US Vice President Biden in Brussels: TTIP round ends today (6 February)

US Vice President Joe Biden (pictured) is in Brussels today (6 February) for meetings with European Parliament President Schulz; the heads of the main political groupings in the European Parliament; European Council President Tusk; and European Commission President Juncker and High Representative Mogherini. This is the first trip to Brussels at this level since President Obama was in Brussels for a summit with European leaders last March, and in particular since the new EU leadership assumed office.

During the meetings, the Vice President will have the opportunity to compare notes on the situation in Ukraine; on critical, shared issues of energy security, including climate change; and on a range of economic issues, including the ongoing Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) negotiations. They will also discuss U.S.-EU counter-terrorism co-operation, common efforts to counter violent extremism, and a number of other global issues.

Also in Brussels today, negotiators will wrap up the 8^th T-TIP round with a live-streamed press conference at 15h30 CET. On 5 February, US Ambassador to the EU Gardner gave a speech focusing on TTIP at the 2nd Annual EU-US Trade Conference. “We need more confidence on both sides of the Atlantic, above all in Europe, that we can reach a deal good for both sides,” he said. “Both the United States and Europe have tremendous reservoirs of talent and can compete and win in free and fair international trade. Europe’s goal in these negotiations shouldn’t be expressed as a double negative –the conclusion of an agreement that doesn’t threaten Europe's safety, health, social and data-protection standards, or its cultural diversity. The case for TTIP is positive, and Europe has offensive, not just defensive interests.”

Find US Ambassador to the EU Gardner on Twitter and the US Mission to the EU on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, blog and website.

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