8th Helsinki Summer Session: US and the Evolving International Order: Reviving transatlantic trade relations: a new agenda for EU-US cooperation

invitation only · Webinar · 01.09.2021 14:00 - 15:15

invitation only

1 September 2021, at 14.00-15.15 (EEST)

The United States and the international order it has traditionally propped up have faced tumultuous times in recent years. The Covid-19 pandemic is still causing disruptions around the world and the climate crisis is driving ever more destructive extreme weather events. The US, until recently the order’s putative leader, continues to grapple with the aftershocks of the Trump presidency both internally and in its foreign policy. Meanwhile, great-power competition is heating up in various theatres from Europe to the Indo-Pacific, not to mention in different domains, whether cyber, maritime or aerial. Against this backdrop, the 8th Helsinki Summer Session explores the future of international order at a time when the United States is debating and reassessing the parameters of its global engagement. This year’s panels bring together experts from the United States, Europe and the Asia-Pacific to cover a wide range of themes, including transatlantic trade and security relations, the developing order in the Indo-Pacific, climate politics, as well as the role of the US in Nordic security.

Panel description:

The EU-US trade relationship was deeply shaken by the Trump presidency. The Biden presidency has given fresh impetus to revive transatlantic trade cooperation. This panel discusses the current agenda for EU-US trade cooperation. In particular, it focuses on the prospects for the EU and the US to resolve their current trade disputes, revive free trade and develop a strategic approach to their trade relationship with a view to address broader global issues, including WTO reform and the China challenge.    

The recording of the webinar is available at FIIA’s youtube-channel:

Speakers

Keynote:

Peter Chase

Senior Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Peter Chase is a Senior Fellow at the German Marshall Fund in Brussels. His work focuses on the transatlantic economy with particular attention to trade and investment, digital and energy policies, and the EU’s economic relations with third countries. Chase served as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce vice president for Europe from 2010-16; prior to this he was a U.S. diplomat with postings as minister-counselor for economic affairs in the U.S. Mission to the European Union, director of the State Department's office of EU affairs, chief of staff to the under-secretary of economic affairs, and counselor and minister-counselor for economic affairs in the U.S. Embassy in London.

Speaker:

Penelope Naas

President for International Public Affairs and Sustainability, UPS

Penelope Naas is UPS President for International Public Affairs and Sustainability, based in Washington DC and previously in Brussels, Belgium. She began her UPS career in May 2012, managing the Public Affairs team for the Europe, Middle East and Africa Region; enhanced governmental understanding of UPS and the issues impacting the logistics industry. From 2006 to 2012 Ms. Naas worked for Citigroup in the Global Government Affairs team and in 2007 she relocated to Europe and opened Citigroup’s first government affairs office in Brussels, Belgium where she oversaw the various legislative and regulatory issues that arose after the 2008 financial crisis. Ms. Naas started her career at the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), working for 13 years in various roles, including leading the Office of Europe and creating strategies to help US companies facing market access challenges in Europe, and working in both the Clinton and Bush White Houses on taskforces to pass trade deals.

Jana Titievskaia,

Policy Analyst, European Parliamentary Research Service

Jana Titievskaia is a Policy Analyst for international trade at the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), the in-house think tank of the European Parliament with over eight years of experience in EU institutions of trade and regulatory issues. Currently at the EP, she regularly publishes on EU trade relations coordinates the trade team, and provides confidential analyses of trade policy to MEPs. Previously, Jana worked at the European Commission (DG TRADE), including on trade and economic reforms for the Support Group for Ukraine of the European Commission (DG NEAR) and evidence-based policy analysis at the European Economic and Social Committee. She is a graduate of the London School of Economics (LSE), and studied international economic law in Bern and Barcelona, as well as economics and business of sustainability at Aalto University.

chair

Mikael Wigell

Research Director

International economic relations, geoeconomics and sanctions, hybrid threats and hybrid warfare, Chinese and Russian grand strategies, EU’s external economic relations

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