WHY YOU NEED AN AMBASSADOR TO THE EU MR. PRESIDENT !!!

The U.S. Mission to the European Union is the direct link between the U.S. Government and the European Union in Brussels, Belgium. Staff of the U.S. Mission to the EU (USEU) includes representatives from the Department of State (Political, Economic and Public Affairs Sections), the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the Foreign Commercial Service (FCS), the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, the Department of Defense DoD), and the U.S. Agency for International Development USAID).

1. The United States Defense Attaché Office (DAO) performs representational functions on behalf of the Secretary of Defense, the Secretaries of the Military Services, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chiefs of the U.S. Military Services and the Commander of European Command.

2. The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is a U.S. Department of Agriculture agency.  FAS/USEU represents the interests of U.S. farmers and the U.S. food and agricultural sector in the European Union. Its main mission is to improve market access for U.S. products and provide information to U.S. exporters on how to comply with EU rules.  FAS participates in U.S. agricultural trade formulation with the purpose of opening, maintaining and increasing EU markets for U.S. food and agricultural products.  This includes negotiations to reduce and eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade.  

3. Department of Commerce Foreign Commercial Service (FCS) There are more than 500 million consumers in the European Union’s 28 Member States. The U.S. Commercial Service at the United States Mission to the European Union is uniquely positioned to support US companies’ efforts to meet this market’s challenges and seize their opportunities. As European Union Member States harmonize their regulations and increase their economic integration, a direct connection to the U.S. Commercial Service at the U.S. Mission to the European Union can be the key to success in the European marketplace.

4. Department of Defense

5. Department of Justice

6. The Department of Homeland Security Attaché Office to the European Union creates policies, enforcement opportunities and concrete cooperative agreements to protect the national security and public safety of the United States, while assisting European partners with internal public security.  The increase in deadly terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists in Europe, requires ongoing information sharing by U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies, as appropriate.  Working with Europol, the European police agency, as well as policy makers in Brussels, the DHS Attaché develops policies that facilitate cooperation and joint action.  The office works with the European Union institutions on issues of cybersecurity, illegal immigration, intellectual property rights protection, investigating the sexual exploitation of children, continuation of the Visa Waiver Program, as well as matters related to ensuring the integrity from criminal exploitation of systems involving trade, travel and finance.

7. Department of Treasury: The Europe and Eurasia office covers more than 50 economies from Reykjavik to Vladivostok and a dynamic array of macroeconomic, financial, and political issues. The combination of a tentative and imbalanced recovery from the euro area crisis, geopolitical tensions, and a vigorous G-20 process that requires active diplomacy with European counterparts presents this office with a daily set of challenges that capture the focus of high-level policy officials across the U.S. government. Current priorities include: supporting the economic recovery in Ukraine, continuing engagement in and analysis of vulnerabilities associated with Europe’s weak growth outlook, debt overhangs, and risk of deflation; monitoring tail risks, particularly in Greece; and deepening  analysis of the longer-term challenges facing the currency union and the various institutional and country reforms needed to promote its sustainability.

8. Economic Section:  The European Union (EU) is the United States’ largest trading partner and its largest investment partner. Together the U.S. and EU account for 55% of the world’s GDP and nearly 40% of global trade. The United States Government works closely with the various institutions that make up the European Union to facilitate and expand transatlantic trade and investment. They also coordinate closely – through the Transatlantic Economic Framework and numerous other channels – on critical issues including climate change, energy security, regulatory cooperation, sanctions, and multilateral trade negotiations. The Economic Section at the U.S. Mission to the EU is responsible for day-to-day coordination with EU institutions on economic affairs. This includes sustained engagement with 18 of the EU’s 28 Commissioners; with 21 Commission Directorates General; with 17 Committees of the European Parliament; and regularly with the officials that deal with these issues in the permanent representations of the 28 EU member states. It also requires frequent contact with the nearly 400 U.S. companies and trade associations represented in Brussels. And, most important, it requires working closely with the US Embassies in the 28 EU countries — while policy decisions are increasingly made in Brussels, they are still very much made by the governments of the member states. The Section is likewise in regular contact with virtually every U.S. government agency, from the Consumer Product Safety Commission to the Federal Reserve. The Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs leads the Economic Section and is the primary advisor to the Ambassador and U.S. officials in Washington on U.S.-EU economic issues. The Section’s staff is composed of representatives from the: State Department, Department of the Treasury, Food and Drug Administration, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The Economic Minister-Counselor also coordinates the work of other U.S. Government economic agencies assigned to the Mission, including the Department of Commerce and the Department of Agriculture.

