Press Statement on the Transatlantic Business Dialogue

On January 27, 2005, Under Secretary Grant Aldonas expressed the U.S. government's strong and continued support for the Transatlantic Business Dialogue's (TABD) ambitious Barrier-Free Transatlantic Marketplace (BFTM) proposal. In a meeting on the fringes of the annual World Economic Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Under Secretary Aldonas discussed U.S. actions to date on TABD proposals and the Bush Administration's support of initiatives to improve the transatlantic marketplace.

"The TABD has proven itself as a venue for exploring ways in which the United States and Europe can move toward a seamless transatlantic marketplace. We will continue the momentum in 2005, with more intensified dialogues between business and the public sector that will lead to greater cooperation, consensus, and concrete action in the TABD recommendation areas," said Commerce Under Secretary Grant Aldonas.

At the meeting, officials representing both the U.S. and EU governments acknowledged the BFTM initiative as an invaluable contribution to the transatlantic economic relationship. During the past year, the TABD recommendations and stakeholder consultations have played an instrumental role in identifying current barriers to transatlantic economic growth. In 2005, the TABD will continue their dialogues with the United States Government and the European Commission to ensure that their recommendations represent a broad consensus, are actionable, and have a measurable impact on transatlantic trade.

The TABD is a business driven organization with membership consisting of business leaders from U.S. and European companies operating in the United States, Europe, and globally. Chief executives set the TABD’s priorities and policy recommendations. TABD aims to have a balanced membership, represented by companies of diverse geographical locations, size, and sectors.

Currently the companies that comprise the TABD include: The Coca-Cola Company, Reuters, Unilever, UPS, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ericsson, British Airways, EDS, Stora Enso, Citigroup, Philips, Visa International, BAT, Tramco Inc., Merck and Co., Bison Gear and Engineering Corporation, Arcelor, AstraZeneca, Deloitte Touche Tomatsu, BASF, The Dow Chemical Company, British American Tobacco, Ernst & Young, Deutche Bank, The Estee Lauder Company, FedEx, KPMG International, General Electric, Lafarge, Renault, Time Warner, Repsol, SAP, and SEB.