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Subject: EU-US trade relations in times of US tariff and sanctions policy
S BRIEFING o
Meeting / Official visit / Event: DG meeting Art. 4.1 (b)
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Date: 27 June 2019, 12:00
Origin: DG TRADE
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Place: Brussels
SCENE SETTER
You will meet with Art.4.1 (b)
, a lawyer by training, who is president and managing
partner of McLarty Associates. McLarty is an offshoot of Kissinger Associates and advises
mainly multinational clients on country risk analysis and other government affairs issues.
Art.4.1 (b)
worked in the Clinton White House as the Advisor for Western Hemisphere Affairs
(CV in background). He is familiar with trade policy issues and is well-connected in the political
ecosystem in Washington DC. He will be happy to share his views with you on evolving political
developments in DC, and he has in the past briefed several Commissioners on the subject.
CHECKLIST OF KEY MESSAGES
Grateful if you could give me your assessment of the political
situation in DC.
On Trade: EU trade relations with the US are complex and require
careful management. We have the deepest economic relation in the
world, but also several difficult and important disputes (steel, cars,
aircraft). Our views of the WTO have also been diverging. We are
also trying to find shared responses to address the China challenge.
On Sanctions: You wished to discuss these. The increasing targeting
of EU companies through US sanctions is of concern to us. Sanctions
should be used in agreement between the EU and US as strong
security partners, not against each other.
The EU is countering the Iran sanctions and the application of the
Helms-Burton Act through its Blocking Statute. Nevertheless, the
only winner of the suing in US courts and countersuing in EU courts
are the lawyers while our bilateral relations are put under pressure.
Contact person:
Art.4.1 (b)
, TRADE.E.1,
25 June 2019, approved by
on 25
June 2019
o
Subject: EU-US trade relations in times of US tariff and sanctions policy
S BRIEFING o
Meeting / Official visit / Event: DG meeting Art.4.1 (b)
o
Date: 27 June 2019, 12:00
Origin: DG TRADE
o
Place: Brussels
We are concerned about the implications of Senator Ted Cruz’
“Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act” against Nord Stream 2.
The EU has made large steps to improve its security of energy supply,
for example through liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from the
US.
Art. 4.1 (a)
Αρτ. 4.1(α))
We would be interested in your views on President Trump’s and his
administration’s stance towards further sanctions
Art. 4.1.(a)
BACKGROUND
Art. 4.1 (a)
While ultimately trying to force Cuba to reduce its support of the Venezuelan regime, the recent
activation of the Helms-Burton Act (also known as LIBERTAD Act of 1996) against persons
“trafficking” in US properties expropriated by the Cuban government in the 1960s means that
EU economic operators active in Cuba can be sued in US courts, or company executives denied
entry into the US. The US previously refrained from applying the Helms-Burton Act based on an
EU-US Understanding from 1996.
Contact person:
Art. 4.1 (b)
TRADE.E.1,
25 June 2019, approved by
on 25
June 2019
o
Subject: EU-US trade relations in times of US tariff and sanctions policy
S BRIEFING o
Meeting / Official visit / Event: DG meeting Art. 4.1 (b)
o
Date: 27 June 2019, 12:00
Origin: DG TRADE
o
Place: Brussels
Further, the US are preparing a “Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act” sanctions bill on
Nord Stream 2, which would target the companies and executives involved in the construction of
the gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea. The Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations advanced
the draft bill to the floor this week, increasing the likelihood of its ultimate passage.
Art. 4.1 (a)
interest with the so-called Blocking Statute that is prohibiting
EU companies, citizens or residents to comply with US actions or court decisions related to the
Helms-Burton Act or the Iran sanctions. It allows EU companies to countersue in EU courts for
any damages created.
Art. 4.1 (a)
Art. 4.1 (a)
The meeting with
Art. 4.1 (b)
could be used to gather intelligence on the appetite of
the Trump administration to deepen this approach, especially vis-à-vis the EU.
Art. 4.1 (b)
Contact person:
Art. 4.1 (b)
TRADE.E.1,
25 June 2019, approved by
on 25
June 2019
o
Subject: EU-US trade relations in times of US tariff and sanctions policy
S BRIEFING o
Meeting / Official visit / Event: DG meeting Art. 4.1 (b)
o
Date: 27 June 2019, 12:00
Origin: DG TRADE
o
Place: Brussels
Art. 4.1. (b)
Contact person:
Art. 4.1 (b)
TRADE.E.1,
, 25 June 2019, approved by
on 25
June 2019