Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose W. Fernandez is traveling to Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, and the United Kingdom through October 11, 2023, to deepen transatlantic cooperation on key economic growth and economic security priorities. This includes a wide range of policy areas such as trade, technology, climate, energy, food security, and providing sustained support for Ukraine's economic recovery, future, and shared prosperity.In Berlin, Under Secretary Fernandez joined the High-Level Economic Dialogue to strengthen even further the robust U.S.-German bilateral relationship.Under Secretary Fernandez visited Paris to participate in the International Energy Agency (IEA) Ministerial alongside Ministers of Energy from all over the world, to discuss ways to better source and process critical minerals, which are vital for the clean energy transition.In Brussels, Under Secretary Fernandez will tour theBelgium-basedInteruniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) factory in Leuven, one of Europe's leading semiconductor R&D centers, employing 5,000 researchers. He will also hold meetings with U.S. private sector companies and meet with senior European Union officials to discuss trade issues related to the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC), in addition to meeting with the head of the Secretariat of the Donor Coordination Platform for Ukraine.In Rome, Under Secretary Fernandez will meet with senior government officials to discuss G7 planning and economic security issues.In London, the Under Secretary will participate in a Financial Times Mining Summit to discuss the importance of securing reliable, transparent, and sustainable critical minerals and participate in the Minerals Security Partnership Ministerial hosted by the United Kingdom.To stay updated, follow Under Secretary Fernandez on Twitter:@State_E, Facebook:@StateDeptE, and LinkedIn:@State-E.For press inquiries, please contact:E_Communications@state.gov.
