European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton cut the ribbon to commemorate the official launch of the European Union’s San Francisco office on Thursday, June 22, alongside Lieutenant Governor of California Eleni Kounalakis, California State Senator Scott Wiener, and Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs Adrian Vazquez.
 
“I am very glad to be here today in Silicon Valley, a global centre for digital technology and innovation, to officially inaugurate the new European Union office in San Francisco,” Commissioner Breton said in his keynote address to an audience of business and technology sector leaders. “As like-minded partners who strive for reciprocity and common principles, all while respecting our respective democratic processes, our transatlantic ties are more relevant than ever in the area of technology.”
 
European Union Ambassador to the United States Stavros Lambrinidis also underscored the close ties between Europe and the San Francisco region.

“Europe and the Bay Area may seem far, but our values, objectives, and challenges are very similar,” Ambassador Lambrinidis said in speech via videoconference from Washington, D.C. “And in the city of San Francisco, we couldn’t pick a better metaphor for our mission. We are here to build bridges. Having a presence in San Francisco allows the EU to be close to the action in Silicon Valley – the global nerve center of so much digital technology and innovation. But also to be close to California – the state policy nerve center when it comes to privacy and everything else digital.”
 
The EU office in San Francisco seeks to promote EU standards and technologies, digital policies and regulations and governance models, and to strengthen cooperation with US stakeholders, including by advancing the work of the EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council.
 
The opening of the office is a result of the 2021 EU-U.S. Summit shared commitment to strengthen transatlantic technological cooperation and is a core part of the Conclusions on Digital Diplomacy, adopted by EU Foreign Affairs Council in July of 2022.