ABSTRACT
Europe and America are bound closer today more than ever before by shared interests cultural and economic ties and, above all, by modern means of communication. This growing closeness opens up new opportunities, but also leads to the emergence of new sources of friction. Over the last decade Europe and America have changed drastically, as have their respective roles in the international system. The United States is the only remaining superpower arid, for the first time in history, has neither opponents nor rivals of equal stature. Europe has changed too. It is in the process of turning into a player with a single voice on the world stage which, although far from being as powerful as the United States in military terms, can nevertheless play in the same league, particularly in trade, economic and monetary policy. The EU needs to have the necessary operational capacities at its disposal, both in the civilian and in the military field.
