At the most decisive moment so far in EU-US trade talks – one month before US President Trump's deadline on the tariff pause and amid his plans to double tariffs on steel and aluminium from 25% to 50% on 4 June – a high-level S&D delegation is travelling to Washington D.C. from Monday 2 June to Thursday 5 June.
The delegation is led by S&D President Iratxe García, joined by vice-presidents Kathleen Van Brempt and Yannis Maniatis, along with Brando Benifei, S&D Coordinator in the INTA committee and chair of the European Parliament’s US delegation. They will meet with US representatives, experts, students and other civil society actors. Aiming to strengthen ties with likeminded partners across the Atlantic and demonstrate how progressives can drive much-needed change, discussions will focus on pressing global challenges.
On Tuesday, the S&D MEPs will meet with Senator Bernie Sanders to exchange views on a shared progressive agenda and ways to deepen transatlantic cooperation. This will be followed by a meeting with House Minority Whip Catherine Clark. The S&Ds will also engage with policy experts at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), the Atlantic Council, and the Transatlantic Policy Network (TPN) to discuss AI competitiveness, security, preserving democracy, and migration.
On Wednesday, the delegation will meet with Representative Nancy Pelosi and other members of the US House of Representatives to discuss the fight for equality, EU-US relations, and global challenges. They will also participate in the launch of the EU-US Caucus for the 119th Congress and meet with the Center for American Progress (CAP). On the same day, the S&D members will meet with Nathalie Francken, executive director of the World Bank and with Lord Peter Mandelson, UK Ambassador to the US.
On Thursday, the S&D MEPs will review the state of education in the US in a discussion with academic professors and students at the American University. Next, just a few days before the DC World Pride celebration, the delegation will meet with organisers and members of the Capital Pride Alliance (CPA) to assess the current situation on LGTBQIA+ rights in the US and Europe. The same day, they will hold an exchange of views with the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) on the Democratic response to current challenges.
This Wednesday, at 13:45 local time, members of the press corps in Washington DC are invited to a press point of S&D leader Iratxe García, together with S&D vice-presidents Kathleen van Brempt and Yannis Maniatis, and S&D MEP Brando Benifei, in front of the Capitol.
