Consider the following statements:
- Statement-I: Recently, the United States of America (USA) and the European Union (EU) have launched the ‘Trade and Technology Council’.
- Statement-II: The USA and the EU claim that through this they are trying to bring technological progress and physical productivity under their control.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
The US-EU Trade and Technology Council is real: it was set up in 2021 and first met in Pittsburgh on 29 September 2021. Its stated aims are to coordinate approaches on technology, economic and trade issues and to deepen transatlantic economic ties, not to bring technological progress under the two powers' control.
- ✓ Statement-I The Trade and Technology Council (TTC) was launched by the United States and the European Union in 2021: the European Commission says it was set up at the EU-US Summit in Brussels on 15 June 2021, and its first ministerial meeting took place in Pittsburgh on 29 September 2021.
- ✗ Statement-II The TTC is a forum where the two sides align their approaches on trade, economic and technology questions and strengthen transatlantic commerce, resting on shared democratic values. Neither side says it is putting technological progress or productivity under its control.
Remember · US-EU Trade and Technology Council (2021): a coordination forum on technology, economic and trade issues built on shared democratic values; first met in Pittsburgh on 29 September 2021.
Sources
- United States Trade Representative, U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council Inaugural Joint Statement (29 September 2021) ↗ “The United States and the European Union reaffirm the TTC’s objectives to: coordinate approaches to key global technology, economic, and trade issues; and to deepen transatlantic trade and economic relations, basing policies on shared democratic values.”
- European Commission: EU-US Trade and Technology Council (copy of the page, 2022) ↗ “European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Joe Biden launched the EU-US Trade and Technology Council at the EU-US Summit in Brussels on June 15, 2021. … serves as a forum for the United States and European Union to coordinate approaches to key global trade, economic, and technology issues and to deepen transatlantic trade and economic relations”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·