[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 185 (Thursday, December 10, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2953-E2955]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN PRAISE OF THE TRANSATLANTIC LEGISLATORS' DIALOGUE MEETINGS HELD LAST 
                        WEEKEND IN NEW YORK CITY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 10, 2009

  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I would like to call the attention of my 
colleagues in the Congress to a successful meeting of the Transatlantic 
Legislators' Dialogue, TLD, in New York City from December 4-7, 2009. 
Chairwoman Shelley Berkley led a strong bipartisan delegation, which 
included Vice-Chairman Cliff Stearns, Vice-Chairman Jim Costa, Gary 
Ackerman, Xavier Becerra, Dennis Cardoza, John Duncan, Jr., Eliot 
Engel, Virginia Foxx, Bart Gordon, Jay Inslee, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Ron 
Klein and Loretta Sanchez. I wish to recognize these members for their 
thoughtful contributions to an informed and productive exchange of 
views with Members of the European Parliament.
  The Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue serves as the formal response 
of the European Parliament and the U.S. Congress to the commitment in 
the New Transatlantic Agenda of 1995 to enhance legislative ties 
between the European Union and the United States. The TLD involves 
biannual meetings between American and European legislators in order to 
foster transatlantic discourse and exchange views on topics of mutual 
interest. Given the recent adoption of the Lisbon Treaty and the 
additional powers it provides to the European Parliament, it is even 
more important that legislators engage in this dialogue in order to 
seek joint solutions to the pressing issues facing citizens on both 
sides of the Atlantic.
  Participants at the New York meeting held extensive discussions about 
the financial crisis and international trade. The debate was informed 
by presentations from the Obama administration, including Michael 
Froman, Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economic 
Affairs, and Mark Sobel, Acting Assistant Secretary for International 
Affairs at Treasury. The TLD emphasized the need for a strong and 
coordinated transatlantic policy response, while reiterating the 
importance of the Transatlantic Economic Council, TEC, as a framework 
for cooperation.
  Considerable attention was paid to foreign policy issues. TLD 
participants engaged in vigorous debate about the Middle East, hearing 
the administration's perspective from Jeffrey Feltman, Assistant 
Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs. Other foreign policy debates 
focused on Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Iranian nuclear threat, 
relations with Russia, and the Balkans. These deliberations were 
further enhanced by the delegation's meetings on the final day of the 
TLD at the United Nations with Ambassador Susan Rice and Under-
Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe.
  In addition, the delegates talked about the challenge of climate 
change and energy security with Jon Wellinghoff, Chairman of the 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. They also discussed a range of 
civil liberties issues, including American travel regulations and 
President Obama's efforts to close Guantanamo.
  In conclusion, I submit the joint statement that was agreed upon by 
American and European legislators at the 67th TLD meeting held in New 
York. This document emphasizes the importance of continued 
transatlantic dialogue and cooperation in jointly addressing current 
financial and foreign policy challenges

 Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue, 67th Meeting of Delegations From 
the European Parliament and the United States Congress, Joint Statement

   (By Shelley Berkley, Cliff Stearns, Jim Costa, Elmar Brok, Sarah 
                       Ludford, and Niki Tzavela)

       We, the Members of the European Parliament and the United 
     States House of Representatives, held our 67th 
     Interparliamentary meeting (Transatlantic Legislators' 
     Dialogue) in New York City, from 4-7 December 2009.

