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[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 13, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E71-E73]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

     TRANS-ATLANTIC LEGISLATORS' DIALOGUE HOLDS 65TH MEETING UNDER 
                 LEADERSHIP OF THE HON. SHELLEY BERKLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 13, 2009

  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I would like to call the attention of my 
colleagues in the Congress to a successful meeting of the Transatlantic 
Legislators' Dialogue, TLD, that was held in Miami, FL from December 6-
8, 2008. Chairwoman Shelley Berkley, the gentlelady from Nevada, has 
consistently provided dynamic and capable guidance to this important 
interparliamentary exchange. The TLD vice-chairmen, Representative Jim 
Costa from California and Representative Cliff Stearns from Florida, 
should be commended for their leadership in helping to strengthen 
American relationships with our European colleagues. I also wish to 
thank the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, 
Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for being a gracious hostess of 
this meeting in her sunny district and ably assisting the delegation.
  Representatives Berkley, Costa and Stearns were joined by six other 
members at the Miami session. This bipartisan delegation--which also 
included Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Representative 
Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Representative Susan Davis (D-CA), 
Representative Phil Gingrey (R-GA), Representative Virginia Foxx (R-
NC), and Representative Ron Klein (D-FL)--ensured an informed and 
productive exchange of views with members of the European Parliament.
  The TLD serves as the formal response of the European Parliament and 
the U.S. Congress to the commitment in the New Transatlantic Agenda, 
NTA, of 1995 to enhance legislative ties between the European Union and 
the United States. Building on the existing interparliamentary 
relationship, the TLD involves bi-annual meetings between American and 
European legislators in order to discuss topics of mutual interest and 
foster transatlantic discourse.
  During this time of transition in the United States Government, it is 
particularly important that legislators continue to collaborate on the 
many important issues facing citizens on both sides of the Atlantic. 
The TLD discussions in Miami addressed a wide range of foreign policy 
challenges, focusing on the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai as well 
as international efforts to address the ongoing challenges in 
Afghanistan and Pakistan. Members also discussed the current status of 
diplomatic initiatives regarding the Iranian nuclear threat and the 
repercussions of the Georgia-Russia conflict. American members 
responded to European concerns about data protection and the complexity 
of application procedures as part of the visa waiver program. During 
the discussion of regulatory initiatives being undertaken by the 
Transatlantic Economic Council, TEC, American members encouraged their 
European counterparts to address the EU ban on

[[Page E72]]

the import of American poultry as well as discriminatory regulations on 
chemicals used to manufacture cosmetics--both of which have detrimental 
effects on American farmers and producers. In addition, the delegates 
discussed the challenge of climate change, the importance of energy 
security, and joint efforts needed to address the global financial 
crisis.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to enter into the Congressional Record 
the joint statement that was agreed upon by American and European 
legislators at the 65th TLD meeting in Miami. This document 
demonstrates the depth and breadth of the interparliamentary 
discussions while also highlighting the scope of excellent 
transatlantic cooperation.

 Joint Statement of Jonathan Evans, MEP, Chairman, European Parliament 
    Delegation; Shelley Berkley, Chairwoman, United States Congress 
 Delegation; Cliff Stearns, Vice Chairman (Ranking Republican), United 
States Congress Delegation; and Jim Costa, Vice Chairman, United States 
    Congress Delegation at the 65th Meeting of Delegations From the 
   European Parliament and the United States Congress, December 2008

