A delegation of 10 companies from the manufacturing and services sectors just concluded two days of successful meetings in Brussels--home of the European Union. A big part of our agenda was pushing a Transatlantic Trade Pact between the United States and Europe, which is a big priority of the Chamber. As they say, timing is everything. As we leave Brussels, the interim report of the US-EU High Level Working Group on Transatlantic Jobs and Growth was released to our delight.

In Brussels, we had a series of meetings with a wide spectrum of government officials, business groups, and other key stakeholders. For example, we met with Jean Luc-Demarty, the Director General for Trade, the Cabinet of EU Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht, and members of the European Parliament's Trade Committee. We also met with the European Centre for International Political Economy and business groups like AmCham EU and BusinessEurope. From our meetings, it is clear there is strong interest in moving the ball forward on transatlantic trade; it's a win-win for both sides. Today's interim report is a step in the right direction, and we are hopeful that talks could be launched before the end of the year.

While in Brussels, we held a joint conference with BusinessEurope on business priorities for the World Trade Organization (WTO). We released a joint statement about our views on a roadmap for 2012 and beyond.

Speaking of WTO, our delegation is heading to Geneva tonight for meetings tomorrow on a Trade Facilitation Agreement, and an International Services Agreement among other topics. More to come.