On the President's Desk: The European Union
The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe The EU operates as an internal single market through a system of laws that apply in all member states on those subjects on which the members have agreed to act uniformly. EU policies seek to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital within the internal market, much as if the states operated as one large country. The member states maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. For travel within some of the region, passport controls have been abolished. A monetary union was established in 1999, coming into full force in 2002 under which 19 EU member states use the euro as their currency.
The EU nation comprise 7.3% of the world population. In 2017 it generated a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of 19.670 trillion USD, constituting approximately 24.6% of global GDP. Through its Common Foreign and Security Policy, the EU has developed a role in external relations and defense. The union represents itself at the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the G7 and the G20.
The EU and the United States are the biggest economic and military powers in the world. They also play leading roles in global trade. Both the US and almost all of the member states of the EU (with the exception of Austria, Cyprus, Malta, Finland, Ireland and Sweden) are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Euro-American relations are primarily concerned with trade policy. Together the two represent 60% of global GDP, 33% of world trade in goods and 42% of world trade in services. The growth of the EU's economic power has led to a number of trade conflicts between the two. But there exists a strong interdependence between the economic markets of each and disputes affect only 2% of trade.
In 2007, during the George W. Bush administration, a Transatlantic Economic Council was established to foster economic cooperation between the two. It is jointly managed and led by the US Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs and the EU's Commissioner for Trade. In 2006 German Chancellor Angela Merkel proposed a Transatlantic Free Trade Area, but protectionism on both sides has prevented the conclusion of a free trade agreement. Mere recently, a new agreement called the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the US and the EU has been proposed. This agreement has the goal of fostering economic growth through bilateral trade and investments.
In 2016, European-Union was on the receiving end of 18.7% of US merchandise exports, and sent 18.9% of US merchandise imports. In the dame year, for commercial services, the EU exported 30.9% of US commercial services exports, and imported 35.3% of US commercial services imports. Conversely, in the same year the US was the exporter for 20.1% of European-Union merchandise exports, and imported 14.2% of European-Union merchandise imports. It exported 27.2% of EU commercial services exports, imported and 30.5% of EU commercial services imports.
In 2009, under President Obama, the EU-US Energy Council was founded. This institution regularly meets and addresses topics such as: energy security challenges, climate change, renewable energy, nuclear safety and research.
Both the United States and the European Union as of 2010 have an arms embargo against the People's Republic China, put in place in 1989 after the events of Tiananmen Square. The US and some EU members continue to support the ban but other nations, such as France, have been attempting to persuade the EU to lift the ban in order to improve trade relations between China and certain EU states. The United States strongly opposes this. When China passed an anti-secession law against Taiwan, it became less likely that the ban would be lifted.
Controversy arose in 2013 when confidential documents were obtained by German news magazine Der Spiegelwhich disclosed that European Union offices in the United States and United Nations headquarters were targeted for spying by the US National Security Agency. According to the reports, the US agency bugged offices, accessed internal computer networks, obtained documents and emails, and listened to phone calls. Subsequent reports suggested that the spying was extended to domestic European Union offices in Brussels, as well as EU offices, embassies of India, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Turkey. On June 30, 2013, the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz demanded for a full explanation from Washington and stated that if the allegations were true, EU and US relations would be severely impacted.
Genetically modified food is another significant area of disagreement between the US and the EU. The EU has been under domestic pressure to restrict the growth and import of genetically modified foods until their safety is proven to the satisfaction of the scientific community. The United States is under pressure from its agricultural businesses to force the EU to accept imports. These groups accuse EU's restrictions of being alarmist and protectionist.
On November 2, 2005, The Washington Post claimed that the United States had several secret jails (or "black sites") in Eastern Europe. Poland and Romania and that CIA planes carry terror suspects to these locations. Belgium, Iceland, Spain, and Sweden have launched investigations. The Guardian has claimed that CIA planes landed about 300 times on European air ports, mostly in Germany and the United Kingdom as a transit point to East Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Extraordinary rendition flights through Europe have been investigated by the European Parliament. The EU also opposed the use of Guantanamo Bay detention camp and offered to host some former inmates when closure of the camp was announced by the administration of US President Barack Obama.