       We, Members of the European Parliament and the United 
     States House of Representatives, held our 65th 
     Interparliamentary meeting (Transatlantic Legislators' 
     Dialogue) in Miami, Florida on 6-8 December 2008.
       Building on the joint statement issued after our last 
     meeting in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on 24-26 May 2008, we 
     reiterated the importance of regular dialogue on a range of 
     political, social and economic issues that affect all of our 
     citizens. We welcomed the new U.S. administration and look 
     forward to the election of a new European Parliament and 
     European Commission next summer. We discussed ways in which 
     to utilize this time of political change on both sides of the 
     Atlantic to further enhance our transatlantic relations and 
     deepen our cooperation. We confirmed that legislators on both 
     sides of the Atlantic should increase dialogue and 
     consultation amongst themselves in order to prevent possible 
     conflicts in the legislative and regulatory regimes. In 
     particular, direct and timely contacts between specialist 
     committees within our legislatures have been valuable means 
     of reinforcing cooperation and should be continued. We agreed 
     to report back to the European Parliament and U.S. Congress 
     on the content and outcome of our discussions, particularly 
     in the areas where joint efforts are likely to result in 
     positive outcomes.
       We examined a wide array of foreign policy issues, agreeing 
     that joint action by the European Union and the United States 
     is the most effective way to approach many pressing 
     international challenges. We welcomed the results of the EU-
     U.S. summit in Brdo, Slovenia in June 2008 and stressed the 
     importance of the principles contained in the final 
     declaration. In particular, we agreed that both sides should 
     continue to demonstrate global leadership and effective 
     transatlantic cooperation in the face of challenges such as:
       Promoting international peace, stability, democracy, human 
     rights, international criminal justice, sustainable 
     development, the rule of law and good governance; and
       Fighting terrorism while protecting the fundamental 
     freedoms on which our democratic societies are built.
       We discussed the recent terrorist attack in Mumbai, India, 
     expressing our condolences to the families of those who lost 
     their lives and condemning the attacks. We called on the 
     governments of India and Pakistan to cooperate in reducing 
     tensions in the region, called on the government of Pakistan 
     to participate fully in the investigation, and asked the U.S. 
     and EU to assist in these efforts.
       On Afghanistan, we recognized the need for a joint long-
     term strategy aimed at stabilizing the internal situation and 
     reducing risks for regional security. We welcomed the EU's 
     decision to expand its EUPOL police training mission from 250 
     to 400 personnel.
       On Iran, we assessed the continuing nuclear threat. We 
     pledged to continue our cooperative efforts to confront this 
     challenge with a unified voice, using the dual track of 
     diplomacy and strong sanctions. We called on transatlantic 
     partners to continue to press Iran to comply with its UN 
     Security Council obligations and, if needed, to move forward 
     with additional sanctions to complement UN measures.
       We assessed the August conflict between Russia and Georgia. 
     While recognizing the importance of continuing to engage in 
     dialogue with Russia about shared concerns, we emphasized 
     that we cannot return to `business as usual' while Russia 
     continues to violate the ceasefire agreement. We stressed 
     that Russia must implement its commitments on withdrawal of 
     its military to pre-conflict positions and allow access by 
     international civilian monitors to all areas in South 
     Ossetia. We reaffirmed our continuing support for the 
     Georgian people and our commitment to aid the country's post-
     conflict reconstruction. We also expressed concern about the 
     ongoing developments in Russia's domestic and foreign 
     policies, including provocative statements regarding missile 
     deployment to Kaliningrad as well as about the reliability of 
     energy deliveries to Russia's European neighbors and 
     partners.
       The TLD welcomed the recent admission of the Czech 
     Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia to 
     the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. We expressed our hope that the 
     remaining EU Member States will be eligible to join soon and 
     that the U.S. State Department will review its administrative 
     procedures to determine whether the visa application process 
     can be simplified. We also discussed the importance of 
     ensuring safe trade as well as joint efforts to combat 
     terrorism and transnational crime. We called for the timely 
     sharing of information among our law enforcement and 
     intelligence agencies, emphasizing the importance of 
     protecting individual privacy and personal data.