[[Page E2954]]

       Building on the joint statement issued following our last 
     meeting in Prague on 18-20 April 2009, we reasserted the 
     importance of regular dialogue on the pressing political, 
     social and economic challenges that affect citizens on both 
     sides of the Atlantic. We agreed to report back to our parent 
     bodies on the content and outcome of our discussions in New 
     York, with an emphasis on the areas where joint efforts are 
     likely to produce positive outcomes.
       The Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue appreciated the 
     Lisbon treaty's entry into force, with its enhancement of the 
     powers and competences of the European Parliament in areas 
     such as International Trade and Justice and Home Affairs, as 
     well as the appointment of an EU President and High 
     Representative. We expressed our desire to continue building 
     on the political momentum created by the election of new 
     administrations in Europe and the United States in order to 
     further strengthen the transatlantic relationship.
       We called for continued collaboration between legislators 
     in the U.S. Congress and the European Parliament on 
     legislation and issues of common concern, formalising lines 
     of communication and information-sharing between EU and U.S. 
     legislators to promote compatible legislation reflecting 
     transatlantic cooperation through the work of the committees, 
     in full respect for each side's sovereignty.
       We discussed a wide array of international political 
     questions such as the situations in the Middle East, 
     Afghanistan/Pakistan, the Balkans, Russia and Iran's nuclear 
     programme.
       We also examined a wide array of issues of common interest, 
     including global concerns relating to Energy and Climate 
     Change, Financial Services and International Trade. We 
     examined how the United States and the European Union could 
     best cooperate in matters of Civil Liberties and Justice and 
     Home Affairs.
       Our conclusions are as follows:


                     International Political Issues

       (a) Peace in the Middle East requires a durable ceasefire, 
     an immediate and unconditional end to terrorist attacks on 
     Israel, a functioning and effective government in the 
     Palestinian Territories and the resumption of the obligations 
     under the roadmap, including an end to incitement and a 
     solution for the question of settlements. The goal is a 
     secure Jewish state of Israel and a viable Palestinian state, 
     living side by side.
       (b) We held a strong debate exchanging a wide array of 
     views between and within the delegations on the strategy for 
     Afghanistan/Pakistan announced by President Obama on 1 
     December 2009, which provided a new impetus for renewed 
     international commitment to confronting the ongoing 
     challenges of security, terrorism, governance, corruption and 
     socio-economic reconstruction. We look forward to the 
     international conference on Afghanistan that will be held on 
     28 January 2010 under the auspices of the UN. The EU and the 
     U.S. should enhance their cooperation and support, foster 
     burden-sharing, work to improve the coordination and 
     effectiveness of Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), and 
     seek to help build critical infrastructure across 
     Afghanistan. Maintaining the stability and cooperation of 
     Pakistan is equally important as well.
       (c) On Iran, the dialogue noted the recent, troubling moves 
     by the Iranian Government regarding its nuclear programme, 
     affirmed that a nuclear armed Iran is unacceptable and 
     expressed its concern about the human rights situation in the 
     country. We urge the leaders on both sides of the Atlantic to 
     develop a common policy and unite the international community 
     to meet this threat, including strong sanctions, if it 
     continues to fail to comply with its international 
     obligations in the nuclear area.
       (d) Relations with Russia should involve constructive 
     cooperation on challenges and threats, including security 
     matters, disarmament and non-proliferation, along with 
     respect for democratic principles including human rights 
     standards, and adherence to international law. The dialogue 
     expressed concerns about Russia's continued failure to comply 
     with the 2008 ceasefire agreements with Georgia negotiated by 
     French President Sarkozy, as well as the potential for 
     another energy dispute with Ukraine this winter. We also 
     cited the need to enhance mutual trust between the 
     transatlantic partners and Russia. We welcome the ongoing 
     U.S.-Russia negotiations on arms reduction and look forward 
     to Russia's membership in the WTO, once those negotiations 
     are satisfactorily completed, with all its legal obligations.
       (e) Challenges remain in our efforts to integrate the 
     Western Balkans into a united Europe. Cooperation between the 
     United States and the European Union remains the most 
     effective way to encourage political and economic development 
     in Kosovo as well as to facilitate constitutional reform in 
     Bosnia, and ensure respect for the rule of law, including 
     cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for 
     Yugoslavia, throughout the region.