The United States retains capital punishment as a legal form of punishment. All European member states have fully abolished it and consider its use to be a violation of fundamental human rights. This has caused problems with EU-US relations, because it is illegal in the European Union to allow the extradition of a citizen to a country where the death penalty is a legal punishment, unless a guarantee is given that such punishment will not be used.
When the International Criminal Court was formed, the Clinton Administration signed the Rome Statute in 2000, but did not submit it for Senate ratification. The Bush Administration, in power at the time of the ICC's founding, stated that it would not join the ICC. The Obama Administration suggested that the US may join the ICC, but this never occurred.
The Iraq War divided opinions within European nations and within the United States, with some states supporting of military action, and some against. The European public opinion was staunchly opposed to the war. States led by France and Germany were against military action, while the US position was supported by the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Poland, among others.
Another area of contention concerns climate change. The European Union is one of the main backers of the Kyoto Protocol, which aims to combat global warming. The United States initially signed the protocol at its creation during the Clinton Administration, but never had the measure ratified by the United States Senate. In March 2001, under President George W. Bush, the United States removed its signature from the protocol, much to the consternation of many European nations. In 2008, President Barack Obama said that he planned on setting annual targets to reduce emissions. President Obama acknowledged agreement with the subsequent Paris Accord, but President Donald Trump has resiled from this position.
The EU has requested US reciprocity regarding the visa waiver program for all its members. The European Union has threatened the possibility of imposing visas for American citizens that would extend to the entire EU. In 2008, many of the EU's new Central European members were granted visa-free access to the US, but currently, five out of 28 EU members (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland, and Romania) lack such access.
The EU and the US have had a long-running dispute over the EU's banana imports. As part of their international aid, the EU set in motion a plan for the importing of bananas from countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. The United States cried foul because they alleged that the agreement favored local producers in former colonies of EU member-states over US-owned corporations in Latin America. The Clinton administration responded by imposing heavy tariffs on luxury goods created in the EU, including cashmere from Scotland and French Cognac brandy. The Clinton administration then took the issue to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1999. Many were cynical about President Clinton's motives, as the incident occurred at a time when the Chiquita company had made a $500,000 donation to the Democratic Party. The issue was ultimately resolved by the Bush administration in 2001.
In 2002, the US imposed steel tariffs to protect its steel industry. The EU and other countries took up the issue with the WTO, which ruled that the tariffs breach its regulations. The tariffs were lifted in December of 2003 by the Bush administration.
Around the time of his inauguration in January of 2017, with President Donald Trump criticized the European Union as "basically a vehicle for Germany". He was highly critical of German President Angela Merkel calling it a "very catastrophic mistake" on Merkel's part to admit a million refugees into Germany. In response, Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, said that the Trump administration seemed to "question the last 70 years of American foreign policy". He told his member states that the European Union found itself in a "difficult situation" with Trump's election. Another EU official jokingly remarked that the EU should support the independence of the US States of Ohio and Texas after Donald Trump expressed support for Brexit and encouraged other European Countries to follow its example.
In May 2017, Angela Merkel met with President Trump. Merkel concluded that Europeans cannot rely on United States' help anymore. This remark was made in response to a threat from Trump to stop all car trade with Germany. In July 2018, President Trump stated in an interview with CBS that the European Union is one of the United States' greatest foes globally, complaining about “what they do to us on trade". He also complained about the EU's fining of Google $5.1 billion for a violation of antitrust laws, commenting that the EU continues to take advantage of the US.
