Reshaping EU-US Relations: A Concept Paper

The European Union and the United States are major players in the globalised world order: often they determine its course, sometimes they are adversely impacted and above all they are being profoundly transformed by its effects. But in the ten years since 2000, the foundations of American power (military force, technological excellence, economic success) have been severely shaken, as have the certainties of the European project (continuous prosperity, citizen support, the attraction of the European model).

As a result, Euro-American relations can no longer be approached and practiced in the way they were for more than half a century. A high-level European reflection group comprising former Ministers and Heads of Government was brought together by Notre Europe to review the future of the Euro-American partnership. It undertook a sober examination of the changes under way in the world and their effects on the European Union and the United States. Above all, the group proposes a new approach based on renunciation of EU national and US imperial illusions that could enable the Euro-American partnership to become a springboard for a global partnership.

The members of the high level task force were:
- Romano Prodi (co-chair), former President of the European Commission and former Prime Minister of Italy
- Guy Verhofstadt (co-chair), former Prime Minister of Belgium
- Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament, former Prime Minister of Poland
- Étienne Davignon, former Vice-President of the European Commission
- Jacques Delors, former President of the European Commission
- Joschka Fischer, former German foreign minister
- Paavo Lipponen, former Prime Minister of Finland
- Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, President of Notre Europe, former Minister of Finances of Italy.

The report was edited by Nicole Gnesotto, as rapporteur, and coordinated by Sami Andoura, Timo Behr and Gaëtane Ricard-Nihoul of Notre Europe.