EU-U.S. Summit Wrap-Up

European and American leaders met last week in Vienna at the annual EU-U.S. Summit. Hosted by the Austrian presidency of the European Union, the gathering tackled a wide array of bilateral and global issues.

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, U.S. President George W. Bush, and other leaders discussed Iran, the Middle East, combating terrorism, and democracy promotion. They also considered a possible extension of the U.S. visa waiver program and how Europe and the United States can cooperate on energy security, climate change and sustainable development.

Among the most notable results of the Summit:

• Launch of the joint Action Strategy for the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights against piracy and counterfeiting.
• Reinforcement of EU-U.S. strategic cooperation on energy security and agreement to promote responsible energy policies worldwide.
• New agreement on Higher Education and Vocational Training to boost bilateral cooperation.
• Reiteration of the strong commitment to successfully conclude the Doha Development Round of trade talks by the end of 2006.

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