{ "id": "R45745", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R45745", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 624157, "date": "2020-04-27", "retrieved": "2020-05-19T14:00:05.550731", "title": "Transatlantic Relations: U.S. Interests and Key Issues", "summary": "For the past 70 years, the United States has been instrumental in leading and promoting a strong U.S.-European partnership. Often termed the transatlantic relationship, this partnership has been grounded in the U.S.-led post-World War II order based on alliances with like-minded democratic countries and a shared U.S.-European commitment to free markets and an open international trading system. Transatlantic relations encompass the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union (EU), close U.S. bilateral ties with most countries in Western and Central Europe, and a massive, interdependent trade and investment partnership. Despite periodic U.S.-European tensions, successive U.S. Administrations and many Members of Congress have supported the broad transatlantic relationship, viewing it as enhancing U.S. security and stability and magnifying U.S. global influence and financial clout.\nTransatlantic Relations and the Trump Administration\nThe transatlantic relationship currently faces significant challenges. President Trump and some members of his Administration have questioned NATO\u2019s strategic value, and they have expressed considerable skepticism about the EU and the multilateral trading system. President Trump repeatedly voices concern that the United States bears an undue share of the transatlantic security burden and that EU trade policies are unfair to U.S. workers and businesses. The United Kingdom\u2019s departure from the EU (\u201cBrexit\u201d) on January 31, 2020, could have implications for U.S. security and economic interests in Europe. U.S.-European divisions have emerged on regional and global issues, from aspects of relations with Russia and China to policies on Iran, Syria, arms control, and climate change. Managing the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has further strained relations.\nThe Trump Administration asserts that its policies toward Europe seek to ensure that European allies and partners are equipped to work with the United States in confronting the challenges posed by an increasingly competitive world. U.S. officials maintain that the U.S. commitment to NATO and European security remains steadfast; the Trump Administration has backed new NATO initiatives to deter Russian aggression, supported the accession of two new members to the alliance, and increased U.S. troop deployments in Europe. The Administration also contends that it is committed to working with the EU, as signaled by its intention to pursue a U.S.-EU trade liberalization agreement. Supporters credit President Trump\u2019s approach toward Europe with strengthening NATO and compelling the EU to address U.S. trade concerns.\nCritics argue that the Administration\u2019s policies are endangering decades of U.S.-European consultation and cooperation that have advanced key U.S. geostrategic and economic interests. Some analysts suggest that current U.S.-European divisions are detrimental to transatlantic cohesion and represent a win for potential adversaries such as Russia and China. Many European leaders worry about potential U.S. global disengagement, and some increasingly argue that Europe must be better prepared to address both regional and international challenges on its own.\nCongressional Interests\nThe implications of Trump Administration policies toward Europe and the extent to which the transatlantic relationship contributes to promoting U.S. security and prosperity may be of interest to the 116th Congress. Broad bipartisan support exists in Congress for NATO, and many Members of Congress view the EU as an important U.S. partner, especially given extensive U.S.-EU trade and investment ties. At the same time, some Members have long advocated for greater European burdensharing in NATO, or may oppose European or EU policies on certain foreign policy or trade issues. Areas for potential congressional oversight include the future U.S. role in NATO, as well as prospects for U.S.-European cooperation on challenges such as managing a resurgent Russia and an increasingly competitive China. Based on its constitutional role over tariffs and foreign commerce, Congress has a direct interest in monitoring proposed new U.S.-EU trade agreement negotiations. In addition, Congress may consider how the Administration\u2019s trade and tariff policies could affect the U.S.-EU economic relationship. Also see CRS Report R45652, Assessing NATO\u2019s Value, by Paul Belkin; CRS Report R44249, The European Union: Ongoing Challenges and Future Prospects, by Kristin Archick; and CRS In Focus IF10930, U.S.-EU Trade and Investment Ties: Magnitude and Scope, by Shayerah Ilias Akhtar.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45745", "sha1": "9856b36d5b13f9c1fc85b4b458fe612e436f8825", "filename": "files/20200427_R45745_9856b36d5b13f9c1fc85b4b458fe612e436f8825.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45745_files&id=/2.png": "files/20200427_R45745_images_67ba7b07c94dcd9ad16de71eb54f3748b446069d.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45745_files&id=/0.png": "files/20200427_R45745_images_99e48bd3f968cd305c93fbb427ba8fa17fdc85c5.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45745_files&id=/1.png": "files/20200427_R45745_images_10760eaef84ed777b1da9a9b35ab94a62397f035.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45745", "sha1": "02e6f244faa37fa845c500348c1fc4a7a15c6056", "filename": "files/20200427_R45745_02e6f244faa37fa845c500348c1fc4a7a15c6056.