Green economy competition rocks EU-US relations

CHARLES Dickens memorably started A Tale of Two Cities with the proclamation: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” This apparently self-contradictory statement has enduring relevance in multiple aspects of world affairs, including as a descriptor for relations between the European Union (EU) and US under President Joe Biden.

This bilateral relationship is characterised by contradictory impulses in the post-Trump era, as will be highlighted on Friday (Mar 10), when Biden meets European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. While there is a generally high level of cooperation and alignment over Russia’s war in Ukraine, significant tensions exist in other areas, including the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

On the positive side of the ledger, there is no question that EU-US ties have largely recovered from the nadir of Donald Trump’s controversial presidency.