by Kayla Mathurin* & Stefanie Haller**
ABSTRACT
In an era marked by deepening geopolitical tensions, growing economic nationalism, and divergent regulatory paths, the transatlantic relationship between the United States and the European Union stands at a critical juncture. Long considered a cornerstone of the post-World War II international legal and political order, the US-EU partnership has traditionally been underpinned by shared liberal democratic values, open markets, and a mutual commitment to multilateralism and the rule of law. Yet recent developments from escalating trade disputes and regulatory clashes in the digital economy to diverging approaches in international arbitration and competition law have exposed fault lines in this historically stable alliance.
This interview offers a timely and multidimensional reflection on the current state and future prospects of transatlantic legal relations. Conducted by Columbia Law School students Stefanie Haller and Kayla Mathurin, the conversation features two of the most prominent voices in the field: Professor Anu Bradford, a globally recognized expert on EU law, digital regulation, and international economic governance and the director of Columbia’s European Legal Studies Center, and Professor George A. Bermann, a leading authority on comparative law and international arbitration and the founding director of Columbia’s Center for International Commercial and Investment Arbitration as well as the founder of the Columbia Journal of European Law and the European Legal Studies Center.
Drawing on their scholarly work and professional experiences, Professors Bradford and Bermann examine how the EU and the US are increasingly adopting distinct legal and regulatory identities what Professor Bradford, in her influential work Digital Empires,[1] describes as a “rights-driven” European model versus a “marketdriven” American model. The interview explores whether these divergent trajectories can still accommodate meaningful cooperation or whether they signal a broader shift toward legal division and normative competition on the global stage.
Key themes include the global reach of EU regulation via the Brussels Effect, the contested future of investor-state dispute settlement, the role of courts in arbitration, and the implications of digital sovereignty in an era of tech geopolitics. The discussion also highlights internal challenges within the EU, including the political and economic pressures threatening the Union’s regulatory ambitions, and the need for institutional resilience and renewed confidence in its legal frameworks.
Importantly, the conversation reflects on the evolving nature of leadership in both the EU and the US, and how political shifts particularly under the Trump administration have reshaped the transatlantic dynamic from one of collaboration to one of increasing confrontation. As Professor Bradford emphasizes, the erosion of shared values and predictability poses a foundational challenge to the transatlantic alliance, while Professor Bermann warns that a combative political climate makes transatlantic legal convergence harder to achieve.
Finally, the interview turns inward to reflect on how these global legal and political shifts have transformed the way European law is taught and understood, specifically in the US. Professors Bradford and Bermann offer personal insights into the pedagogical evolution of EU law education spanning from institutional integration to grappling with crises, conflicts, and reforms and underscore the importance of preparing future lawyers to navigate an increasingly complex international legal order.
This conversation is both a diagnosis and a call to action: a diagnosis of the forces straining the transatlantic legal bond, and a call for deeper engagement, institutional renewal, and legal imagination. As the world becomes more multipolar, understanding the trajectories of transatlantic legal cooperation and contestation is more crucial than ever.
[1] Anu Bradford, Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology (2023)
*1L student at Columbia Law School and Assistant Preliminary Reference Editor for the Columbia Journal of European Law.
**LL.M. student at Columbia Law School and Articles Editor for the Columbia Journal of European Law.
