LONDON — The European Union announced a new plan on Wednesday which seeks to improve relations with the U.S. ahead of the inauguration of Joe Biden.
It's been a tense four years of transatlantic ties, with President Donald Trump and the EU clashing over trade, defense, technology and foreign relations — to name a few points of contention.
As the new administration is due to arrive at the White House in January, the EU has not wasted any time and has prepared a new plan to reset that relationship.
"We are taking the initiative to design a new transatlantic agenda fit for today's global landscape," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement on Wednesday.
"It is time to reconnect," she added.
In a document entitled "A new EU-U.S. agenda for global change," the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, defined four major policy areas to focus on.
These are health response, climate change, trade and tech, and security.
Tech and trade
The European institution has made headlines for investigating and fining U.S. tech giants for abusing their dominance in the European market — a stance that was often criticized by Trump. Furthermore, the Commission is also announcing new policies next week to enable stronger powers to scrutinize Big Tech and ensure fair competition in the market.
Going forward, the EU wants a "transatlantic dialogue on the responsibility of online platforms and Big Tech, to find global solutions for fair taxation and market distortions in the digital economy."
The idea is to have a more harmonized stance and come to an agreement on how to tax these companies.
The EU had hoped for a digital tax agreement at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) this year, but the Trump administration walked out of the negotiations earlier in the summer.
The Commission said, as part of its policy aims with the United States, it wants to "develop a common transatlantic approach to protecting critical technologies in light of global economic and security concerns — starting by discussions on 5G."
There have been tensions over granting Huawei, a Chinese firm, access to develop infrastructure for 5G. The EU and the U.S. have not seen eye-to-eye on this matter, with the U.S. outright banning Huawei from American contracts and the Commission just suggesting to EU member states they should take into consideration the "policy framework to which suppliers may be subject to."
Trump also slapped tariffs on European steel and aluminum shortly after taking office and threatened to do the same on European carmakers. Despite attempts to develop a U.S.-EU trade deal, this ultimately failed.
The EU also said Wednesday that it wanted to "work together to lead WTO (World Trade Organization) reform efforts and solve bilateral trade irritants through negotiated solutions."
The pandemic
The Commission wants stronger co-operation in tackling the coronavirus health emergency which has, so far, claimed nearly 1.5 million deaths around the world.
In its latest plan, it said: "The EU and the US should ensure funding for the development and equitable global distribution of vaccines, tests and treatments."
Addressing the pandemic has also been an issue during the Trump administration, with the president taking unilateral decisions, namely to shut down American travel with EU nations without informing European policymakers first.
Trump also halted funding to the World Health Organization and announced the U.S.'s intention to stop being a member of that institution.
So, the EU believes that going forward they need to "work to reinforce and reform the World Health Organization."
Climate and security
The EU is also hoping for stronger coordination in fighting climate change.
President-elect Biden has promised to bring the U.S. back into the Paris Climate Agreement, which sets emission targets, after Trump turned his back on the deal.
According to the Commission, transatlantic aims should feature the fight against deforestation and ocean protection.
The EU suggested a closer alignment "to support democratic values around the world, as well as global and regional stability, prosperity, and conflict resolution" — a political direction that could ultimately impact how the U.S. and the EU negotiate with China.
A summit between the U.S. and the EU could take place in the first half of 2021.
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