Biden administration will be “quantum leap” for US-German relations – transatlantic coordinator

The new US administration under Joe Biden will be a “quantum leap” for US-German relations, transatlantic cooperation coordinator and conservative CDU MP Peter Beyer has said. In an interview with Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND), Beyer said he expects the steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by the Trump administration to be dismantled, and that the sanctions over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline must fall. In addition, Beyer believes free trade negotiations between the countries will resume, as an efficient agreement will “help secure relative prosperity and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.” He also argued that in order to counter the Asia-Pacific RCEP agreement, there should be a transatlantic agreement with environmental and labour protection standards. With regard to climate policy, Beyer highlighted the symbolic importance of the US reentering the Paris agreement, but added that it is “at least as important to draw practical conclusions from it.” “If the U.S. and the EU stand shoulder to shoulder on this, it could have a major signal effect,” he said.

The Democratic administration under Joe Biden will take office on 20 January 2021. Politicians and climate policy experts on both sides of the Atlantic have hailed Joe Biden’s election win as a new beginning for EU-US relations to drive global emissions reduction. Showcasing just how high expectations are, the European Commission has already drawn up plans for a climate-friendly technology alliance and a wider green trade cooperation. However, this new partnership might not be all smooth sailing. Energy spats such as the one surrounding Nord Stream 2 are set to stay, Kirsten Westphal, senior associate at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) has previously told Clean Energy Wire.