The future of Europe and transatlantic relations

Angela Merkel's successor as president of the CDU party and potential candidate for the Chancellery, Armin Laschet, analyzes in this article, published in the journal "Política Exterior", the future of transatlantic relations and the need to strengthen the role of Europe and NATO in the new international order dominated by geopolitics and geo-economics.

Armin Laschet is advocating to strengthen transatlantic relations between North America, the European Member States and NATO and to reinforce the role of the European Union in the world,  based on the following aspects:

• NATO´s common values: "The Atlantic Alliance is based on common values, as well as on political, economic and cultural interdependence and institutional links. No one doubts this. Indeed, we must not only defend it, but strengthen it in our mutual interest”.
• Make the most of and create new forums for transatlantic debate: The Second World War and the Cold War are not part of the memory of many of the new generations in the United States and Canada. It is necessary to look for common experiences and values such as "Freedom, democracy and the rule of law". 
• Reinforce the role of the European Union (EU) in the new international order and in its relationship with the US, China and Russia: "As Europeans, we must have the capacity to act, not as a counterweight to the US, but as a worthy partner and independent actor". In his opinion, the European Recovery Plan with its commitment to a digital and sustainable economy is a good example for the future: "we are not only defining the rules before others dictate them to us; we are also setting the standard to others".
• At the international level, the Covid-19 crisis should be an opportunity to strengthen the strategic sovereignty of the EU, which has been successfully implemented for some time in the area of international trade (i.e. the new EU trade agreements with Singapore, Canada, Japan, Vietnam and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) but which needs to be improved in other areas such as the common foreign, security and defense policy.