Trade Commissioner De Gucht discusses EU-US Free Trade Agreement while MEPs vote on cybersecurity and debate better human rights for women in Africa.

EU-US trade / Cybercrime / Human rights

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/16223378/n001-130221-002-en.srt

If the US-EU Free Trade Agreement  goes ahead,

it will be the biggest bilateral  trade agreement ever negotiated.

The US and EU already have the largest  economic relationship in the world.

Two-way trade totals €600 billion annually  and investment about €3 trillion.

Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht was  at Parliament on Thursday to talk to MEPs.

Both voiced their hopes for the start  of meaningful negotiations.

With what we have together  - the free market -

we can deal together  with China, for example,

and we can have more influence  on social standards,

environmental standards  and good governance.

The Industry Committee  voted in favour of a new regulation

on the European Network and Information  Security Agency on Wednesday.

The EU's impetus for better cyber protection  comes when the US has released a report

accusing a Chinese military unit  in Shanghai

We've heard about this anonymous building  in China housing hundreds of operatives

who are believed to be the source of cyber  threats and cyber attacks around the world.

and giving this agency a new mandate  is part of that process.

It was a meeting of two advocates  for human rights on Wednesday

as the Subcommittee  on Human Rights Chair

received the African Union's  Commission Chair.

A charter to protect the rights  of African women was established in 2005

but violence against women and children  remains a big problem for Africa,

especially in conflict and post conflict areas.

We don't accept this but we also have  not found a committed strategy to end that.