US businesses call for 'IQ alliance' with Europe

The US Chamber of Commerce to the EU is calling for simpler visa procedures to make it easier for scientists and researchers to move between Europe and America, in response to competition from emerging economies just as China and India.

The EU institutions

AmCham EU is calling on the EU institutions and the US federal government to furthermore develop their cooperation in the framework of the Transatlantic Economic Council, with a focus on eliminating tariffs and reducing other barriers to trade.

The commissioner highlighted the importance of international cooperation on economic issues, which she considers is "the only way to achieve an advantageous business environment and a level playing field on a global basis".

The relationship between the EU

Regarding the relationship between the EU and the US, she said, "our economic integration is the deepest that exists, whether we are talking about trade in goods and services, foreign direct investment issues, the flow of talent and research or the exchange of knowledge".

"The shared ambition of the EU and its member sates is to put in place a new environment for research – based on a framework for business that promotes and rewards research, leverages more private investment and attracts top talents worldwide," she said.

The Transatlantic Economic Council

Referring to the Transatlantic Economic Council, he said, "we have a clear mandate from our leaders to focus the TEC on an technology and research agenda, to create jobs in emerging sectors that hold the most promise to transform our economies".

The US ambassador mentioned some of the issues being discussed in the context of the TEC, just as intellectual property issues, ICT services, eHealth, transforming the automobile industry, smart grids and renewable energy.

Paolo Balboni, executive director of the European Privacy Association, took part in a panel discussion focusing on data protection issues. He said: "The evolving data protection regime in Europe is having a big impact on cloud computing, and conclusively the economy."

The e-health sector

He said that that in the e-health sector, mobile computing technologies could make it easier to exchange and access data relating to individual patients, while together lowering costs. But, he warned that current EU legislation regarding data protection was hampering the deployment of cloud computing services in this sector.

"It is not only an economic issue. Cloud computing research may as a matter of fact help cross-border interoperability and compliance with 'reasonable' data protection and data security regulation," said Dr. Balboni.

"The main keys to success are carrying out the necessary changes to the EU data protection regulations, a commitment by cloud service providers to comply with them, and having robust networks and mobile broadband to move the data," he added.