9. The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) international mission is to increase the safety and efficiency of the global civil aerospace system in an environmentally sound manner by improving regulatory oversight and harmonization and promoting a seamless, global air traffic management system. The FAA’s Europe, Africa, and Middle East Office, headquartered in Brussels, oversees the responsibilities of the FAA in over 120 countries. The office manages 5 satellite offices and a Washington based staff, working in conjunction with U.S. diplomatic missions, foreign governments and their aviation authorities, the institutions of the European Union, air navigation service providers and the U.S. and foreign aerospace industry in order to fulfill the international aviation goals of the United States. The FAA Office in Brussels has staff from the International Office, the Air Traffic Organization, and the Airworthiness and Flight Standards Offices.

10.Food and Drug Administration(FDA) Europe Office: The mission of FDA’s Europe’s Office is to strengthen the safety, quality, and effectiveness of medical products and food produced in Europe for export to the United States. The objective of the Europe Office is to foster collaboration and to share knowledge and information with FDA’s counterpart regulatory authorities throughout the region, both directly and through their Embassies in Washington DC. Europe Office staff are located at the FDA headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, at the EMA in London, United Kingdom, and at the U.S. Mission to the European Union, located in Brussels, Belgium

11. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE)

12. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries

13. National Science Foundation (NSF) Europe Office

14. Office of the U.S. Trade Representative: The U.S.-EU economic relationship is the world’s largest, accounting for one third of total goods and services trade and nearly half of global economic output. The trading volume between the United States and EU amounts to €700 billion, the largest between any two partners worldwide, and transatlantic investment is directly responsible for roughly 7 million jobs . This enormous volume of transatlantic trade and investment promotes economic prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic and in the dozens of other countries that trade with the transatlantic partners.  Largest US Partners in the EU are: 1. Germany, 2. United Kingdom, 3. France, 4. Italy, 5. Netherlands, 6. Ireland, 7 Belgium and 8. Spain.

15. Political Security and Global Issues: The U.S. coordinates closely with the EU on foreign affairs, which spans a wide range of topics, including but not limited to, the Middle East, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Caucasus, international development, food security, humanitarian assistance, immigration and border security, data protection, counter-terrorism, visa policy, and EU enlargement. The Political Section at the U.S. Mission to the EU is responsible for the relationship between the U.S. and the EU regarding foreign and many inter-institutional affairs. This section is composed of the following units and agencies: Political-Military Affairs Unit/Consular Affairs Unit, Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) Unit, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Representative, Department of Defense (DOD) Representative. Also addressing justice, law enforcement, and counter-terrorism issues at the U.S. Mission to the EU are the: Department of Justice (DOJ) Representative, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Representative/Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Representative.

16. Population Refugees and Migration (PRM)

17. Public Diplomacy: The Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Mission (USEU PA) directs the Mission’s communications programs, which aim to build understanding between US and European governments and people and lead to a stronger transatlantic relationship. USEU PA is divided into the Press and Information Unit and the Programs and Exchanges Unit. The two sections work to inform and engage European audiences in discussion about U.S. policies, U.S. society, and U.S.-EU cooperation on a global agenda. The Press and Information Unit organizes interviews, briefings and press conferences on current policy areas, ranging broadly from the transatlantic market, climate change, energy security, and the global economic crisis to non-proliferation, peace and security in the Middle East, Afghanistan, and other regions, and development and foreign assistance. The Press and Information Unit organizes media opportunities for USEU officials and visiting U.S. Government officials and other U.S. experts. The office also leads the Mission’s broad outreach on social media, using the newest technology to foster dialogue on U.S. policy positions with European audiences. The Programs and Exchanges Unit develops programs and conferences with EU and Brussels-based think tanks and NGOs on the full range of policy and societal issues of mutual interest to Europe and the United States. The Office also manages the State Department’s professional exchange program, the International Visitor Leadership program, and works with the EU Commission through the Fulbright Commission to support the Fulbright-Schuman exchange for academics and professionals studying the EU and U.S.-EU relations.

18. Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

19. US Agency for International Development (USAid)

20. US Patent and Trademark Office

21.United States- European Media Hub: The U.S. State Department’s U.S.-European Media Hub promotes transatlantic relations by connecting U.S. policy makers and experts with European radio and television broadcasters. The goal is the European Media Hub is to help media organizations in Europe gain access to policymakers throughout the U.S. government for interviews on timely topics. The aim is to connect U.S. policy voices and perspectives with European publics through media engagement. As part of the U.S. Department of State’s Office of International Media Engagement, the European Media Hub works hand in hand with the Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Mission to the European Union and with Public Affairs Offices at U.S. Embassies throughout Europe. The US-European Media Hub offers services for journalists. Broadcast studio facilities to conduct live or taped TV and radio interviews with U.S. policymakers, in a variety of formats or resolutions and with satellite and file transfer capability.

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