Introduction

For the last 50 years, delegations from the European Parliament and the United States Congress have been coming together on a regular basis to discuss matters of common interest.

The two sides meet twice a year, alternating between locations in Europe and the US. When these meetings are held in the EU, they usually take place in the capital of the country holding the presidency of the Council.

When not meeting jointly with the US Congress, Parliament's delegation for relations with the US meets in Brussels and Strasbourg, hosting US politicians, ambassadors, academics, and other experts.

The delegation is one of the largest with 64 Members. It is currently chaired by Brando Benifei (S&D, IT). Sophie Wilmès (Renew Europe, BE) and Eva Maydell (EPP, BG) are Vice-Chairs.

In 1999, the relationship between the two parliaments became stronger with the launch of the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue (TLD).

The TLD was founded on the principle that EU-US relations go beyond foreign policy or trade issues and involve multiple policy fields. Be it economic policies, energy, climate change or issues of data protection and civil liberties, much legislation has an effect across the Atlantic.

In practical terms, the TLD includes the bi-annual meetings of the European Parliament and the US Congress delegations and videoconferences, organised on specific topics of mutual concern, with a view to fostering an ongoing uninterrupted dialogue.

In a broader sense, the TLD also involves the work of parliamentary committees and their direct contacts across the Atlantic. As legislation is mostly prepared at committee level, it is important that the dialogue starts there. Parliament has established a Steering Committee to co-ordinate TLD activities, in which parliamentary committees are represented.


For more information, see separate section on the TLD.