Washington, DC - As President Trump has said, the United States is working with our friends and partners around the world to coordinate our efforts on stopping the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States values our cooperation with allies and partners in combatting the pandemic and in planning for our collective recovery.  In addition to the leadership of the President and Secretary of State with their G7, G20, NATO and other counterparts, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen E. Biegun has led weekly deputy minister-level coordination calls with Transatlantic Allies and partners since March 19, including the European Commission.

These calls have allowed the United States and our Transatlantic Allies and partners to share ideas and best practices in responding to the unique and complex challenges presented by the global pandemic and plan for safely re-opening our economies and commerce.  Through collaboration among Transatlantic partners, we have:

• Enabled hundreds of thousands of citizens of our respective countries to return home their families and loved ones, even as borders have closed and commercial flight options have disappeared;
• Facilitated the maintenance of critical supplies of vital protective equipment and medical supplies to strengthen our respective public health systems’ abilities to respond to and combat the pandemic;
• Ensured that foreign citizens employed in essential economic sectors in our respective countries have been able to continue working;
• Identified countries most vulnerable to the effects of the pandemic and coordinated on how best to support them;
• Collaborated on strengthening the rules-based international order, universal rights, and international peace and security against efforts to undermine them through disinformation and other means;
• Identified opportunities in multilateral meetings and fora to respond to and address challenges the pandemic has posed, including the G7 and G20; and
• Shared best practices on how free and open societies can respond and combat the pandemic while continuing to uphold democratic principles.

As we begin to re-open our societies and restart the global economy, the United States and our Transatlantic partners, through bilateral and multilateral efforts, will continue to collaborate on:

• Sharing best practices and lessons learned as our societies, businesses, and governments return to work;
• Mitigating the effects of border closures and diminished transportation links on global supply chains;
• Maintaining necessary aviation and transportation links to allow essential movement of people and cargo;
• Efforts to develop vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics and once developed, make them available, accessible, and affordable to all;
• Promoting transparency and the timely sharing of public health data and information with the international community to address emerging diseases and potential global health threats;
• Discussions on the use of multilateral institutions and fora to strengthen the global response to the pandemic and future crises;
• Actions to reenergize global growth and economic prosperity;
• Global assistance efforts to help vulnerable countries, particularly in Africa, strengthen their health systems and respond to the pandemic and its economic impact; and
• Strengthening democratic governance, universal rights (including freedom of the press and freedom of expression), and the rules-based international order and countering efforts by those who seek to undermine these principles through disinformation and coercion.

The United States and our Transatlantic partners welcome coordination with partners and international organizations who share our common objectives and principles and are capable of contributing to our efforts to foster global peace, security, and prosperity.