Welcome from the Chair

@radeksikorski on continued cooperation with the new US Congress under the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue, and on his priorities for 2023, via the videolink below:

The 85th EU-US Inter-Parliamentary Meeting under the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue (TLD) took place in Washington DC, from 1 to 3 December 2022. The main discussion topics included Ukraine; the EU-US Trade and Technology Council; Inflation and EU/US domestic economic priorities; China and critical supply chains; Climate and energy security following COP27 and Transatlantic cooperation on the Iranian human rights situation. Besides Washington DC, Members of Parliament and Members of Congress held part of their meeting sessions at Mount Vernon, an American landmark and former estate of the first president of the United States, George Washington.

The aim of the meeting between the European and American lawmakers was to take stock of the legislative agendas on both sides of the Atlantic and to exchange views on how to strengthen transatlantic cooperation in common areas such as support of Ukraine, where both Houses have responsibility.

The EP delegation was led by TLD Co-Chair Radosław SIKORSKI (European Peoples' Party, Poland) who chairs the Parliament's Delegation for relations with the US. It was composed of 14 MEPs from 7 political groups. The Congress Delegation was bipartisan and led by TLD Co-Chair Jim COSTA (Democrat, California).

Radosław Sikorski, Chair of the Delegation for relations with the United States, and Vice-Chairs Miapetra Kumpula-Natri and Nicolae Ştefănuță, will be in Washington D.C. for an official visit from 19 to 21 July 2022.

This official delegation builds on and follows up on the very positive inter-parliamentary meeting between the European Parliament and the US Congress held in Paris on 21-22 May 2022, and looks at the next inter-parliamentary meeting with the US Congress foreseen for December 2022.

During their official visit, Mr Sikorski, Ms Kumpula-Natri and Mr Ştefănuță will hold extensive consultations in the US Congress (both at the House of Representatives and in the Senate) and with the US Administration. The discussions will focus on policy issues of common concern between the United States and the European Union and on how to further Transatlantic dialogue and cooperation and, particularly, inter-parliamentary cooperation for the future. The war of aggression against Ukraine has attested to the capacity of the US and the EU to deliver rapidly and effectively together in support of Ukraine, to the importance of a strong transatlantic bond and policy response to tackle issues such as energy security and disinformation, and to reaffirm the primacy of democratic values and foster a coalition of like-minded countries to this effect. These same topics will be at the centre of the consultations held in Washington DC.

The 84th Inter-Parliamentary Meeting (IPM) of the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue (TLD) took place on 21-22 May 2022 in Paris at the Embassy of Romania to France and in Bazoches-sur-Guyonne at the Jean Monnet House.

During the IPM, 10 Members of the European Parliament - led by MEP Radosław Sikorski (EPP - PL), Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with the United States and European Parliament co-Chair of the TLD - and 8 Members of the House of Representatives of the US Congress - led by Congressman Jim Costa (D - California), the US Co-Chair of the TLD - discussed transatlantic dialogue and cooperation and held lively exchanges on topical policy issues, such as transatlantic support to Ukraine, the policy stance towards Russia and China, EU-US Transatlantic Dialogue on Trade and Technology, energy security and climate. US Ambassador to the European Union, H.E. Mark Gitenstein, Romania's Ambassador to France, H.E. Luca Niculescu and EEAS Managing Director for the Americas Brian Glynn delivered remarks on the first day of the IPM and participated in the works of the TLD.

The IPM also saw the participation of senior officials from the European Commission and experts from the EU Institute for Security Studies. The session on Transatlantic dialogue and cooperation on support for Ukraine saw the participation of H.E. Rustem Umerov, Member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, who briefed the European Parliament and US Congress delegation about the situation in Ukraine and the role of the international community in supporting Ukraine's aspirations for peace, territorial integrity and sovereignty.

At the end of this IPM, the TLD co-Chairs, Messrs. Sikorski and Costa, together with the Vice-Chairs of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with the United States, Ms Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (S&D - FI) and Mr Nicolae Ștefănuță (Renew - RO), signed a Joint Statement defining further the outcome of the discussion and the scope for transatlantic dialogue and cooperation for the future.

The 85th Inter-Parliamentary meeting of the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue is expected to take place in Washington, DC in early December 2022.

