By Luca Bertuzzi | EURACTIV.com
03-10-2022
The European Commission’s headquarter in Brussels, Belgium. [Alexandros Michailidis/Shutterstock]Languages: Français | Deutsch
The European Union and the United States aim to complete a series of ‘deliverables’ ahead of the next high-level meeting in December, including a roadmap on trustworthy AI, a joint exercise on supply chain disruptions, and recommendations on charging infrastructure.
On Monday (3 October), the European Commission presented to the national representatives gathered in the Telecom Working Party of the EU Council the state of play of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council.
The TTC is a transatlantic platform initiated in September 2021 to help policy convergence across the two blocs. The initiative was met with initial enthusiasm as it embodied the warming up of transatlantic relations following the Trump administration.
However, without concrete results, the initial excitement has faded into scepticism. In May, the second high-level meeting was mainly dedicated to how to counter Russia, which sceptics said was the only argument Washington and Brussels could agree on.
In this context, the Commission stated in its presentation, obtained by EURACTIV, that it intends “to move towards concrete results for the third ministerial.” The meeting will take place in the United States in early December but the date and location are still to be confirmed.
The confrontation with Russia will be at the centre of the next high-level meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC), according to the draft conclusions obtained by EURACTIV.
Artificial Intelligence
In the last ministerial, the EU and US announced the formation of a subgroup on Artificial Intelligence, tasked with developing a joint roadmap on AI evaluation and measurement tools for trustworthy AI and risk management. A draft of the joint roadmap is expected by the next summit.
The Commission reported that a workshop on privacy-enhancing technologies was organised with EU and US experts to assess the maturity of this technology. A pilot project on this subject is expected to be identified in the new TTC meeting.
Moreover, the transatlantic partners are carrying out a study on the impact of AI on the workforce.
Semiconductors
The Commission and the US administration are working on a joint pilot exercise for an early warning system for supply chain disruptions. The idea is to propose a set of policy recommendations to the next high-level meeting on how to screen publicly available information to identify potential risks.
Similarly, the Commission said they are organising a joint workshop with the industry on increasing transparency in the semiconductor value chain.
In addition, Brussels and Washington agreed to exchange information related to subsidies, although how to do that exactly is still up for discussion.
The main areas where the EU and US will seek convergence are foreign investments, export control, AI and semiconductors, according to a joint statement leaked to EURACTIV.
Global connectivity
A task force on financing connectivity infrastructure in third countries was announced in May. According to the Commission, the task force is currently exploring possible synergies between EU and US investments in digital infrastructure in the Global South to define at least one development project by the next meeting.
The EU executive stressed that the task force’s initial work focused on Latin America and Africa. The presentation noted that a key condition is “trusted vendors”, providers deemed independent from hostile powers such as China.
The Commission also mentioned ongoing discussions concerning submarine cable projects. The vulnerability of this type of infrastructure has caught public attention following the recent sabotage of the North Stream pipeline.
Digital platforms
On platform governance, the presentation mentioned a high-level multi-stakeholder event on ‘The Future of the Internet’ on 2 November. In April, EURACTIV revealed that Western countries were working on a declaration on the future of the internet.
At the same time, the Commission pointed to “ongoing work to counteract the spread of Russian information manipulation and interference in Latin America and Africa” and a common “intention to step up the work on the protection and empowerment of minors online”.
This article was updated with a correction on Hungary’s position.
Washington is promoting a declaration on the future of the internet, outlining a series of democratic principles in an initiative set to receive the support of the EU and other Western …
Human rights
Regarding human rights violations online, the EU and US are preparing a joint communique for the next ministerial meeting.
In the working group dedicated to this subject, there are ongoing discussions about the impact of internet shutdowns. The Commission said the work in this regard has been accelerated to have deliverables ready by December, “given the rising trend of shutdowns across the world”.
The real-life impact of internet shutdowns has been certified by the United Nations. The most recent international case is Iran, where the government is trying to suffocate mass protests by cutting off mobile internet services.
Clean tech
According to the presentation, the intention is to have the first set of technical recommendations for government-funded implementation of charging infrastructure for the next summit.
At the same time, a joint catalogue of best practices and considerations for green public procurement is in the making, together with a long-term objective of producing a joint set of recommendations for carbon footprinting methodologies.
For next year, the two blocs are also working on establishing a common analytical methodology for identifying foreign information manipulation and interference and how this could be implemented.
According to the Commission, the Strategic Standardisation Information (SSI) Mechanism, set up during the second ministerial meeting, is already operational and provides a platform for exchanging information on technical specifications related to additive manufacturing, megawatt charging systems, recycling of plastics, and digital identity.
The EU’s standardisation strategy is trying to prevent the lagging of European companies but might open the door for the regionalisation of international standards.
[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]
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