The EU and US trade summit in Pittsburgh will continue anyway

Brussels (Reuters) – The planned trade summit between the European member states and the United States, scheduled for next week in Pittsburgh, will continue. France is said to have split over its participation in the European Commission consultations after recommending the postponement of the summit. European Commission Vice President Margaret Vestager wrote on Twitter that the summit would take place on Thursday evening.

EU sources said on Thursday that there were doubts about the summit following US President Joe Biden’s decision to end the security agreement with Australia and the United Kingdom without consulting the EU. The Netherlands was one of the countries that wanted to pursue the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) set up in June.

France, in particular, was white-hot about the termination of the AUSUK defense deal, resulting in the EU country losing a multi-billion dollar contract for submarines. The conflict between France and the United States has calmed down after talks between Biden and President Emmanuel Macron. But other events, such as the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, have shocked the EU over America’s lone behavior.

DTC has ten working groups, which discuss technical cooperation, standards modernization, screening of foreign investment and export controls. According to locals, the two economic powers have already reached several agreements and in recent weeks reached an agreement on standards for artificial intelligence. It will be announced in Pittsburgh.