Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Austrian Chancellor and EU President in office Wolfgang Schüssel will meet with US President George W. Bush for the yearly EU-US Summit in Vienna. Other participants in the event will most likely be Commissioner for External Relations and Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Commissioner for Trade Peter Mandelson as well as the Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik in her function as Council President from the EU side and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice from the US side. Issues The four themes likely to be discussed at the Summit will be foreign policy co-operation, energy security, economy and trade, and global challenges. In the area of foreign policy relations with Iran, the Middle East and the promotion democracy are expected to dominate the agenda. Energy security will be discussed both in terms of strengthening EU-US strategic cooperation on energy and promoting international principles of good practice taking also into account the forthcoming G8 Summit. Under economy and trade leaders are set to discuss ongoing negotiations at the WTO and the benefits of open investment regimes. The EU will also voice the issue of extending the US Visa Waiver Programme to all citizens of EU Member States. Under global challenges the EU intends to raise co-operation on improved ways to meet the challenge of climate change. Concrete results of the Summit will most likely be the signature of a Higher Education and Training Agreement, and an Action Strategy for Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement. Furthermore, leaders are expected to adopt a very substantial Summit Declaration, and to endorse political and economic progress reports about achievements since the last Summit in 2005.
Issues
The four themes likely to be discussed at the Summit will be foreign policy co-operation, energy security, economy and trade, and global challenges. In the area of foreign policy relations with Iran, the Middle East and the promotion democracy are expected to dominate the agenda. Energy security will be discussed both in terms of strengthening EU-US strategic cooperation on energy and promoting international principles of good practice taking also into account the forthcoming G8 Summit. Under economy and trade leaders are set to discuss ongoing negotiations at the WTO and the benefits of open investment regimes. The EU will also voice the issue of extending the US Visa Waiver Programme to all citizens of EU Member States. Under global challenges the EU intends to raise co-operation on improved ways to meet the challenge of climate change.
Concrete results of the Summit will most likely be the signature of a Higher Education and Training Agreement, and an Action Strategy for Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement. Furthermore, leaders are expected to adopt a very substantial Summit Declaration, and to endorse political and economic progress reports about achievements since the last Summit in 2005.
