| United States Mission to the European Union | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Rue Zinner (Zinnerstraat) 13 Brussels,Belgium |
| Website | Official website |
TheUnited States Mission to the European Union (USEU) is thediplomatic mission of theUnited States to theEuropean Union; it is based inBrussels,Belgium. The US has maintained diplomatic relations with the EU and its predecessors since 1953. The first predecessor of the current mission was the US diplomatic mission to theEuropean Coal and Steel Community inLuxembourg, which opened in 1956. In 1961, the US Mission to the European Communities was established in Brussels, which later became the United States Mission to the European Union, upon the latter's establishment in 1993.[1]
On August 11, 1952, the US became the first non-member state to recognize theEuropean Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), whichwas formed on 23 July 1952[citation needed] and consisted ofBelgium,France,Italy,Luxembourg, theNetherlands andWest Germany.[2] The following year, the US sentobservers to the ECSC, at which point diplomatic relations with the ECSC were established. A formaldiplomatic mission to the ECSC opened in the city ofLuxembourg in 1956. In 1961, the United States Mission to the European Communities was established inBrussels,Belgium.[3] TheEuropean Communities was the collective term for three supernational European agencies established in the 1950s—the ECSC, theEuropean Atomic Energy Community, and theEuropean Economic Community (also known simply as theEuropean Community )—whichwere merged in 1967 into a body also known as the European Communities (EC).[citation needed] The EC had limited foreign policy roles, primarily consisting of trade relations, which were carried out by theEuropean Political Cooperation (EPC), established in 1970.[4] Relations between the US and EC were formalized through theTransatlantic Declaration in 1990.[3]
In 1993, theEuropean Union was established. Relations between the US and EU were defined in theNew Transatlantic Agenda (NTA), agreed to in 1995. The NTA set forth four broad areas of cooperation between the US and EU: "promoting peace and stability, democracy and development around the world; responding to global challenges; contributing to the expansion of world trade and closer economic relations; and building bridges Across the Atlantic."[3] The NTA was further extended to cover bilateral and multilateral trade in 1998, through the Transatlantic Economic Partnership (TEP).[3] TheLisbon Treaty, ratified in 2009, established theEuropean External Action Service as the EU's foreign policy institution.[citation needed] Since 2013, the US and EU have been engaged in discussions to create afree trade agreement, known as theTransatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.[5]
The mission consists of representatives from theState Department,Office of the United States Trade Representative,United States Commercial Service (part of theDepartment of Commerce),USDA (Foreign Agricultural Service andAnimal and Plant Health Inspection Service),Department of Homeland Security,Department of the Treasury,Department of Justice,Department of Defense,USAID, and theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.[6]
The diplomatic mission is headed by theUnited States Ambassador to the European Union. The current United States Ambassador to the European Union isMark Henry Gitenstein (born March 7, 1947), an American lawyer and diplomat who is serving as the United States ambassador to the European Union since 2022. He was nominated by President Joe Biden on July 27, 2021, and confirmed by the United States Senate on December 18, 2021. He formerly served as the United States ambassador to Romania from 2009 to 2012; he was nominated by President Barack Obama on June 11, 2009 and confirmed by the Senate on July 8, 2009.
The previous Ambassador, Gordon Sondland, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 29, 2018 and arrived in Brussels on July 8, 2018. He presented his credentials at the European Commission and to President of the European Council Donald Tusk on July 9, 2018. He was removed by the President on February 7, 2020.[7]
The Mission's Public Affairs Office (USEU PA) is responsible for engaging Europeans in matters of US policies, society, and US-EU cooperation in various fields.[8] To accomplish this task, the office supports exchange programs for professionals and students; organizes conferences withthink tanks andNGOs to facilitate dialogue on issues of mutual interest to the EU and US; engage Europeans on US policy issues through social media outreach; and organizes interviews, speeches, and press conferences with Mission staff and visiting US officials and experts.[8]
Embassies are the main entries, whileconsulates-general are shown as sub-entries for each country. A full list can be found atList of diplomatic missions of the United States. | |||
| Africa | |||
| Americas | |||
| Asia | |||
| Europe | |||
| Oceania | |||
| Organizations |
| ||
| Former |
| ||
‡ Missions which are located in countries or cities that may be considered a part of more than one continent 1 Consulates-General which function as an embassy (ie. consul reports to State Department, not the respective country's ambassador) 2 The American Institute in Taiwan is ostensibly a public, non-profit organization to promote US-Taiwanese relations, but through State Department staffing & assistance, functions as an informal US diplomatic mission. | |||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
