The European Union and the USA Smith and Steffenson
The USA plays a key role in the international policies of the EU, the European economy and the
broader global political economy.
The US influence stimulated the European project in two senses:
1. The US federal system was an inspiration for European leaders to create a ‘United States of
Europe’
2. European integration was inspired by the desire to match the US and Soviet superpowers, to
create a ‘third force’
= ambivalence/competitive cooperation (the USA is a key partner and leader but also a potential rival
in world politics)
- On an economic level: economic interdependence has always been at the core of the EU-US
relationship, starting with the Marshall plan in the 1940s-1950S. Some important trends in
the EU-US economic relations:
- a consistent growth of the economic links
- the EU to be seen as an economic superpower (a so-called ‘partnership of equals’
with the US)
- On a political level: from a desire to promote the strengthening of liberal democracies in
Europe, anti-communism and a spread of free markets and liberal ideas especially after the
Cold War
- On a security level: the EU is a ‘security community’, within which war between members is
unthinkable
! The EU often fails to operate effectively because of penetrated decision-making, and competing
‘languages’ (“Who speaks for Europe?”). While the USA has repeatedly complained about the
inefficiency, it has also used it to its advantage.
The EU-US relationship has been crucial in conditioning the development of the EU’s participation in
international processes.
TTIP negotiations = The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) was a proposed trade
agreement between the European Union (EU) and the United States, intending to promote trade and
multilateral economic growth. According to some, the TTIP would have been the largest bilateral
trade initiative ever negotiated, not only because it would have involved the two largest economic
areas in the world but also "because of its potential global reach in setting an example for future
partners and agreements"
The USA plays a key role in the international policies of the EU, the European economy and the
broader global political economy.
The US influence stimulated the European project in two senses:
1. The US federal system was an inspiration for European leaders to create a ‘United States of
Europe’
2. European integration was inspired by the desire to match the US and Soviet superpowers, to
create a ‘third force’
= ambivalence/competitive cooperation (the USA is a key partner and leader but also a potential rival
in world politics)
- On an economic level: economic interdependence has always been at the core of the EU-US
relationship, starting with the Marshall plan in the 1940s-1950S. Some important trends in
the EU-US economic relations:
- a consistent growth of the economic links
- the EU to be seen as an economic superpower (a so-called ‘partnership of equals’
with the US)
- On a political level: from a desire to promote the strengthening of liberal democracies in
Europe, anti-communism and a spread of free markets and liberal ideas especially after the
Cold War
- On a security level: the EU is a ‘security community’, within which war between members is
unthinkable
! The EU often fails to operate effectively because of penetrated decision-making, and competing
‘languages’ (“Who speaks for Europe?”). While the USA has repeatedly complained about the
inefficiency, it has also used it to its advantage.
The EU-US relationship has been crucial in conditioning the development of the EU’s participation in
international processes.
TTIP negotiations = The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) was a proposed trade
agreement between the European Union (EU) and the United States, intending to promote trade and
multilateral economic growth. According to some, the TTIP would have been the largest bilateral
trade initiative ever negotiated, not only because it would have involved the two largest economic
areas in the world but also "because of its potential global reach in setting an example for future
partners and agreements"
