A Solution to Transatlantic Trade Disputes

This essay deals with the contentious issue of transatlantic trade disputes between the United States (US) and the European Union (EU).  Section one looks at the history of US-EU relations.  Section two summarizes the recent treaties signed.  Section three describes selected ongoing trade disputes.  Section four proposes two five-point-plans: the first to settle current disputes, the second to prevent future ones from occurring.

To settle current disputes, bilateral studies are proposed to demonstrate the economic benefits of agricultural trade liberalization and to conclusively demonstrate the effects of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).  To settle the e-commerce dispute, a conference that includes all involved parties is proposed.  Finally, a renewed push to change EU and US domestic laws so that they cannot unilaterally oppose World Trade Organization (WTO) decisions is called for.

Prevention is emphasized as the superior method for curing the ills in EU-US trade relations.  A semi-annual agricultural conference between the actual farmers of the EU and US is proposed, to be followed by a farmers’ exchange program.  It is advocated that funding be restored to the Transatlantic Environmental Dialogue, to further include people in the process.  To promote cultural empathy, it is recommended that mandatory modern Europe history courses be taught in US high schools.  It is recommended that media channels like game shows such as Jeopardy! be exploited to cover more EU-based subject matter.  Finally, it is proposed that a “blue phone”, similar to the Russian “red phone”, be established in the offices of the US and European Commission (EC) Presidents, while a Transatlantic “Virtual Trade Panel” is shown to be effective in providing an early warning system against trade disputes.