                       Energy and climate change

       We agreed that the Copenhagen Conference is one of the 
     biggest challenges for international cooperation. We welcomed 
     the announcement of President Obama's personal involvement in 
     the COP-15 Summit in Copenhagen.
       We discussed the common goal to provide the necessary 
     stimulus for sustainable economic growth, promoting green 
     technologies and creating new jobs.
       We discussed how the EU and the U.S. could work together to 
     reach an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas 
     emissions by setting ambitious reduction targets for 
     industrialised countries and identifiable actions by 
     developing countries. We discussed cap-and-trade systems and 
     the need to avoid incompatible emission trading systems to 
     pave the way to a transatlantic, and ultimately a global 
     carbon market. We noted the link between tackling climate 
     change and addressing energy security and economic growth, 
     recognizing that the fight against climate change could also 
     be an opportunity to create new jobs and sustain economic 
     growth.
       We welcomed the creation of a new EU-U.S. Energy Council at 
     the last EU-U.S. Summit in order to strengthen the dialogue 
     on strategic energy issues of mutual interest, foster 
     cooperation on energy policies and further improve research 
     collaboration on sustainable and clean energy technologies. 
     We look forward to the Energy Council deliberations feeding 
     the TEC process and we consider this as another area where 
     the TLD can develop further.


                            Financial Crisis

       We examined the consequences of the global economic and 
     financial turmoil. We agreed that the crisis requires a 
     strong and coordinated policy response by the U.S. and the 
     EU. Recovery plans currently being adopted are critical in 
     mitigating the effects of the crisis: approaches chosen 
     should be compatible, strengthen financial supervision to 
     ensure confidence in the system, avoid protectionist 
     measures, and avoid distortions of competition in the 
     transatlantic marketplace.
       We discussed the role of international cooperation in 
     financial regulation and supervision, including better crisis 
     prevention and management, and agreed that the EU and U.S. 
     should cooperate on the reform of international financial 
     institutions.
       We are pleased that the G-20 leaders have decided to give 
     the emerging countries, within the International Monetary 
     Fund, a position commensurate with their weight in today's 
     global economy so as to ensure support for the developing 
     world and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.


               Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

       We welcomed the ``Washington Declaration'' on 28 October 
     2009 on enhancing transatlantic cooperation in the area of 
     Justice, Freedom and Security within a context of respect for 
     human rights and civil liberties. We expressed the hope that 
     it will provide a framework to replace the ad hoc approach of 
     the last decade on data collection and sharing arrangements 
     (PNR, SWIFT, MoUs linked to visa waiver, etc.) with a more 
     strategic approach of law enforcement and judicial 
     cooperation through the Mutual Legal Assistance and 
     Extradition Agreements and through developing an agreement on 
     data protection.
       We discussed President Obama's desire to close the 
     Guantanamo detention facility within a year, taking note of 
     the offer by several European countries to accept Guantanamo 
     inmates and encouraging the U.S. and the EU to continue 
     seeking joint solutions to combat terrorism.
       The dialogue also discussed the EU-U.S. negotiations to 
     extend the Visa Waiver Programme to the remaining EU member 
     states. We hope that the U.S. visa waiver programme will be 
     extended to all EU citizens as soon as possible, when the 
     criteria have been met. An exchange of views took place on 
     the recent adoption of the U.S. Travel Promotion Act.
       In light of the concerns about the Safe Port Act raised by 
     port operators and the trade community, in particular with 
     respect to the cost/benefit ratio of the scanning 
     requirement's possible negative effects on competitiveness 
     and on transatlantic trade flows, we were of the view that 
     the U.S. Administration should re-examine this legislation.


                International Trade and WTO negotiations

       We agreed that trade is as central to the EU-U.S. 
     relationship as it is to world recovery. We call upon the 
     European Commission and the United States to redouble their 
     efforts to bring the Doha Round of world trade talks to a 
     successful conclusion.
       We believe that international trade can make a contribution 
     to the restoration of world economic growth and that work to 
     integrate and harmonise EU and U.S. trade practices will lead 
     to a global improvement in living standards and will help 
     secure quality jobs in both the European Union and in the 
     United States.
       We believe that participation by Congress and the European 
     Parliament in the Parliamentary Conference of the WTO and in 
     its Steering Committee would enhance cooperation at a global 
     level. We, therefore, call on the leadership of both bodies 
     to take appropriate steps in order to allow us to collaborate 
     in this context.