President Trump's attitude to the EU mirrors much of his general position on trade, and his belief that recent trade policies are responsible for the stagnation in middle class incomes, the growing gap between rich and poor, and the loss of American jobs in manufacturing and many other blue collar industries. The ongoing question of whether American interests are better served with more free trade with the EU or by the imposition of higher tariffs will continue to remain one of the perplexing issues on the President's desk.
The EU nation comprise 7.3% of the world population. In 2017 it generated a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of 19.670 trillion USD, constituting approximately 24.6% of global GDP. Through its Common Foreign and Security Policy, the EU has developed a role in external relations and defense. The union represents itself at the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the G7 and the G20.
The EU and the United States are the biggest economic and military powers in the world. They also play leading roles in global trade. Both the US and almost all of the member states of the EU (with the exception of Austria, Cyprus, Malta, Finland, Ireland and Sweden) are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Euro-American relations are primarily concerned with trade policy. Together the two represent 60% of global GDP, 33% of world trade in goods and 42% of world trade in services. The growth of the EU's economic power has led to a number of trade conflicts between the two. But there exists a strong interdependence between the economic markets of each and disputes affect only 2% of trade.
In 2007, during the George W. Bush administration, a Transatlantic Economic Council was established to foster economic cooperation between the two. It is jointly managed and led by the US Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs and the EU's Commissioner for Trade. In 2006 German Chancellor Angela Merkel proposed a Transatlantic Free Trade Area, but protectionism on both sides has prevented the conclusion of a free trade agreement. Mere recently, a new agreement called the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the US and the EU has been proposed. This agreement has the goal of fostering economic growth through bilateral trade and investments.
In 2016, European-Union was on the receiving end of 18.7% of US merchandise exports, and sent 18.9% of US merchandise imports. In the dame year, for commercial services, the EU exported 30.9% of US commercial services exports, and imported 35.3% of US commercial services imports. Conversely, in the same year the US was the exporter for 20.1% of European-Union merchandise exports, and imported 14.2% of European-Union merchandise imports. It exported 27.2% of EU commercial services exports, imported and 30.5% of EU commercial services imports.
In 2009, under President Obama, the EU-US Energy Council was founded. This institution regularly meets and addresses topics such as: energy security challenges, climate change, renewable energy, nuclear safety and research.
Both the United States and the European Union as of 2010 have an arms embargo against the People's Republic China, put in place in 1989 after the events of Tiananmen Square. The US and some EU members continue to support the ban but other nations, such as France, have been attempting to persuade the EU to lift the ban in order to improve trade relations between China and certain EU states. The United States strongly opposes this. When China passed an anti-secession law against Taiwan, it became less likely that the ban would be lifted.
Controversy arose in 2013 when confidential documents were obtained by German news magazine Der Spiegelwhich disclosed that European Union offices in the United States and United Nations headquarters were targeted for spying by the US National Security Agency. According to the reports, the US agency bugged offices, accessed internal computer networks, obtained documents and emails, and listened to phone calls. Subsequent reports suggested that the spying was extended to domestic European Union offices in Brussels, as well as EU offices, embassies of India, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Turkey. On June 30, 2013, the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz demanded for a full explanation from Washington and stated that if the allegations were true, EU and US relations would be severely impacted.
Genetically modified food is another significant area of disagreement between the US and the EU. The EU has been under domestic pressure to restrict the growth and import of genetically modified foods until their safety is proven to the satisfaction of the scientific community. The United States is under pressure from its agricultural businesses to force the EU to accept imports. These groups accuse EU's restrictions of being alarmist and protectionist.
On November 2, 2005, The Washington Post claimed that the United States had several secret jails (or "black sites") in Eastern Europe. Poland and Romania and that CIA planes carry terror suspects to these locations. Belgium, Iceland, Spain, and Sweden have launched investigations. The Guardian has claimed that CIA planes landed about 300 times on European air ports, mostly in Germany and the United Kingdom as a transit point to East Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Extraordinary rendition flights through Europe have been investigated by the European Parliament. The EU also opposed the use of Guantanamo Bay detention camp and offered to host some former inmates when closure of the camp was announced by the administration of US President Barack Obama.
