As far as diplomats can remember, this had never happened before.
But now, Europeans have been very shaken by the Trump presidency and are now dreaming of a new start with Joe Biden.
They have taken the bull by the horns and intend to make it clear to Americans what they expect from the United States.
This, even before the future president takes control of the country and makes his first trip to Brussels, where he is expected to stand firm during the first half of 2021, by both EU leaders and NATO. .
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The question of relations between the Union and the United States will thus be on the menu of the discussions of the Twenty-Seven next week, in Brussels.
In a draft conclusions, the Europeans call for "
a strong transatlantic partnership based on common interests and shared values
", and say they are "
ready to discuss common priorities with the new president of the United States
".
Several themes are mentioned in this provisional document: multilateralism, global response to the fight against Covid-19, climate, economic recovery and trade, security, digital and technology.
Proof that the subject agitates Brussels a lot, two "papers" - one proposed by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, the other by the Commission - were distributed this week.
"
We must join forces to shape the global agenda
," pleads Charles Michel, who is very ambitious.
The Commission has put on the table its “
new EU-US agenda for global change
”.
Two notes, maybe one too many at this point.
"
The European Council is going to put a little order in all this to avoid the catalog effect and Christmas tree
", quips a diplomat.
This approach allows us to set the course and show our next contacts and partners that Europe has ideas and that it knows where it wants to go.
Pierre Vimont, former French ambassador to Washington
Many experts in transatlantic relations welcome the fact that the Union is taking the lead.
“
Not to wait for directives and expectations from Washington, but to come up with its proposals is a huge effort on the part of the EU.
It is new.
Europeans are now more confident,
”emphasizes Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer of the German Marshall Fund.
For Pierre Vimont, this way of doing things makes it possible to nourish these concepts, pushed for a long time by France.
Understand “
strategic autonomy
”, “
geopolitical Europe
” or even “
European sovereignty
”.
"
This approach
, analyzes the former French ambassador to Washington,"
allows us to set the course and show our next interlocutors and partners that Europe has ideas and that it knows where it wants to go
. "
Positioning well
Does the EU have a choice?
Not really.
Unless you agree to watch the train go by.
The Old Continent is no longer the priority of the United States.
And European leaders have clearly understood that, when he takes his place in the White House, the Democratic president will be concerned primarily with domestic issues: the fight against Covid, employment, social inequalities, the revival of the economy, racial tensions, etc.
Hence the need for the EU to position itself well in relation to the roadmap of the next Administration.
This is what she is doing.
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Two areas should emerge as a common concern between the two blocs and would then have the value of tests in the new relations between Brussels and Washington.
It is the fight against the coronavirus and climate change, subjects dear to Europeans and to Biden, who has promised that the United States will reinstate the Paris climate agreement.
“
It will be very important for the future to succeed on this
,” said Stefan Lehne of Carnegie Europe.
Our common engagement is essential in a world where authoritarian powers seek to subvert democracies
The European Commission
Rather than being stuck between an impossible relationship between the United States and China, Europe intends to choose its place.
“
As open democratic societies and market economies, the EU and the US agree on the strategic challenge posed by China's growing international assertiveness, although we do not always agree on the best way to solve this problem
”, says the Commission.
Anyway, the two blocs will come together on respect for democratic values.
Even if it means offending Beijing, the Commission announces the color on this theme which it knows to be important for Biden: "
Our common commitment is essential in a world where authoritarian powers seek to subvert democracies, aggressive actors try to destabilize regions and institutions, and closed economies exploit the openness upon which our own societies depend
. ”
"European complexity"
Other issues are likely to turn out to be much more difficult: the reforms of the WTO and the WHO, the strengthening of European sovereignty in the EU's neighborhood, the taxation of digital giants, trade between the two blocks, etc.
As the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian has so often explained, "
we will not go back to a kind of good old days in the transatlantic relationship
".
The new relationship with Uncle Sam will also put the unity of the Twenty-Seven to the test, in particular on this concept of strategic autonomy pushed by Paris and of which Berlin is wary, anxious above all to renew its links with the United States. United.
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Seen from Washington, the EU remains a curious "beast", a big, heavy machine that is difficult to maneuver.
“
Biden is a little disoriented in the face of European complexity.
The Americans always have the impression that it is very slow with the EU
.
For them, it is easier to call London or Paris or Berlin rather than address the European Union,
”a diplomat laments.
Should the Americans be offered simplified forms of cooperation as is the case with Iranian nuclear power?
Perhaps.
The agility of Europeans will be decisive in the years to come.
