"One day Europeans may find that the US military is not there to deal with threats lapping at their frontiers."

Secretary of State John Kerry and European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton gave these remarks before their meeting on February 14, 2013. They emphasized the strength of the U.S.-EU relationship, which includes the launch of trade and investment negotiations.

President Barack Obama, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso gave this joint statement on February 13, 2013. It announced the launch of negotiations for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, at the recommendation of a report from the U.S.-EU High Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth.

"Nowhere is this more heartfelt than in Italy. The euro is more than a currency: It is the strongest symbol of belonging to Europe, a relationship that many Italians hope can teach them better governance."

Led by EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht and Unites States Trade Representative Ron Kirk, the U.S.-EU High Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth presented its final report on February 11, 2013. It recommended the launch of trade and investment negotiations between the United States and the European Union, which leaders announced they would do.

Germany's Bundesbank remains an influential actor in eurozone policymaking, and its recent disagreements with the ECB raise concerns about managing the zone's debt crisis. This Backgrounder explains.

Paul B. Stares, David F. Gordon, and Mark L. Schneider discuss conflicts that could break out or escalate in 2013.

Assistant Secretary for European Affairs Philip Gordon made these remarks during a Media Roundtable at the U.S. Embassy in London, England, on January 9, 2013, and addressed the possibility of Britain leaving the EU.

"Europe's leaders were right about the pressure. Monetary union without banking union will not work, and a workable banking union requires at least some elements of fiscal and political union. But they were wrong about the irresistible part. There is no inevitability about what comes next."

"She currently holds the fate of Europe in her hands. If the euro is rescued, Merkel will get most of the credit, and if it falls apart, she will be forced to shoulder the blame. No other German chancellor has had as much power on the European continent as the current one. And yet, ironically enough, none of Merkel's predecessors were as dispassionate about the European Union as the woman currently governing from the Chancellery."

EU leaders at this week's summit are expected to advance a banking union crucial to restoring confidence in the eurozone, but its full implementation is a long way off, says CFR's Robert Kahn.

Sebastian Mallaby argues that Europe's future is looking frighteningly like Japan's past.

Sebastian Mallaby argues that Spain is unlikely to get control of its debt dynamics without more aggressive action from European leaders.

Acrimony among European leaders regarding a new EU budget is indicative of larger challenges the union faces in facilitating further economic integration, says CFR's Sebastian Mallaby.

Sebastian Mallaby argues that the European Central Bank should embrace a weighted-vote governance structure in its plans for a new bank supervisory board.

Sebastian Mallaby considers how economic forecasters should adapt their methods to reflect today's high levels of policy uncertainty.

Nancy Brinker, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Susan G. Komen for the Cure interviews Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Janos Martonyi on the state of the European Union today.

According to a secret legal opinion for European Union finance ministers, a plan to create a single eurozone banking supervisor is illegal.

The EU's Nobel Peace Prize selection comes as the bloc struggles to resolve its debt crisis. Nevertheless, the EU represents one of the great peacemaking accomplishments of the modern era.

Reuters details the negotiations that led from ECB President Mario Draghi's late-July speech to his recent announcement that the ECB stood ready to buy "unlimited" amounts of bonds by the most troubled euro members.