In-person and live streamed
In-person and live streamed
The TradeExperettes will host Digital Trade Day on Wednesday, 21 September 2022, to launch our Year of Digital Trade initiative. To kick things off, Digital Trade Day includes three global events that bring together experts from policymaking, academia and industry to share their views and insights on various aspects of digital trade. There will be two in-person and live streamed events in Brussels and Washington DC, followed by a webinar including experts from Southeast Asia and Oceania. The day also marks the launch of the TradeExperettes second annual “Quick Wins” report, “Ten Quick Wins for Digital Trade.”
Panel I (in-person, Brussels– also live streamed)
Panelists:
Michelle Egan, American University, TradeExperettesHanna Norberg, TradeExperettes
Luisa Santos, BusinessEurope
Rupert Schlegelmilch, DG Trade, EU Commission
THE REGULATION OF TRANSATLANTIC DATA FLOWS: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Technology has vastly improved the amount of information that can be exchanged. This data is extremely valuable to businesses and there are many questions about how this data should be handled. There are more data flows between the European Union and the United States than anywhere else in the world and this underpins trade and investment between the two blocs. But the two sides have varying approaches on the regulation of data flows, with the EU leading the charge in legislating new rules. For example, in the EU, privacy rules have already been set for data whereas in the United States, rules for data privacy at the federal level are still being discussed. There are also divergent views on content moderation, data localization, and emerging areas such as artificial intelligence. This makes the newly set up Trade and Technology Council (TTC) increasingly important as a forum to coordinate approaches on these and other trade and technology issues. How should the two sides iron out their differences, and is it possible to develop a set of guiding principles on digital trade that can build common ground for broader discussions on digital trade around the world?
Panel II (in-person, Washington– also live streamed)
Panelists:
Gabriella Beaumont Smith, Cato Institute, TradeExperettesChristine McDaniel, Mercatus Center
Miranda Lutz, XR Association
Rachael Stelly, Computer & Communications Industry Association
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND DIGITAL TRADE: CAN WE KEEP UP?
Trade agreements have traditionally aimed at reducing tariffs and increasing market access for goods. As many businesses are at least partially digitally enabled, new and different sets of issues are arising, such as how to address national security, domestic regulations, artificial intelligence, data, and even human rights. Emerging technologies could in fact, help to address some of these issues and it will be important that digital trade agreements and chapters are flexible enough not to prevent emerging technologies that could help provide resolutions and promote global prosperity and peace. To ensure these agreements can evolve, a wide net should be cast to consider the private sector, and use the expertise of other parties including nongovernmental organizations and other stakeholders.
Panel III (TE webinar)
Panelists:
Stephanie Honey, Honey Consulting, TradeExperettes
Nicholas Bramble, Google
Claire Kibblewhite, New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Patrick Leblond, University of Ottawa
INNOVATIVE MODELS FOR DIGITAL TRADE AGREEMENTS
Digital trade is being addressed not only as chapters in comprehensive trade agreements such as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) but entirely in agreements specifically targeting digital trade, such as the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA). However, DEPA considers the issues in a manner that is not fixed and can evolve as the economy and new technologies develop. Further, these digital agreements give rise to questions about strategic importance in a new way. As these agreements popularize, policymakers will have to assess the pros and cons of existing approaches and be innovative in creating models for agreements and alternative options for setting the rules and standards for the digital economy.