On 16 July, BusinessEurope published its position paper "EU and USA: how to build a positive agenda". When releasing the paper Markus J. Beyrer, Director General said it is even more important for Europe and the USA, he added, to lay the foundation for a renewed and even stronger relationship. Having a formal, high-level platform for strategic dialogue on trade and economic cooperation, spanning across changing US administrations and EU institutional cycles. It is time for the EU to adopt a coherent and proactive strategy vis-à-vis the United States: our position paper presents concrete policy proposals that we hope will contribute to build a positive transatlantic agenda. The document outlines short-term and long-term objectives for three streams of work, focusing on the bilateral agenda, on how the European Union and the United States can work more closely together on multilateral issues, and finally, on the unilateral dimension - the impact that laws adopted on either side can have on transatlantic relations. 

"The EU, in common with the rest of the global economy, is clearly experiencing the deepest recession since the 1930s", Director General Markus J. Beyrer said on publication of BusinessEurope's Spring Economic Outlook 2020. Our central forecast is for the EU economy to fall by around 8% in 2020, and rebound with around 6% growth next year. "As we progressively reopen our economies", Beyrer commented, "we will need to ensure we have a co-ordinated EU response in place to support consumer demand, business investment and maintain employment". A coordinated fiscal stimulus remains essential to strengthening the recovery and minimising the long-term scarring to the EU economy. With the right policy response in place, we expect that the economy can recover enough to operate just slightly below its pre-crisis level towards the end of 2021. Read the full document or watch our Economics Director James Watson explain the measures needed.