Trade has become an increasingly contested and divisive subject, whether within countries or when negotiating international agreements between partners and rivals. From the impact of Brexit on the future relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom to the tariff disputes between the European Union and the United States, uncertainty is the watchword.

That uncertainty also applies to the challenge of developing adequate and common regulations for the emerging digital economy. The European Union has taken the lead in developing the General Data Protection Regulation, which has significantly changed the way companies must treat online personal data and the people attached to it. Key partners like the United States, however, have not adopted such a model.

The Transatlantic Policy Center boasts many trade experts who are paying close attention to the future of trade and regulation in the transatlantic area.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, established in 1949, has long been a key symbol of the transatlantic alliance and a key underwriter of Europe’s security order. But that order has come under duress in recent years—weakened by the fear of American disengagement from Europe as well as the emergence of a resurgent Russia and a more ambitious and unstable neighborhood in the South. On top of that, both the United States and Europe need to contend with new security threats, whether in the realm of cyberspace, hybrid challenges, or dealing with the impact of new technology such as artificial intelligence. The Transatlantic Policy Center is committed to studying and understanding the future of Europe’s security order and what it will mean for the partnership between the United States and Europe. See our experts.

Democratic backsliding, democratic recession, illiberalism, and autocratization: these are expressions commonly used today, by scholars and commentators alike, to describe the crisis of democracy occurring across the world, including the transatlantic space. The Transatlantic Policy Center is focused on shedding light on why key pillars of liberal democracies, such as the independence of courts and the media, free elections, and the rule of law, are currently under strain. Our experts are also focusing on how to combat that trend and the tools at the disposal of policy makers in Europe and the United States.

Freedom of movement is the European Union’s core pillar, while the United States has long perceived itself as a nation of immigrants. These aspirations on both sides of the Atlantic, however, have often coexisted with strong nativist and nationalist reactions. Indeed, politicians and parties in Europe and the United States have often relied on anti-immigration sentiments to court and mobilize voters. Scholars of the Transatlantic Policy Center are particularly focused on understanding why immigration has become such a salient issue in Europe and the United States and comparing how various countries have navigated the challenges of integrating immigrants in multicultural societies.