The United States retains capital punishment as a legal form of punishment. All European member states have fully abolished it and consider its use to be a violation of fundamental human rights. This has caused problems with EU-US relations, because it is illegal in the European Union to allow the extradition of a citizen to a country where the death penalty is a legal punishment, unless a guarantee is given that such punishment will not be used.
When the International Criminal Court was formed, the Clinton Administration signed the Rome Statute in 2000, but did not submit it for Senate ratification. The Bush Administration, in power at the time of the ICC's founding, stated that it would not join the ICC. The Obama Administration suggested that the US may join the ICC, but this never occurred.
The Iraq War divided opinions within European nations and within the United States, with some states supporting of military action, and some against. The European public opinion was staunchly opposed to the war. States led by France and Germany were against military action, while the US position was supported by the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Poland, among others.
Another area of contention concerns climate change. The European Union is one of the main backers of the Kyoto Protocol, which aims to combat global warming. The United States initially signed the protocol at its creation during the Clinton Administration, but never had the measure ratified by the United States Senate. In March 2001, under President George W. Bush, the United States removed its signature from the protocol, much to the consternation of many European nations. In 2008, President Barack Obama said that he planned on setting annual targets to reduce emissions. President Obama acknowledged agreement with the subsequent Paris Accord, but President Donald Trump has resiled from this position.
The EU has requested US reciprocity regarding the visa waiver program for all its members. The European Union has threatened the possibility of imposing visas for American citizens that would extend to the entire EU. In 2008, many of the EU's new Central European members were granted visa-free access to the US, but currently, five out of 28 EU members (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland, and Romania) lack such access.
The EU and the US have had a long-running dispute over the EU's banana imports. As part of their international aid, the EU set in motion a plan for the importing of bananas from countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. The United States cried foul because they alleged that the agreement favored local producers in former colonies of EU member-states over US-owned corporations in Latin America. The Clinton administration responded by imposing heavy tariffs on luxury goods created in the EU, including cashmere from Scotland and French Cognac brandy. The Clinton administration then took the issue to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1999. Many were cynical about President Clinton's motives, as the incident occurred at a time when the Chiquita company had made a $500,000 donation to the Democratic Party. The issue was ultimately resolved by the Bush administration in 2001.
In 2002, the US imposed steel tariffs to protect its steel industry. The EU and other countries took up the issue with the WTO, which ruled that the tariffs breach its regulations. The tariffs were lifted in December of 2003 by the Bush administration.
Around the time of his inauguration in January of 2017, with President Donald Trump criticized the European Union as "basically a vehicle for Germany". He was highly critical of German President Angela Merkel calling it a "very catastrophic mistake" on Merkel's part to admit a million refugees into Germany. In response, Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, said that the Trump administration seemed to "question the last 70 years of American foreign policy". He told his member states that the European Union found itself in a "difficult situation" with Trump's election. Another EU official jokingly remarked that the EU should support the independence of the US States of Ohio and Texas after Donald Trump expressed support for Brexit and encouraged other European Countries to follow its example.
In May 2017, Angela Merkel met with President Trump. Merkel concluded that Europeans cannot rely on United States' help anymore. This remark was made in response to a threat from Trump to stop all car trade with Germany. In July 2018, President Trump stated in an interview with CBS that the European Union is one of the United States' greatest foes globally, complaining about “what they do to us on trade". He also complained about the EU's fining of Google $5.1 billion for a violation of antitrust laws, commenting that the EU continues to take advantage of the US.
President Trump's attitude to the EU mirrors much of his general position on trade, and his belief that recent trade policies are responsible for the stagnation in middle class incomes, the growing gap between rich and poor, and the loss of American jobs in manufacturing and many other blue collar industries. The ongoing question of whether American interests are better served with more free trade with the EU or by the imposition of higher tariffs will continue to remain one of the perplexing issues on the President's desk.