United States

The United States is a federal presidential republic of around 340 million people (2024), made up of 50 states, with Washington, D.C. as its capital. Bound to Europe by history and the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949, it has long been the Union's closest ally, and together they form the largest trade and investment relationship in the world.

Since Donald Trump's return to the presidency in January 2025, that partnership has been shaken by tariffs, pressure on allies and open hostility towards the European project — while at home the independence of the courts, the press, universities and the civil service has come under attack, raising deep concern for the health of American democracy. The 2025 trade framework, which caps most US tariffs on European goods at 15%, does not change the lesson: Europe can no longer take its security, its markets or its technology for granted.

The United States speaks to a conviction the European Democrats hold firm: that Europe must achieve real strategic autonomy — in defence, energy, technology and trade — to stand as an equal partner rather than a dependent one, and that our friendship is with the American people and the democratic institutions they are fighting to protect.