             Development of Transatlantic Economic Council

       We reiterated our commitment to the Transatlantic Economic 
     Council (TEC), stressing its utility as a framework to 
     achieve a barrier-free market and for macro-economic 
     cooperation between both partners. We welcomed the results of 
     the meeting held on 27 October, particularly the extended 
     dialogue between the Administrations with legislators that 
     identified past challenges

[[Page E2955]]

     and future opportunities. We discussed progress made over the 
     past year in promoting transatlantic economic integration, 
     including investment, accounting standards, regulatory 
     issues, the safety of imported products, and the enforcement 
     of intellectual property rights.
       As we told our Administrations during the recent TEC 
     meeting, transatlantic economic cooperation must be more 
     accountable and transparent. In order to help achieve this 
     objective, the schedules of TEC meetings, agendas, roadmaps 
     and progress reports should be agreed upon between the core 
     stakeholders as early as possible and then made public. Such 
     measures are crucial to developing a clear and transparent 
     process for setting the agenda of the TEC, extending the TEC 
     to new sectors, and establishing a roadmap. We continued to 
     encourage the EU and U.S. executive branches to facilitate 
     more active participation by members of the U.S. Congress and 
     the European Parliament in the TEC process, in particular via 
     the TLD, especially for a pre-legislative dialogue between 
     the respective committees of Congress and the European 
     Parliament. TLD members should be full partners in the 
     Transatlantic Economic and Energy Councils.
       We note that on the European side, responsibility for 
     coordinating the TEC will pass from the European Commission's 
     Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry to its 
     Directorate-General for Trade. We believe that this can 
     provide a new impetus toward removing barriers to trade and 
     investment and on fostering competitiveness in the 
     transatlantic market.


                         Strengthening the TLD

       We agreed that a working group should come up as soon as 
     possible with a list of concrete proposals for the further 
     work of the TLD. We noted the recent document written by the 
     Atlantic Council of the United States along with several 
     other policy think tanks, entitled ``Shoulder to Shoulder: 
     Forging a Strategic U.S.-EU Partnership.'' We supported 
     several of the recommendations in the document and will use 
     them as a starting point. For example:
       U.S. Members of the TLD should be drawn from both House and 
     Senate. U.S. House members should be appointed by the Speaker 
     of the House.
       The U.S. Congress should open an office in Brussels. The 
     office would service the TLD and monitor legislation 
     affecting U.S. interests. We noted the European Parliament is 
     opening an office in Washington in January 2010.
       The TLD should convene a joint consultative committee on 
     the extraterritorial implications of domestic legislation; 
     and focus regular exchanges on upstream regulatory 
     legislation.
       The TLD should hold joint hearings and conduct joint study 
     tours to areas of common concern, for instance to the Middle 
     East.
       The U.S. Congress and the European Parliament should ensure 
     regular contacts between appropriate staff, not simply in 
     foreign affairs-related work but across the board in key 
     areas of mutual engagement.
       The TLD should spearhead a new generation of internships in 
     Congressional and European Parliament offices. Each 
     Congressional office should offer to host one intern from the 
     EU; each European Parliament office should offer to host one 
     intern from the United States.
       In conclusion, we reaffirmed our commitment to 
     strengthening the transatlantic relationship and working in 
     partnership to solve common challenges. We pledged to 
     continue improving the effectiveness of our dialogue in order 
     to realize the full potential of our invaluable 
     interparliamentary relationship, as well as to ensure the 
     relevance of the TLD's work to the European Parliament and 
     the United States Congress.

                          ____________________