U.S. President Joe Biden (R) meets with President of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (L) in the White House. Both want to accomplsish as much as possible before key elections.
Alex Wong | Getty Images News | Getty Images
BRUSSELS — There’s still more than a year to go before U.S. voters head to the polls, but at the heart of the European Union, officials are already racing to get as much as possible done before any potential change of leadership in the White House.
“There is unprecedented close cooperation and coordination between the EU and the current U.S. administration. It goes from official levels to the highest levels,” an EU official, who preferred to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the situation, told CNBC.
“The EU is aware that this [cooperation] is not a given and such approach might change when there is someone like [former President Donald] Trump in the White House again. And the EU tries to use this momentum to advance [a] number of files, topics where there are shared interests,” the official added.
The EU, a group of 27 nations, was openly thrilled with the election of Joe Biden in late 2020 after four challenging years under the presidency of Trump, during which the transatlantic relationship hit a low. The two sides had different views on trade, defense and technology — to name just a few points of tensions.
But there was a drastic improvement in relations the moment that Biden arrived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. His style and policy priorities were a lot more aligned with Brussels, including over how to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and climate change. This became ever more clear with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with European leaders welcoming the financial and military support from the largest economy in the world.
“The United States and the European Union have taken a strong and united stand against Russia’s illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war against Ukraine,” European Commission President Ursula von der…
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