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1 1 (February 5, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govcacr0001 and id is 1 raw text is: FF. ' iE SE .r, i , p\w -- , gnom go mppm qq\ , q I aS 11LULANJILiN, Updated February 5, 2020 U.S.-European Relations in the 116th Congress Since the end of the Second World War, successive U.S. Administrations and many Members of Congress have supported a close U.S. partnership with Europe. Often termed the transatlantic relationship, the U.S.-European partnership encompasses NATO, the European Union (EU), and extensive bilateral political and economic ties. Over the past 70 years, political tensions, trade disputes, and changes in the security landscape have tested U.S.-European relations. Despite periodic difficulties, U.S. and European policymakers have valued the transatlantic partnership as serving their respective geostrategic and economic interests. President Trump and some officials in his Administration have questioned the tenets of the post World War II transatlantic security and economic architecture to an unprecedented extent. President Trump's criticisms of NATO, the EU, and key European countries have prompted significant concerns in Europe. The Administration contends that it is committed to NATO and supports close U.S.-European ties, but some Europeans question whether the United States will remain a reliable, credible partner. Policy divergences on a wide range of regional and global issues also pose challenges to U.S.-European relations. The second session of the 116th Congress may wish to consider the implications of Trump Administration policies for U.S. interests in Europe and U.S.-European cooperation. U.S. policymakers have long regarded both NATO and the EU as crucial to maintaining peace and stability in Europe and stymieing big-power competition that cost over 500,000 American lives in two world wars. The United States spearheaded NATO's creation in 1949 and encouraged the European integration project from its inception in the 1950s. During the Cold War, NATO and the European project were considered essential to deterring the Soviet threat. With strong U.S. support, NATO and the EU have enlarged since the 1990s, extending security and prosperity across the European continent. The U.S. and European economies are deeply intertwined. In 2018, the EU accounted for about one-fifth of total U.S. trade in goods and services. The United States and the EU are each other's largest source and destination for foreign direct investment. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2017, the U.S.-European economy generated $5 trillion a year in foreign affiliate sales and directly employed over 9 million workers on both sides of the Atlantic. (See also CRS In Focus IF10930, U.S.-EU Trade and Investment Ties: Magnitude and Scope, by Shayerah Ilias Akhtar.) U.S. leadership of NATO and cooperation with the EU has helped to foster democratic and prosperous European allies that, in turn, have bolstered U.S. foreign and security policies, the multilateral trading system, and the credibility of U.S. global leadership. The United States and Europe work together on many common challenges from promoting stability in the Balkans and Afghanistan to addressing Russian aggression in Ukraine to countering terrorism and other transnational threats. U.S.-EU cooperation has been a driving force in liberalizing world trade. Experts point out that the well-honed habits of U.S.- European political, military, and intelligence cooperation are unique and cannot be easily replicated with other international actors. U.S. engagement in Europe also helps limit Russian, Chinese, or other possible malign influences. At times, U.S. officials and analysts have expressed frustration with certain aspects of the transatlantic relationship. Previous U.S. Administrations and many Members of Congress have criticized what they view as insufficient European burden sharing in NATO, and some have questioned the costs of the U.S. military presence in Europe. U.S. policymakers have long complained about EU regulatory barriers to trade and that the EU lacks a single voice on many foreign policy issues. Some U.S. analysts have argued that a close partnership with Europe at times requires compromise and may slow certain U.S. decisions. ThE Thrn&-- wx Curm The Trump Administration's 2017 National Security Strategy states that the United States is safer when Europe is prosperous and stable, and can help defend our shared interests and ideals. The Administration contends that its policies toward Europe seek to shore up and preserve a strong transatlantic partnership to better address common challenges in an increasingly competitive world. The Administration asserts that the United States supports NATO and its Article 5 mutual defense commitment but contends that NATO will be stronger when all members pay their fair share. President Trump's perceived transactional view of NATO and his almost singular focus on European defense spending as the measure of NATO's worth are seen by many as damaging alliance cohesion. Some believe that President Trump could seek to withdraw the United States from NATO. Given long-standing U.S. support for the EU, the Administration's seeming hostility has surprised the bloc. President Trump has voiced support for the United Kingdom's (UK) decision to leave the EU (Brexit). He contends that the EU engages in unfair trade practices and is especially critical of the U.S. goods trade deficit with the EU ($170 billion in 2018). The EU is concerned by what it K~:>

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