Two groups – the Senior Level Group and the EU-US Task Force – were set up as result of the signing of the New Transatlantic Agenda in Madrid on 3 December 1995. At the same time a “Joint EU-US Action Plan” was agreed on justice and home affairs issues.
What the agendas show is the level of EU-US economic, political and military cooperation on major global issues.
Access to the agenda – which contain no references to any of the documents discussed – does not mean access will be granted to any of the documents.
The meetings
EU-US Senior Level Group (SLG), date, place if given and issues discussed included:
20 September 1996: Operations Center Conference Room, Washington DC, USA
– Chemical precursors/customs agreement (EU lead)
– ILEA (US lead) (international law enforcement agencies)
– Bosnian elections (US lead)
– Cuba (EU lead)
– Iran/Libya (US lead)
22 November 1997: Dublin
– TABD (Transatlantic Business Dialogue)
– WTO meeting
– “Third Pillar and political issues”: Third Pillar Initiatives (policing, customs, immigration and legal cooperation), KEDO (Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organisation), MEPP (Middle East Peace Process), Terrorism, Joint Action on Zaire, Cooperation with Turkey
– China: UN Committee on Human Rights: draft resolution
– Central and Eastern Europe and Baltics: Enlargement
28 January 1997: Operations Center Conference Room, Washington DC, USA
– WTO work plan
– dialogue on biotechnology issues
– TABD
– TALD (Transatlantic Labour Dialogue)
– Joint Action on Central Europe
– Third Pillar Initiative
1 October 1997: Operations Center Conference Room, Washington DC, USA
– Bananas
– WTO
– Law Enforcement Cooperation (counter-narcotics cooperation in the Caribbean and Andes, Europol/US exchanges and organised crime dialogue)
– Climate change negotiations
– Turkey/Cyprus
– Enhancing coordination of US and EU Policies towards Countries of Concern
20 November 1997: Brussels
– trade issues (implementation WTO Basic Telecoms, GMO, SRM’s)
– Preparation Climate change conference
– EMU (European Monetary Union)
– Iran
– Ukraine
26 February 1998
– Global issues: Counter narcotics cooperation (including Caribbean project) and Kyoto/Climate Change
– Diplomatic cooperation including Ukraine, Turkey, China Human Rights, Southeast Europe and Caspian energy corridor
14 July 1998: Vienna
– implementation of Understandings on Iran/Libya/ILSA
– TABD
– GMO’s (process for approval of GMO type of products)
– Global issues: Kyoto/Buenos Aires, Law enforcement, drugs, trafficking in women
NTA Task Force
17 April 1997
– common foreign policy agenda: Bosnia/Serbia, Albania, Turkey/Cyprus, MEPP, China, Central Africa, Terrorism, Iran
– Global issues: Development cooperation, food security, third pillar cooperation, environmental issues, health task force
19 November 1997
– cooperation between law enforcement agencies, trafficking in women initiative, mutual legal assistance, Central Asia drugs, Third Pillar deliverables to the Summit
25 February 1998
– international crime/drugs (Caribbean/Central Asia)
– Readout of Environmental Bilaterals in Kyoto
– WTO: Ministerial and China Accession
– MAI (EU)
– China Human Rights
– Caspian Region Energy