§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the form of the early warning system for the resolution of disputes under the Transatlantic Dialogue, referred to in section 84 of the Cologne Conclusions; and which institutions are involved in that dialogue. [101108]
§ Mr. CabornA joint statement on an early warning mechanism was agreed at the EU/US Summit in Bonn on 21 June 1999. Both sides underlined the need to identify, provide early warning of, and facilitate the resolution of, potential bilateral EU/US disputes. Any side may raise with the other any issue that might have an impact on EU/US relations. The two principal groups in which this dialogue and exchange of information takes place are the Transatlantic Economic Partnership Steering Group and the New Transatlantic Agenda Task Force. Co-ordinating this work, the Senior Level Group of officials reviews early-warning items in preparation for the six-monthly EU/US Summits. The Transatlantic Legislators' Business, Consumer, Environment and Labour Dialogues have also been invited to contribute to the process by identifying problems and offering proposals for resolution.