Region Spotlight
The only union of its kind
The European Union
Growing from its start as the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Union today has twenty-seven member states and is the only democratic, intergovernmental, supranational organization in the world. It has risen as a key actor and norm-setter in areas as diverse as trade, energy security, digital policy, and defense. In an era of great power competition, the United States has a national interest in the EU reinvigorating faith in the European project among Europeans and the rest of the world.
Issue Brief
Mar 5, 2025
The EU must become a strategic player in defense—alongside NATO
By
Justina Budginaite-Froehly
The European Union and NATO need renewed alignment on defense to meet the new geopolitical moment. Refocused cooperation would provide a critically needed burden sharing to eliminate vulnerabilities and prepare Europe to withstand new realities.
Report
May 20, 2025
The European Union Growth Plan for the Western Balkans: A reality test for EU enlargement
By
Valbona Zeneli, Richard Grieveson, Isabelle Ioannides, Dimitar Bechev
EU enlargement faces a test case in the Western Balkans. The current plan offers real benefits before accession, creating incentives for reform, but questions of enforceability and the relatively low amount of financial support threaten the success of the EU’s political influence in the region.
Featured events
The Transatlantic Digital Marketplace Initiative
In-depth Research & reports
Report
Oct 7, 2024
Transatlantic horizons: A collaborative US-EU policy agenda for 2025 and beyond
By
Atlantic Council experts
With new leadership on both sides of the Atlantic, this report outlines an agenda for common action for the next US administration and European Commission.
Issue Brief
May 29, 2024
Who’s a national security risk? The changing transatlantic geopolitics of data transfers
By
Kenneth Propp
The geopolitics of data transfers is changing. How will Washington’s new focus on data transfers affect Europe and the transatlantic relationship?
Issue Brief
Oct 18, 2023
Designing a US-EU industrial and trade policy
By
Erik Brattberg, Frances Burwell, Jörn Fleck, Charles Lichfield, Zach Meyers, James Batchik, and Emma Nix
Both sides of the Atlantic are confronting the geopolitical necessity of adapting trade and industrial policies to be fit for purpose in an increasingly competitive world. To avoid competition between Washington and Brussels, policymakers must recognize each side’s priorities and commit to further cooperation to bridge the transatlantic economic relationship, not widen it.
Program
The Europe Center promotes the transatlantic leadership and strategies required to ensure a strong Europe.
