Dossier

Transatlantic relations

2024 is a crucial year for Transatlantic relations, with EU and US elections at both sides of the pond. This web dossier compilates articles, podcasts and resources from the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung offices and partners on the future of EU-US relations.

Articles | Publications | Podcasts | Events | Contact

Latest articles

What would a second Trump presidency mean for UK-EU defence cooperation?

Commentary

A Trump presidency would probably force the UK and EU to intensify their cooperation on security and defence. Fortunately, says Gesine Weber, this relationship was relatively less affected by Brexit. It would also push Europeans to have some difficult conversations about building on their own nuclear deterrent.

By Gesine Weber

European defense cooperation: failure to launch

Media Fellowship

With US support waning, European nations could be much more in a bind to step up and provide streamlined military aid for Ukraine in 2024. While the war in Ukraine lead to replenished national defense budgets, different interests and agendas so far have prevented substantial European collaboration.

By Jordan Michael Smith

Climate, jobs, and growth: How coalitions powered Biden’s legislation to decarbonize america

Analysis

It’s been one year since the US passed the most significant climate bill in American history. The achievement, after years of failures, offers lessons for progressive movements on building coalitions, creating hopeful narratives, rebuilding trust in government-led solutions, and expanding grassroots support.

By Mareike Moraal , Ella Mueller and Hannah Winnick

Civil society proposals to reconcile trade rules with the need for regulatory action

Commentary

When governments adopt new legislation, they need to check if their plan is in line with international agreements they signed up to. Consumer and digital rights organisations from the EU and the US are concerned that rules in trade agreements could deter domestic regulation that is in the public interest. To address this, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung and Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue organised a discussion between NGOs, public officials, parliamentarians, and academics. The NGOs aimed to raise awareness and find solutions to prevent trade rules from discouraging government action and ensure improved protection for citizens writes Léa Auffret.

By Léa Auffret

Regulating at a glacial pace: barriers to progress written into our trade regimes

Commentary

We’re at a climate tipping point, yet international trade rules remain a persistent barrier to climate action. Momentum is also quickly building toward a digital tipping point: one where Big Tech surveillance is too far out of control to reign in, and where human rights and democracy only exist at the whim of tech corporations. Recurrent trade pressures could impact the willingness of the EU and the US to take action to better protect consumers in the digital market, or even to act to fight against climate change. So how did we get here, and what role do the new US–EU cooperation venues have to play?

By Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue

Rebuilding Transatlantic relations

Dossier

On 20 January 2021, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris respectively became President and Vice-President of the United States of America. The new administration faces great challenges after four years of Trump-fuelled divisions and threats to the Rule of Law, as well as the ravaging effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. How will the USA recover its economy, overcome social and political polarisation and regain trust at global level? How will Transatlantic relations be rebuilt? Contributions from our foreign offices and partners.

All articles and dossiers on Transatlantic relations

Publications

Transatlantic Strategy on Critical Raw Materials

Brief

Jacob Mardell compares the US and EU strategies to ensure access to raw materials necessary for the green transition in the face of global competition and shows how these should be based on genuine and inclusive partnerships rather than just economic interests.

pdf

Transatlantic Investment Controls

Brief

Erik Brattberg examines the US and EU approaches to investment and export controls and argues for stronger transatlantic coordination.

pdf

How European Transatlanticists Might Approach an Isolationist U.S. Administration

Policy brief

The 2024 U.S. elections will be closely watched around the world, especially in Europe. The United States is the European Union’s most important partner, guaranteeing Europe’s security through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). A potential shift toward a less internationalist and more isolationist U.S. foreign policy would have profound implications for the continent.

pdf

Between Hard and Soft Power

E-paper

Although political debates were for the most part overshadowed by the Corona crisis at the beginning of 2021, this E-Paper wants to address the question of how the European Union could find its place in a more competitive world. The buzzwords of this debate were the concepts of strategic autonomy and strategic sovereignty of the EU.

pdf

Reinventing Transatlantic Relations on Climate, Democracy, and Technology

Working Paper

While the election of Joe Biden to the U.S. presidency presents an opening to restore the transatlantic relationship after Donald Trump, the real question facing U.S. and European officials is whether they can successfully manage to advance a new transatlantic agenda for the coming decade.

pdf

All publications on Transatlantic relations