29/04/2013
On Tuesday, April 30, during a luncheon at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center Aznar launches the FAES report TAFTA. The Case for an Open Transatlantic Free Trade Area in Washington The Foundation retrieves and updates its proposal to create a free trade area between Europe and the U.S. It will host as speakers Jaime García-Legaz, James W. Cicconi, Joshua B. Bolten, Miriam Sapiro, Cliff Stearns and Myron Brilliant Aznar writes on the preface that "the transatlantic economic area is a historic opportunity to build the largest economic prosperity area in the world" The report will be released shortly in Madrid On Wednesday, May 1, also in Washington, Aznar to attend the awards ceremony at the Atlantic Council Madrid,
José María Aznar, former Prime Minister of Spain and president of "FAES Foundation" launches tomorrow, Tuesday April 30, the report TAFTA. The Case for an Open Transatlantic Free Trade Area in Washington, with which FAES retrieves and updates its proposal to create a free trade area between Europe and the United States. The launch, which will also involve a presentations carried out by the Vice President of External and Legislative Affairs, AT&T, James W. Cicconi, will take place during a luncheon at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, at 12:00 pm (local time). Following the presentation by Aznar and Cicconi, there will be a round table discussion, chaired by the former Director of Personnel and Budget of the White House, Joshua B. Bolten, which will involve Spain's Secretary of State for Trade, Jaime Garc?a-Legaz, the Foreign Trade Deputy Representative of the U.S., ambassador Miriam Sapiro, the former congressman and president of the Transatlantic Dialogue for the European Union, Cliff Stearns, and the executive vice president and head of International Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Myron Brilliant. The report _TAFTA. The Case for an Open Transatlantic Free Trade Area_ prepared by Jaime García-Legaz and the executive director and head of Market Strategy of the U.S. Trust Bank of America, Joseph Quinlan, argues that the economic crisis in Europe and the U.S. has demonstrated the importance of the transatlantic economy in the global context and has shown just how integrated European and American economies are, adding to the relevance of this relationship for our societies. In this context, the new FAES document specifies the overall growth strategy reinforcing everything that joins us together to be undertaken by Europe and the United States. A HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY Aznar writes on the preface of the report that "the transatlantic economic area is a historic opportunity to build the largest economic prosperity area in the world". "Representing together more than 50 per cent of GDP and 30 per cent of world trade, the US and Europe are, for each other, the most important trading partners" he writes. Aznar also anticipates that the transatlantic economic area would lead to "a market of over 700 million people, with the option of opening it to third countries, which would generate jobs and wealth and would serve as a global benchmark". Aznar explains in the preface that FAES proposal "does not advocate a simple free trade agreement", but "goes far beyond" because it "aims to reduce barriers of all kinds, not just those regarding trade; it seeks to standardize regulations; increase mutual recognition of standards, deregulate and liberalize services to create more efficient markets and encourage the free exchange of people, goods and services between both sides of the Atlantic". He adds that "this will entail working in other areas and not just the economic field to seek agreements and additional partners lying beyond our traditional geographic areas". _TAFTA. The Case for an Open Transatlantic Free Trade Area_, which will be released shortly in Madrid, specifies the strategy already proposed by FAES in a previous report in 2006.The Foundation recovers this idea at a time when it is more necessary than ever to work so that our collective ability to influence before the rise of new powers or coalitions is not diminished. The launch of the report in Washington is co-organized by the Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress, the Meridian International Center and the Chamber of Commerce of the United States. ATLANTIC COUNCIL CEREMONY On Wednesday, May 1, during his stay in Washington, Aznar will also attend the annual leadership awards celebration granted by the Atlantic Council of the United States, as a member of its International Advisory Board since 2007.The prestigious American think tank has been promoting leadership and engagement in foreign policy affairs for over 50 years, on the basis of transatlantic cooperation and international security. The event was attended, as every year, by prominent international figures from politics, economics and the arts, including the former Secretary of State of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and the secretary general of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, both award winners of this edition.Secretaría de Estado de Cooperación Internacional y para Iberoamérica