[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 169 (Saturday, December 18, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2181-E2182]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN PRAISE OF THE TRANSATLANTIC LEGISLATORS' DIALOGUE MEETING HELD IN 
                           SAN FRANCISCO, CA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 17, 2010

  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, from December 3 to 5, a delegation of 
Members of the House met with a delegation of Members of the European 
Parliament for the 69th session of the Transatlantic Legislators' 
Dialogue. The TLD is the principal inter-parliamentary organization to 
foster discussion between U.S. and European Union legislators. 
Following my remarks is the Joint Statement issued by the TLD chairs 
and vice-chairs summarizing the results of this meeting.
  A highlight of this meeting was the participation by the Foreign 
Minister of Pakistan, His Excellency Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who gave an 
enlightening presentation on current issues in Pakistan and the South 
Asia region. His remarks stimulated a lively discussion.
  For the past four years, the TLD Congressional delegation has been 
ably chaired by our colleague, the gentlelady from Nevada, Ms. Shelley 
Berkley. Indeed, she has been the driving force in making the TLD an 
effective mechanism to strengthen the working relationship between the 
Congress and the European Parliament. In recognition of her energetic 
commitment to trans-Atlantic diplomacy, the participants honored her at 
this meeting. As Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, I join 
them in commending Ms. Berkley for her outstanding leadership of the 
Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue.

 Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue, From the European Parliament and 
              the United States Congress, Joint Statement

       Shelley Berkley, Chairwoman, United States Congress 
     Delegation
       Cliff Stearns, Vice Chairman, United States Congress 
     Delegation
       Jim Costa, Vice Chairman, United States Congress Delegation
       Elmar Brok, MEP, Chairman, European Parliament Delegation
       Sarah Ludford, MEP, Vice Chairwoman, European Parliament 
     Delegation
       Niki Tzavela, MEP, Vice Chairwoman, European Parliament 
     Delegation
       We, the Members of the European Parliament and the United 
     States House of Representatives, held our 69th 
     Interparliamentary meeting (Transatlantic Legislators' 
     Dialogue) in San Francisco, California, from 3-5 December 
     2010.
       Building on the joint statement issued following our last 
     meeting in Madrid on 3-6 June 2010 we reasserted the 
     importance of regular dialogue on political, social, 
     security, economic and environmental challenges that affect 
     all of our citizens. We agreed to report back to our parent 
     bodies on the content and outcome of our discussions in San 
     Francisco, in particular in the areas where joint efforts are 
     likely to produce positive outcomes.
       We discussed issues ranging from the global financial 
     situation and trade, to Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan 
     and climate change. We were briefed on data sharing and 
     privacy issues by Mary Ellen Callahan from the Department of 
     Homeland Security and met with the Foreign Minister of 
     Pakistan, His Excellency Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
       Our delegations noted that the U.S. and EU must be aware of 
     long-term trends and challenges including the economical and 
     political rise of Asia, cooperation with Latin America, and 
     seek answers to issues like climate change and cybersecurity. 
     In this context, we discussed inviting a NATO representative 
     to the next TLD meeting.
       The European Parliament Delegation expressed its gratitude 
     to the U.S. for its vote in support of a strengthened EU 
     presence in the United Nations General Assembly.
       We noted the statement by the leaders of the U.S. and the 
     EU giving a central role to

[[Page E2182]]

     the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC), and outlining ``the 
     potential of transatlantic commerce to boost our growth and 
     generate jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.'' We support the 
     joint efforts to ``promote innovation, streamline regulation, 
     and eliminate non-tariff barriers to trade and investment, 
     bringing benefits to business, workers, and consumers in both 
     markets.'' The reducing of non tariff barriers and the 
     streamlining of regulations were agreed as priorities when 
     the TEC was established. We call on the TEC leaders once 
     again to reach out directly to Congress and the European 
     Parliament.
       The October 14 2010 European Parliament Delegation `Brief 
     on EU-US trade and economic cooperation' was well received 
     and we look forward to further proposals to improve the 
     Transatlantic market. In this respect we also discussed the 
     need for us as legislators to take a more active role to 
     reduce non-tariff barriers to trans-Atlantic trade, including 
     working with executive agencies on a few specific projects, 
     for instance as regards product testing procedures of 
     automobiles and emerging products through advances in 
     nanotechnology.
       We discussed ways to further enhance our dialogue and 
     deepen transatlantic ties, even in times of economic 
     constraints and respecting the need for cost effectiveness, 
     including:
       --expanding contacts among staff of our institutions,
       --inviting EU and U.S. officials to provide perspectives on 
     strategic issues related to financial recovery and economic 
     growth,
       --expanding interaction between the U.S. Congress and the 
     European Parliament, including through video-conferencing,
       --promoting closer contacts between the Members responsible 
     for specific legislative issues, in particular on a committee 
     to committee basis,
       --the possibility of joint hearings and the issuance of 
     joint statements.
       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 realise the full potential of our interparliamentary 
     relationship, as well as to ensure the relevance of the TLD's 
     work to the European Parliament and the United States 
     Congress.

                          ____________________