Cllr Joe Cooney went to the United States as part of a wider delegation of the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe. The delegation consisting of EU, national and local politicians attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and met with representatives of US cities and think-tanks working on localism and transatlantic relations.   

Commenting on the importance of transatlantic relations, Cllr Cooney said: "It is crucial that we work with our counterparts from the United States as we face common challenges that require action at the level of local and regional politicians. This ranges from subject areas such as climate change to tackling radicalisation. When we think about transatlantic cooperation, we need to think of city to city cooperation. Our cities already cooperate through networks such as the Strong Cities Network, the Global Covenant of Mayors and international conferences. We need to build on these initiatives."                                                             

Cllr Cooney met representatives of US cities and also attended the CPAC conference as part of the official ACRE delegation. CPAC is the annual political conference attended by more than 10.000 conservative activists and elected officials. The conference unites the political leaders of the conservative movement in a series of keynote speeches and general sessions.