Author (Corporate) | United States: Library of Congress: Congressional Research Service (CRS) |
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Publisher | USA Congress: Library of Congress |
Series Title | Reports and Issue Briefs |
Series Details | April, 2013 |
Publication Date | 08/04/2013 |
Content Type | Report |
The Congressional Research Service, a department of the Library of Congress, conducts research and analysis for Congress on a broad range of national and international policy issues. Some of the CRS work is carried out specifically for individual members of Congress or their staff and is confidential. However, there is also much CRS compiled material which is considered public but is not formally published on the CRS website. For that reason a number of other organisations try to keep track of these publications and make them publicly available via their own websites. Currently, ESO uses the following websites to track these reports and allow access to them in ESO: EveryCRSReport.com In some cases hyperlinks allows you to access all versions of a report, including the latest. Note that many reports are periodically updated.The United States often looks to Europe as its partner of choice in addressing important global challenges. Given the extent of the transatlantic relationship, congressional foreign policy activities and interests frequently involve Europe. The relationship between the United States and the European Union (EU) has become increasingly significant in recent years, and it is likely to grow even more important. In this context, Members of Congress often have an interest in understanding the complexities of EU policy making, assessing the compatibility and effectiveness of U.S. and EU policy approaches, or exploring the long-term implications of changing transatlantic dynamics. + The EU As a Global Actor + Elements of EU External Policy The EU is currently conducting 16 operations under its Common Security and Defense Policy. To establish a more robust CSDP, EU member states have been exploring ways to increase their military capabilities and promote greater defense integration. These efforts have met with limited success thus far. Civilian missions and capabilities, however, are also central components of CSDP; the majority of CSDP missions have been civilian operations in areas such as police training and rule of law. External policies in technical areas such as trade, humanitarian aid, development assistance, enlargement, and neighbourhood policy are formulated and managed through a “community” process at the level of the EU institutions. (The European Neighbourhood Policy seeks to deepen the EU’s relations with its southern and eastern neighbours while encouraging them to pursue governance and economic reforms.) These are the EU’s most deeply integrated external policies. Given events in North Africa, the Middle East, and some of the former Soviet states, EU policymakers have been rethinking how such external policy tools might be used to better effect. + The United States, the EU, and NATO Nevertheless, NATO remains the dominant institutional foundation for transatlantic security affairs. U.S. policymakers have supported efforts to develop EU security policies on the condition that they do not weaken NATO, where the United States has a strong voice on European security issues. Despite their overlapping membership, the EU and NATO have struggled to work out an effective cooperative relationship. Analysts suggest that sorting out the dynamics of the U.S.-EU- NATO relationship to allow for a comprehensive and effective use of Euro-Atlantic resources and capabilities will be a key challenge for U.S. and European policymakers in the years ahead. |
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Source Link | https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R41959.html |
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Subject Categories | Politics and International Relations |
Countries / Regions | Europe |
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