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4786, "name": "Europe, Russia, & Eurasia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 598962, "date": "2019-05-31", "retrieved": "2019-05-31T22:12:39.181085", "title": "Transatlantic Relations: U.S. Interests and Key Issues", "summary": "For the past 70 years, the United States has been instrumental in leading and promoting a strong U.S.-European partnership. Often termed the transatlantic relationship, this partnership has been grounded in the U.S.-led post-World War II order based on alliances with like-minded democratic countries and a shared U.S.-European commitment to free markets and an open international trading system. Transatlantic relations encompass the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union (EU), close U.S. bilateral ties with most countries in Western and Central Europe, and a massive, interdependent trade and investment partnership. Despite periodic U.S.-European tensions, successive U.S. Administrations and many Members of Congress have supported the broad transatlantic relationship, viewing it as enhancing U.S. security and stability and magnifying U.S. global influence and financial clout.\nTransatlantic Relations and the Trump Administration\nThe transatlantic relationship currently faces significant challenges. President Trump and some members of his Administration have questioned the strategic value and utility of NATO to the United States, and they have expressed considerable skepticism about the fundamental worth of the EU and the multilateral trading system. President Trump repeatedly has voiced concern that the United States bears an undue share of the transatlantic security burden and that EU trade policies are unfair to U.S. workers and businesses. U.S.-European policy divisions have emerged on a wide range of regional and global issues, from certain aspects of relations with Russia and China, to policies on Iran, Syria, arms control, and climate change, among others. The United Kingdom\u2019s pending departure from the EU (\u201cBrexit\u201d) also could have implications for U.S. security and economic interests in Europe.\nThe Trump Administration asserts that its policies toward Europe seek to bolster the transatlantic relationship by ensuring that European allies and friends are equipped to work with the United States in confronting the challenges posed by an increasingly competitive world. Administration officials maintain that the U.S. commitment to NATO and European security remains steadfast; President Trump has backed new NATO initiatives to deter Russian aggression and increased U.S. troop deployments in Europe. The Administration also contends that it is committed to working with the EU to resolve trade and tariff disputes, as signaled by its intention to launch new U.S.-EU trade negotiations. Supporters credit President Trump\u2019s approach toward Europe with strengthening NATO and compelling the EU to address U.S. trade concerns.\nCritics argue that the Administration\u2019s policies are endangering decades of U.S.-European cooperation that have advanced key U.S. geostrategic and economic interests. Some analysts suggest that current U.S.-European divisions are detrimental to transatlantic cohesion and represent a win for potential adversaries such as Russia and China. Many European leaders worry about potential U.S. global disengagement, and some argue that Europe must be better prepared to address both regional and international challenges on its own.\nCongressional Interests\nThe implications of Trump Administration policies toward Europe and the extent to which the transatlantic relationship contributes to promoting U.S. security and prosperity may be of interest to the 116th Congress. Broad bipartisan support exists in Congress for NATO, and many Members of Congress view the EU as an important U.S. partner, especially given extensive U.S.-EU trade and investment ties. At the same time, some Members have long advocated for greater European burdensharing in NATO, or may oppose European or EU policies on certain foreign policy or trade issues. Areas for potential congressional oversight include the future U.S. role in NATO, as well as prospects for U.S.-European cooperation on common challenges such as managing a resurgent Russia and an increasingly competitive China. Based on its constitutional role over tariffs and foreign commerce, Congress has a direct interest in monitoring proposed new U.S.-EU trade agreement negotiations. In addition, Congress may consider how the Administration\u2019s trade and tariff policies could affect the U.S.-EU economic relationship. Also see CRS Report R45652, Assessing NATO\u2019s Value, by Paul Belkin; CRS Report R44249, The European Union: Ongoing Challenges and Future Prospects, by Kristin Archick; and CRS In Focus IF11209, Proposed U.S.-EU Trade Agreement Negotiations, by Shayerah Ilias Akhtar, Andres B. Schwarzenberg, and Ren\u00e9e Johnson.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45745", "sha1": "2df9a9c2e87404bf00328a64c97b747feeddab0d", "filename": "files/20190531_R45745_2df9a9c2e87404bf00328a64c97b747feeddab0d.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45745_files&id=/2.png": "files/20190531_R45745_images_bf376e91fd06d5a105a371aaa0c4c9588e032c3a.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45745_files&id=/0.png": "files/20190531_R45745_images_f332e128673af722f97a846b20cb453e0ad48faf.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45745_files&id=/1.png": "files/20190531_R45745_images_e62f68d28f345da69a8aecfc7a5118a81479c265.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45745", "sha1": "148807bdc7adcc525d5af600237de9c42d445592", "filename": "files/20190531_R45745_148807bdc7adcc525d5af600237de9c42d445592.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4786, "name": "Europe, Russia, & Eurasia" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Constitutional Questions", "European Affairs", "Foreign Affairs", "National Defense" ] }