Shaping the Next Chapter of the Transatlantic Relationship
Dear Friends and Partners,
As 2025 draws to a close, the transatlantic alliance stands at one of the most consequential moments since the end of the Cold War. Historical decisions about peace in Ukraine will define the future European order, while political tensions and diverging priorities between the United States and much of Europe are fast reshaping transatlantic debates. Amid the flux, the core question is not whether the transatlantic partnership still matters but whether it can adapt rapidly enough to meet common challenges and pursue opportunities for pragmatic collaboration. That is the issue at the heart of GMF’s mission.
A single imperative has driven GMF’s work in the past year: ensuring the transatlantic alliance sharpens its strategic clarity and does not drift toward complacency and indecision. GMF’s bipartisan Transatlantic Task Force, which I launched in January, provided the first roadmap to advance cooperation in the current, more challenging political environment. Its five policy recommendations, which include shifting from a US-led to a Europe-led European security order and accelerating the number of transatlantic industrial projects, have guided GMF’s experts’ as they delved into a wide range of topics that span the limits and opportunities of a Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine, the future of US-EU trade, risks associated with the spreading use of new Chinese technologies, and the geopolitics of the Arctic. At the same time, GMF continued to bring together political, business, and civil society leaders from the United States, Europe, Türkiye, and the Indo-Pacific for candid and productive conversations. The 20th convening of Brussels Forum is but one example of this. And through the Marshall Memorial Fellowship Program, GMF continued to empower young US and European leaders who will play a vital role in shaping the transatlantic partnership.
In 2026, GMF will renew efforts to provide evidence-based analysis while pursuing opportunities and offering pragmatic solutions to tackle the most pressing transatlantic challenges:
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GMF will focus on identifying concrete ways to boost competitiveness on both sides of the Atlantic at a time when economic and technological heft and sovereignty are political priorities. GMF’s work aims to support US and European policymakers and corporate leaders as they navigate a new transatlantic economic landscape and find the right balance between national solutions and international cooperation to address overcapacity and technology leakage.
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GMF will help design the necessary transition to a new European security order, one that requires Europe to build a credible deterrence-and-defense model that reflects its military forces and doctrine while remaining interoperable with US forces. As NATO prepares for its Ankara summit, GMF will work with governments and defense industries to advance this goal. In this context, Ukraine will be the defining stress test of transatlantic credibility. The United States and Europe must establish a sustainable peace with robust security guarantees to deter aggression and anchor long-term stability.
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As transatlantic cooperation extends to partnerships and coalitions in other regions, GMF will further invest in its groundbreaking Indo-Pacific and Türkiye trilateral dialogues and expand work on global connectivity, innovation, and security cooperation with countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
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GMF will continue to leverage its unique capacity to partner on the ground with civil society, particularly in Europe’s geopolitically contested edge that extends from the Balkans to the Black Sea region.
GMF was founded in 1972 to strengthen cooperation between North America and Europe. As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, that purpose remains unchanged. In fact, the stakes are higher now than a half-century ago as allies must adapt together to the profound transformation of the geopolitical, economic, and technological order.
I am deeply grateful to all our partners, donors, advisers, and colleagues who make the fulfillment of this mission possible. With your support, I look forward to advancing the transatlantic partnership to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
With gratitude,
Dr. Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer
President, GMF