Transatlantic Business Dialogue
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The Transatlantic Business Dialogue (TABD) offers a framework for cooperation between the transatlantic business community and the governments of the European Union (EU) and United States of America (US).
It is an informal process whereby European and American companies and business associations develop joint EU-US trade policy recommendations, working together with the European Commission and US Administration.
On a sharper look, it is a coalition of U.S. and European CEOs, largely from transnational corporations, launched at the urging of former U.S. Commerce Secretary Ron Brown in Seville/Spain in late 1995 at a conference attended by CEOs from more than 100 U.S. and EU companies and by top government representatives led by the Commissioners for Trade and Industry and by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
The major goal of the TABD is to boost transatlantic trade and investment through the removal of barriers caused by regulatory differences. The TABD is co-chaired by a U.S. and an EU CEO, currently from Unilever and The Coca-Cola Company. TABD promotes its policy statements and recommendations through formal meetings with the EU and US government and parliament people, giving the members direct access to high-level talks with the leading figures for efficient Lobbying. TABD Membership is by invitation only, officially to secure a proper geographical representation and a mix of sector activities as well as SME representation.
TABD has been a key player in shaping the agenda for expansion of the World Trade Organization (WTO). In addition, TABD makes countless smaller suggestions that are geared toward removing important worker, consumer and environmental laws and regulations which it views as "barriers to trade," and which everyone else views as measures that save lives, keep our air and water clean, and protect endangered animals and plants.
TABD policy issues are driven by TABD members, and working groups are organized where necessary. TABD publishes semi-annual reports documenting the government's progress on implementing its current demands and listing future ones.
It's latest achievement has been the review and successive restart of the Lisbon Agenda as an economic-only agenda with the social and environmental agendas removed.
External links
- http://www.tabd.com
- Speech (http://clinton4.nara.gov/WH/EOP/OVP/speeches/tabd.html) of Al Gore on the TABD
- A page of the European Commission (http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/us/news/ip04_808.htm) on the TABD
- page on state.gov (http://www.state.gov/p/eur/rls/fs/21928.htm)
- TABD at citizen.org (http://www.citizen.org/trade/harmonization/TABD/index.cfm)