Towards Secure, Sustainable, and Values-Based Supply Chains

Thursday, March 18, 2021, 10:00 - 11:00 am EDT // 15:00 - 16:00 CET

The Covid-19 pandemic exposed structural deficiencies in global supply chains when the United States, the European Union, and many other countries experienced a sudden lack of access to critical medical goods. At the same time, as the widespread semiconductor chip shortage has revealed, deepening geo-technological competition is straining global manufacturing supply chains. Additionally, allegations of forced labor and the increased visibility of climate change worldwide is driving consumers and governments on both sides of the Atlantic to consider whether there needs to be a new balance between efficiency and economic integration vs. promoting shared values and security goals.

The United States, Germany, and the EU have all identified strengthening supply chain resilience as a policy priority. In the United States, President Biden has signed an Executive Order that kickstarted government reviews of industrial supply chains from pharmaceuticals to computer chips to critical minerals. The German government has drafted a new supply chain law that would oblige German companies to take action against human rights violations and failure to uphold environmental standards by their foreign suppliers. Last year, the EU launched its “Action Plan on Critical Raw Materials” to diversify access to rare earth materials used for electronics and consumer goods. And EU member states have asked the European Commission for an EU Action Plan in 2021 to create global supply chains that promote human rights and include social and environmental due diligence standards and transparency. 

This panel discussion will engage government officials, parliamentarians, and experts from Germany and the United States to highlight opportunities for transatlantic cooperation to create more resilient global supply chains. Among other issues, this cooperation could focus on ensuring access to goods related to public health; enforcing human rights, including banning forced labor; promoting climate-friendly inputs in production processes; and identifying mechanisms to deal with trade in goods that affect U.S. and European security, such as sensitive technology manufactured in China.

Speakers

Katharina Dröge, Alliance 90/The Greens Parliamentary Spokesperson on Economic Policy, Member of the German Bundestag

Dr. Stormy-Annika Mildner, Executive Director, Aspen Institute Germany

Matt Murray, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Trade Policy, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, U.S. Department of State

Peter Rashish, Senior Fellow and Director, Geoeconomics Program, AICGS

Moderator

Marianne Schneider-Petsinger, Senior Research Fellow, US and the Americas Program, Chatham House

This event will convene via Zoom. Contact Yixiang Xu with any questions at yxu@aicgs.org.

Please register for the event here.