election season on both sides of the Atlantic kicks into high gear.
- The future of the TTC is uncertain and very much dependent on the outcome of the U.S. election. While the EU remains committed to keeping the TTC as a central platform to coordinate with Washington on trade and tech policy, albeit possibly with some adjustments made in the format, a potential Trump administration would likely be less focused on cooperation with the EU.
- Beyond the TTC, transatlantic trade discussions are not yielding much in 2024. Negotiations on a critical minerals agreement, while still ongoing, remain effectively stuck. Meanwhile, efforts to find a permanent resolution to steel and aluminum tariffs were punted until after the elections in a deal late last year.
Read our analysis below.
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For additional information or to arrange a follow-up conversation, please email Erik Brattberg.