The next phase of US-EU relations

Fiona Hill, Senior Fellow at Brookings, former Deputy Assistant to the US President and Senior Director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council, and Denzil Davidson, former Special Adviser to the previous British Prime Minister and Adviser on EU and multilateral policy at Global Counsel, took a macro-look at how the transatlantic partnership has been transformed since Biden’s election.

Highlights from the discussion:

• China is Biden’s focus: The Biden administration has made Beijing its focus, but questions about human rights, Taiwan and the South China Sea remain unanswered. Another key topic that needs Washington's attention will be how to wean countries, including some in Europe, off Chinese influence.
   
• Nord Stream 2 and a new frame for transatlantic relations: Removing the Nord Stream 2 sanctions is an acceptance that the pipeline is finished, rather than a substantial change in policy. And the sanctions’ removal also means, hopefully, drawing a line under the past US administration’s confrontational and competitive relationship with Germany. Looking ahead, the key focus for the transatlantic partnership should be to get back to civil discourse and away from mutual recriminations.
   
• International dialogue on the regional level: Successful US-EU coordination could see US governors working with their European counterparts to tackle common regional issues to embed transatlantic cooperation. These state-level figures can build personal connections and tackle problems, such as income inequality, without national elections and federal priorities looming over them.
   
• Hunting cybercriminals: The West must make it financially painful and technically difficult for cybercriminals to carry out attacks, even if this means reaching across international borders. However, despite cyber attacks being endemic and long overdue for a coordinated solution, it is difficult for governments to reduce cyberattacks because most exploit poor personal security (weak passwords). So joined-up thinking and societal change is key.
   
• Coming up short on Russia: Despite Russia being a problem for the US since the mid-2000s, every US president has, so far, been unsuccessful in handling relations with the Kremlin. As it currently stands the two countries are not even ‘frenemies’, instead of enjoying a sustained confrontation on several fronts. For Biden, the task will be to manage this confrontation and restore, as he puts it, ‘predictability’.