       We stressed the positive impact and symbolic importance 
     that would result from an early visit and address to the 
     European Parliament by U.S. President-elect Barack Obama.
       We agreed on the need for continued discussion of possible 
     joint actions to address the effects of climate change. We 
     also called for increasing attention to the need for energy 
     security through the diversification of energy sources. We 
     discussed the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 
     Copenhagen, scheduled for the end of 2009, and expressed hope 
     that a viable and effective global agreement will be reached.
       Our dialogue focused on the financial crisis, particularly 
     the ways in which it has affected the housing market, banking 
     sector, employment and industries in Europe and the United 
     States. We expressed support for continued cooperation 
     between our governments in seeking to find collaborative 
     solutions to these problems, including through the recent G-
     20 gathering and follow-up meetings. We took stock of the 
     initiatives dealing with global financial instability, such 
     as the European Economic Recovery Plan and the U.S.'s 
     Emergency Stabilization Act of 2008.
       With regard to the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC), we 
     noted with satisfaction the engagement of the TLD on 13 May 
     2008 with TEC Co-Chairs Gunther Verheugen and Dan Price in 
     the framework of the advisory groups. We welcome the TEC as a 
     permanent feature of the EU/U.S. relations. We look forward 
     to engaging with the TEC at the next meeting on December 12, 
     which will have particular importance as the last session 
     before the change in administrations. We called on the 
     incoming Obama Administration to take careful note of the TEC 
     outcomes and to pledge its commitment to continuing to engage 
     with the European Union through this important mechanism.
       We welcomed the progress that has been achieved since the 
     TEC's last meeting. We strongly supported the agreement to 
     recognize each others' accounting standards (U.S. GAAP and EU 
     IFRS), which will save multinational companies on both sides 
     of the Atlantic billions of dollars in compliance costs. We 
     applauded the joint statement committing to openness in 
     foreign investment, greater cooperation on the enforcement of 
     intellectual property rights (IPR), and efforts to harmonize 
     biofuels standards. We advocated stronger involvement of 
     legislators in contributing to and overseeing these 
     initiatives since many of these issues involve important 
     interests for stakeholders, such as securities regulatory 
     regimes and the creation of a level playing field for 
     insurance/reinsurance. A wide range of issues are also under 
     consideration in the High Level Regulatory Forum (HLRF) and 
     legislators should be informed in a timely manner about the 
     results of their activities.
       Several items have been identified within the TEC agenda 
     that still require legislative consideration:
       While achieving reciprocity and mutual recognition of 
     security standards remains critically important, we continued 
     to raise concerns about the U.S. Safe Ports Act and its 100 
     percent cargo scanning requirement;
       We reiterated the need to facilitate a solution to the ban 
     on imports into the EU of U.S. poultry which has undergone 
     pathogen reduction treatment, consistent with international 
     commitments; and
       Regarding the EU's regulation on the registration of 
     chemicals (REACH), we continued to call on the European 
     Commission to bring forward legislation ensuring that 
     European and U.S. producers of cosmetics are treated 
     equitably in their requirement to register substances used in 
     their products with the EU's chemical agency.
       As we have done throughout the establishment and initial 
     meetings of the TEC, we continued to assert that the TEC 
     initiative should be characterized by transparency and 
     consultation of stakeholders and we called on both 
     Administrations to reinforce the flow of information to the 
     TLD in advance of the TEC meetings. The relevant legislative 
     and regulatory bodies should be aware of the transatlantic 
     impact of proposed legislation and regulations, and 
     understand the benefits of rapid advancements towards a 
     barrier-free regulatory environment. A more formal role 
     should be envisaged within TEC for the U.S. Congress and the 
     European Parliament, in particular via TLD, so as to allow 
     for detailed and accountable reporting of TEC results to 
     legislators.
       In conclusion, both sides renewed their commitment to make 
     the TLD's work more relevant to the European Parliament and 
     to the U.S. House of Representatives. Amidst a climate of 
     transition on both sides of the Atlantic, we reaffirmed the 
     importance of continuing to strengthen and improve our 
     dialogue in order to realize the full potential of our 
     interparliamentary relationship.

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