The fall and rise of the transatlantic relationship

Organised by

• Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies

As recently as 2021, the US was more focused on building Pacific relations than coordinating with its long standing European allies and partners. During the Trump years (2016-20), relations deteriorated on several dimensions including over trade and protectionism, military spending by European state members of NATO, and responses to populism within and beyond Europe. But the year 2022 marks a historic transformation in core aspects of trans-Atlantic relations including the use of military and financial power, the forging of common tax standards for large corporations, and restated ideological affinity around liberal democratic values. This discussion will probe the historical weakening of trans-atlanticism, assess the depth and significance of rekindled relations and review likely future areas of fragility between the US and European democracies.