Perspectives from France (Paris)

Atlantic Perspectives Interview Report, nº.  12

The Atlantic Future project explores the concept that new relations are emerging in the Atlantic space beyond the traditional North Atlantic alliance and the North-South dependency. GMF, with their respective office in Paris, France, used their networks to interview the relevant actors based on their professional and academic expertise. The main consensus on the emergence of a pan- Atlantic space was mixed. The main concerns on the current and future state of the Atlantic region from the Paris perspective touched on the following; future of the trade and investment, along with the negotiation of free trade agreements such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the U.S. and the EU. The respondents identified the need for different priorities between North and South Atlantic. It was strongly expressed that Europe and the U.S. remain the most important actors for the global economy, along with China and India. However, countries like Brazil or South Africa have been rising as economic models rather than as economic powers, and show an increased influence from the Southern Atlantic countries.