PARIS (Reuters) – The European Union and the United States on Monday launched a plan for closer cooperation to deal with disruptions in the supply of basic commodities and foodstuffs caused by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and to combat disinformation from Moscow.
Representatives of the EU and the United States met at Paris-Saclay University for the second meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (CTC), a partnership initially seen as a counterbalance transatlantic to China, but which now concentrates on Moscow.
In a joint statement, the two allies said they would work to reduce over-reliance on certain trading partners for agricultural commodities and inputs to bolster the resilience of global food production.
Reduced grain deliveries from Ukraine, one of the world’s leading producers and exporters, have led to a spike in prices, now exacerbated by India’s suspension of wheat exports last weekend.
EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said the two allies had agreed to cooperate in international forums, such as the World Trade Organization in June, to try to address these issues.
“Unfortunately, the trend is that when countries start to introduce restrictions, there is a cascading effect…and it is exactly the least developed, most vulnerable nations that suffer the most,” he said. he told Reuters.
According to Valdis Dombrovskis, also executive vice-president of the European Commission, it is important to find alternative means of land transport for grain exports from Ukraine, which were carried out mainly by sea before the war.
The two parties also agreed to work together to reduce their reliance on “unreliable sources” and to mitigate the impact of sudden disruptions in the supply chain of critical materials from Russia.
The transatlantic partnership will cooperate to diversify supply chains in rare earth magnets and solar power generation and will seek to overcome shortages of semiconductors with greater transparency and a common early warning mechanism, while agreeing also to avoid a subsidy race in the chip sector.
The EU and US also condemned the Russian government’s attack on freedom of expression, saying it had “repeatedly used the veil of disinformation” to cover up war crimes.
“Tons and tons and tons of grain are being prevented from leaving Ukraine because of … the Russian invasion of Ukraine and, of course, we need this to be known,” Margrethe said. Vestager, Vice-President of the European Commission, during a press conference.
(Report Philip Blenkinsop and Mathieu Roseman, French version Diana Mandi, told by Jean-Michel Blot)
by Philip Blenkinsop and Mathieu Rosemain