Economics, Trade & Investment
The transatlantic economy remains at the forefront of trade liberalization and globalization debates because of its size and domination of the global economy. The United States and European Union together comprise 54 percent of global GDP while only having 11 percent of the total world population. The transatlantic investment relationship is currently valued at more than $3 trillion and employs up to 14 million workers on both sides of the Atlantic.
But following the global economic crisis, the transatlantic partners are struggling with a number of common challenges that can significantly impact their position in the global economy. Addressing sluggish economic growth, high unemployment rates, and the need to make transatlantic businesses more competitive will require strong collaboration and coordination between policy makers from both sides of the Atlantic. In addition to these mutual challenges, the leadership in Europe is also debating the long-term consequences of the sovereign debt challenge and ways of arming EU institutions with stable anti-crisis mechanisms to prevent future disturbances from threatening the economic stability of Europe.
The transatlantic partners need to continue to strengthen their already existing strong economic ties and continue to work towards shared economic objectives in order to implement policies that will lead to long-term recovery, stability, and growth of the transatlantic economy.
GMF News & Analysis
Germany's electoral map has many colors in comparison to the red and blue of America, yet on both sides of the Atlantic, battleground state elections can portend change on the national level.
Trade? Who Cares?May 10, 2012 / Bruce Stokes
Very few Americans volunteered trade as one of the “most important problems” facing the United States in this election year. To put this into perspective: more Americans believe in space aliens than in the dangers of the trade imbalance.
Programs & Projects more
Wider AtlanticGMF’s Wider Atlantic Program, led by Dr. Ian O. Lesser, the executive director of GMF’s Transatlantic Center in Brussels, builds on the experience of the past three years, and will promote a more comprehensive approach to Atlanticism, with north-south and south-south relations at the core. The GMF-OCP Foundation partnership looks to move beyond the traditional northerly axis that has driven contemporary transatlantic relations. The new initiative underscores the growing importance of Africa and Latin America as actors in the Atlantic space. It also focuses on the shared policy challenges shaping the future of four continents around the Atlantic basin. From the rise of Brazil to the growing role of China, the Atlantic equation is evolving rapidly, and so is the need for a wider conversation about Atlantic futures.
Balkan Trust for DemocracyThe Balkan Trust for Democracy (BTD) is a 10-year, $36-million grantmaking initiative that supports democracy, good governance, and Euroatlantic integration in Southeastern Europe. This award-winning public-private partnership was created in 2003 by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. BTD is structured to allow both European and U.S. partners to join the effort to strengthen transatlantic cooperation in the Balkans.
Events More
First YTN Happy Hour in BerlinMay 11, 2012
On May 3, the German Marshall Fund’s Young Transatlantic Network (YTN) gathered for its first Happy Hour in Berlin, a format intended for networking, making new contacts and discussing transatlantic issues in an informal and relaxed setting.
Conversation on the Wider AtlanticMay 11, 2012
GMF’s Brussels office hosted a lunch discussion on the Atlantic Dialogues and GMF’s Wider Atlantic ProgramAsst. Secretary Philip Gordon Previews the Chicago NATO SummitMay 03, 2012
U.S. Assistant Secretary Philip Gordon provided an overview of what to expect at the Chicago NATO Summit at a discussion in Berlin.
Trilateral Forum TokyoApril 17, 2012
On April 16th and 17th, 2012 the German Marshall Fund and the Tokyo Foundation co-hosted the inaugural Trilateral Forum Tokyo. The Forum convened over 50 participants from Japan, Europe, and the United States for a series of informal and frank off-the-record discussions.
Publications More
Israel’s Economy and the Arab Spring: Isolation Serves as a BufferMay 22, 2012 / Stephen Weizman
This policy brief looks at how uprisings in Israel's neighbors have affected its economy.
Transatlantic Mining Corporations in the Age of Resource NationalismMay 18, 2012 / David Humphreys
This paper examines trends in mining and considers their implications for transatlantic mining companies and for the availability of mineral supplies in Europe and North America.
