Transatlantic Technology and Trade: Sovereignty or Interdependence?
For the sixth consecutive year, the American-German Institute and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung USA are jointly convening “Transatlantic Trade Week” in Washington, DC. This year’s events will take place as trade policy’s center of gravity continues to shift in both the United States and the European Union. Discussions will examine the balance between national sovereignty and interdependence in the transatlantic tech stack.
Welcome:
Hardy Ostry, Executive Director, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung USA
Jeff Rathke, President, AGI
Keynote Speaker:
Marco-Alexander Breit, Director-General, Digital Policy and Economic Affairs, German Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernization
Panelists:
Ansgar Baums, General Manager International Government Affairs, Microsoft Germany and Austria
Fran Burwell, Managing Director and Head of Research, McLarty Associates; Distinguished Fellow, Atlantic Council
Stormy-Annika Mildner, Executive Director, Aspen Institute Germany
Kenneth Propp, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council; Adjunct Professor, European Union Law, Georgetown University Law Center
Moderator:
Peter Rashish, Vice President and Director of the Geoeconomics Program, AGI
While relations have stabilized somewhat since the Supreme Court struck down the Trump administration’s tariffs enacted through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, economic tensions between the United States and the European Union remain. In technology policy, these include how the EU’s Digital Services Act, Digital Markets Act, and AI Act will affect leading U.S. tech firms, as well as broader questions about differing approaches to technology governance between Washington and Brussels.
At the same time, there are signs that the United States and the EU can to compartmentalize their relations. Cooperative steps such as the Memorandum of Understanding and Action Plan for Critical Minerals Supply Chains Resilience and the ongoing U.S. Pax Silica initiative may allow for both sides to reach agreement. In addition, there appears to be greater awareness of the common interests that characterize the transatlantic tech ecosystem, including at the recent G7 summit in France. This awareness may provide space for greater transatlantic cooperation between the Trump administration and the EU, especially in artificial intelligence.
This event is presented in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung USA.
