Transatlantic Tech Policy Turbulence: Digital Policy Dilemmas in the Transatlantic Relationship

Digital policy has emerged as one of the most contentious of policy areas in EU-US relations. Many EU digital policy developments have met with vocal US opposition – including Europe’s pursuit of digital sovereignty, what the US administration perceives as the over-regulation of US firms, the preferencing of European solutions, and EU content moderation rules. Meanwhile in Europe, concerns about perceived threats to European values, democracy, autonomy and competitiveness continue to drive EU digital policy. How Europe and the United States navigate these divergences may carry significant implications for the prosperity, well-being, and security of citizens on both sides of the Atlantic. With Ireland’s role as a transatlantic digital hub and with its forthcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union, Dublin will play a leading role in shaping the future of this critical relationship. In this event, Frances Burwell and Kenneth Propp discuss the prospects and challenges for the future of the EU-US digital policy relations. About the Speakers: Frances G. Burwell is a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center and a senior director at McLarty Associates. Until January 2017, she served as vice president, European Union and Special Initiatives, at the Council. She has served as director of the Council’s Program on Transatlantic Relations, and as interim director of the Global Business and Economics Program, and currently directs the Transatlantic Digital Marketplace Initiative. Kenneth Propp is a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center. He is also an adjunct professor of European Union Law at the Georgetown University Law Center and a senior fellow with the Cross-Border Data Forum. He advises and advocates on data trade, privacy, security, and other regulatory issues in the United States and major international markets.