The 84th EU-US Inter-Parliamentary Meeting under the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue (TLD) will take place on 21 and 22 May 2022 in Paris and Bazoches-sur-Guyonne (Jean Monnet House). The main discussion topics include Ukraine, Russia, China, EU-US Transatlantic Dialogue on Trade and Technology, energy security and climate.

The aim of the meeting is to take stock of the current legislative agendas on both sides of the Atlantic and to exchange views on how to strengthen transatlantic cooperation in common policy areas such as support of Ukraine where both Houses have responsibility.

The EP delegation is led by TLD Co-Chair Radosław SIKORSKI (European People's Party, Poland) who chairs the Parliament's Delegation for relations with the United States. It will be composed of 10 MEPs from 5 political groups. TLD Steering Committee Co-Chair Bernd LANGE (S&D, Germany) also participates. The Congress Delegation is bipartisan and composed of 10 Representatives sitting on various House committees, including Foreign Affairs, Ways and Means, Homeland Security and Energy and Commerce. It is led by TLD Co-Chair Jim COSTA (Democrat, California)

The Co-Chairs of the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue (TLD), Jim Costa and Radek Sikorski, issued a statement following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

''We, the European and American Co-Chairs of the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue, are united in expressing our complete support and solidarity for the people and government of Ukraine in the face of the unprovoked, unjustifiable and criminal attack launched by Putin and his kleptocratic regime.''

The Co-Chairs of the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue, Jim Costa and Radosław Sikorski, hailed the success of President Joseph R. Biden's June 2021 visit to Europe for the Group of Seven (G7) Summit, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit, and the EU-US summit.

The Co-Chairs of the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue (TLD), Representative Jim Costa, Chair Radosław Sikorski and Vice-Chair Miapetra Kumpula-Natri, issued a statement welcoming the first annual meeting of the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, on September 29th, 2021.

The full text of the statement is under the link below:

On 21 July 2021, the Co-Chairs of the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue (TLD), MEP Radosław Sikorski and Representative Jim Costa, issued the following statement upon the conclusion of the TLD in the 117th Congress in Washington DC:

"We took the opportunity to stress that we are not just resetting this essential relationship, but are working to build it back even stronger so that we can work together to address jointly the many significant challenges that we face at this time.

"On response to the coronavirus pandemic, we applaud the remarkable scientific breakthroughs that have allowed safe and effective vaccines to be developed so quickly. We called on everyone to be vaccinated as soon as they can and for vaccines to be made available to middle and low-income countries as soon as possible. Vaccines save lives. The European side called for reciprocity from the United States in lifting coronavirus-related travel restrictions.

"We acknowledged that climate change is not just a future threat, but is here with us today as we see floods in Western Europe and fires in California and Oregon. We agreed that the European Union and the United States must lead together. We have not only the opportunity, but the moral obligation to future generations to act now.

"We discussed how best we can develop a common approach to a rising China in order to remain competitive, to safeguard jobs and prosperity, to defend and promote democratic values. We must stand firm in the face of provocation, and resist attempts to uproot and overturn longstanding international norms that the Transatlantic alliance has worked so hard to uphold over more than seven decades.

"We called on the US and EU to step up efforts to deliver results at Ministerial Conference 12 (MC12) and to establish a work program to reform the World Trade Organization. We welcomed the progress under the new administration to solve longstanding trade irritants and hope solutions can be found for the outstanding issues that remain. We stressed the need to find a permanent, broader settlement to address subsidies and overcapacity. We support joint actions to set standards in the technology space which reflect our principles and values. We welcomed the newly established Trade and Technology Council and called for it to have a significant parliamentary dimension.

"We stressed the paramount importance of safeguarding the peace and prosperity which has been underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement for the people on the Island of Ireland. We called upon the government of the United Kingdom to implement fully the agreement which they themselves recently entered into, and to fulfill their treaty obligations.

"These two days have confirmed the vibrancy of this cooperation between legislators across the Atlantic, coinciding with the relaunch of the Congressional European Union Caucus, and we have agreed to continue our work together in Slovenia this Fall."

The European Parliament delegation consisted of Radosław Sikorski (TLD Co-Chair, Poland, EPP), Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (Finland, S&D), Nicolae Ștefănuță (Romania, RENEW), David McAllister (Germany, EPP) and Bernd Lange (Germany, S&D).