BY THE CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS,
DAVID McALLISTER, AND THE CHAIR OF THE DELEGATION FOR RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
RADOSŁAW SIKORSKI
Now, more than ever, as we witness global challenges to the international order and stability, the transatlantic partnership between the European Union and the United States of America needs to be stronger than ever. We must continue to defend democracy, the rule of law, and international rules.
For the members of our respective Committee and Delegation, a summit between the US and the EU is always an important moment. The forthcoming summit of 20 October 2023 in Washington DC, the second one under the administration of President Joe Biden, who has proven his commitment to transatlantic cooperation, comes at a crucial moment.
The European Parliament acknowledges the numerous achievements accomplished since the previous summit in 2021, particularly in the area of security and defence, where we must further strengthen and deepen our cooperation. The decisive EU-US response to counter the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine as well as mitigation of the destabilising political and economic effects it has created across the world serve as an example of what we can achieve when we work together. We must provide continued military and economic support to Ukraine for as long as it takes. Ukrainians do not only fight for their own country's sovereignty, but for our transatlantic values, freedoms, and security. We must also pay urgent attention to the emerging crisis in the Middle East, after the barbaric terrorist attack of Hamas against Israel. We also count on US support to bolster EU defence.
The summit must also discuss the multi-layered challenges posed by China. We look forward to the results of the investigation into Chinese subsidies for electric vehicles launched by the European Commission and welcome the new EU anti-coercion instrument. We also need to bolster the activities of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council, to produce tangible results on confronting malign disinformation and mitigating the risks involved in the development of artificial intelligence.
The EU and the US should also take the opportunity of this summit to address obstacles to transatlantic trade, notably on steel and aluminum. Equally, both sides should work to advance a critical minerals agreement that would alleviate any discriminating effects of the subsidies granted under the US Inflation Reduction Act. We must show the world that the EU and the US work together to address our challenges.
As European legislators, we look forward to assessing the results of this important summit, together with our American peers - the members of Congress - at the forthcoming 87th Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue meeting in early December. As representatives of our citizens, we also have an important role to demonstrate the real benefits of this close transatlantic cooperation.