As we speak’s summit is a wierd beast: As an alternative of assembly all 27 EU nationwide leaders, Biden meets solely Brussels-based officers: Ursula von der Leyen, who runs the European Fee, the bloc’s government department; and Charles Michel, who leads the European Council, the physique the place EU nationwide leaders and ministers meet to log out proposals drafted in Brussels. The trio spent the weekend collectively in Cornwall, and can be joined at present by three EU vice presidents: Margrethe Vestager (tech), Valdis Dombrovskis (commerce) and Josep Borrell, the bloc’s chief diplomat.
Brussels Playbook writer Florian Eder says we are able to count on a “selfie explosion” from the EU facet now that Michel and von der Leyen not must share Biden with different allies.
What does both sides need to obtain at present on tariffs?
Barbara Moens, commerce correspondenT:
Biden would love to make use of an EU summit in Brussels on Tuesday to indicate that America and Europe can unite in opposition to Beijing within the showdown for technological and commerce supremacy within the twenty first century, however cautious Europeans need him to finish commerce hostilities in opposition to them first.
The grumpy European camp has a laundry checklist of unresolved variations in areas corresponding to information transfers, inexperienced taxation and a world commerce court docket, the place U.S.-EU rifts are proving to be each inch as tough to patch up as these with China.
Jakob Hanke Vela, commerce correspondent:
A everlasting deal on the 17-year-long Boeing-Airbus dispute over subsidies paid to airplane makers would have finished most to assist rebuild belief.
Moens: Each side are sick of the case however there are main variations over what sort of subsidies must be allowed for airplane makers.
Hanke Vela: EU officers complain the U.S. needs extra transparency on EU subsidies, however refuses to reciprocate. Till now, France, Germany, the U.Ok. and Spain haven’t revealed particulars of contracts beneath which they grant Airbus “repayable launch investments.” However they argue that Washington additionally grants oblique help to Boeing beneath secret protection contracts.
Ryan Heath, International Translations writer:
Probably the most poisonous dispute is over Trump’s metal and aluminum tariffs. The tariffs, which fly in each instructions after the EU retaliated, have include an $18 billion price ticket, up to now. Probably the most senior EU commerce official, Valdis Dombrovskis, final week accused Biden of hypocrisy for maintaining them in place. Biden informed a reporter who pressed him Sunday: “Give me a break. I would like time.”
What concerning the current transatlantic spying drama?
Laurens Cerulus, tech correspondent:
Within the wake of reviews that Denmark helped the USA snoop on European leaders together with Angela Merkel, EU nations are in an ungainly place — they’re making an attempt to keep up strain on Washington to rein in spying whereas avoiding uncomfortable questions on how they spy on each other, or assist third nations achieve this. The unstated truth about espionage is that it’s extensively practiced even amongst allies.
Heath: Spying is a grey space: it’s awkward, however arduous to show as a breach of worldwide legislation. The 2 sides are additionally miles aside on the best way to deal with transatlantic information flows, a full yr after the EU’s high court docket invalidated the earlier pact, as a result of it didn’t assure judicial oversight of U.S. authorities requests to tech corporations for the private information of Europeans. In follow the info retains flowing, so many shrug that battle off, however it has the potential to have an effect on many extra individuals than the spying considerations.
Will the EU’s push to rein in huge tech corporations — that are largely American — be a degree of pressure?
Mark Scott, chief know-how correspondent:
Competitors is a part of the dialogue, and Vestager met with Federal Commerce Fee performing chair Rebecca Kelly Slaughter yesterday. However pressure is unlikely as Washington is pushing forward with its personal investigations into American tech corporations, and members of Congress simply dropped a bunch of antitrust payments.
Heath: Officers often punt questions on ongoing authorized proceedings — so I don’t see Vestager shopping for into an extended dialogue about her antitrust instances. She was recognized to Donald Trump because the EU’s “tax girl” and that’s a happier story to concentrate on — the best way to transfer ahead the G-7 deal for a 15 % international minimal company tax charge. I believe either side would relatively persist with that.
The rest we have to look ahead to?
David M. Herszenhorn, chief Brussels correspondent:
A protocol dance. The seemingly easy, routine joint greeting of Trudeau by von der Leyen and Michel for EU-Canada summit Monday was in actual fact the results of intense & beautiful diplomatic preparation to keep away from inflaming EU presidential rivalries. Regular protocol requires Michel to greet Biden alone (as Donald Tusk greeted Donald Trump), however as an alternative we’re seeing von der Leyen muscle in on the action.
Heath: That’s payback and a lesson realized for an incident in Might when Michel and von der Leyen met Turkey’s President Erdogan — and von der Leyen was relegated to a far-off couch throughout their trilateral assembly. It’s not an excellent look to be bumping the EU’s most senior feminine chief. That is 2021: Why have her there if she isn’t going to get equal remedy?
I’d additionally say that Boris Johnson is glad to not be caught in at present’s EU-U.S. commerce discuss. As an alternative he will get to crow about utilizing his post-EU freedom to seal a brand new U.Ok.-Australia commerce deal.
Alex Wickham, London Playbook writer:
Johnson and Australia’s Scott Morrison thrashed out the settlement in Downing Avenue over a dinner of Scottish smoked salmon, Welsh lamb and Aussie wine (which can now be cheaper beneath the deal).
The deal secures a whopping 0.02 % enhance to U.Ok. GDP over 15 years.