We are pleased to announce the publication of the policy paper US-EU Trade Negotiations and Semiconductor Supply: Implications for Central and Eastern Europe by one of our researchers, Dr. Jan Hornát and Sára Lochmanová from the Faculty of Social Sciences.

This policy paper examines the evolving trade relationship between the European Union and the United States under the second presidency of Donald Trump with a focus on semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), and the position of Central and Eastern Europe. The text argues that the U.S. has shifted away from its neoliberal free-trade paradigms toward protectionism and the securitization of technological advancement, while making economic negotiations increasingly politicized. The 2025 EU–U.S. Framework Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade reflects the transformation by prioritizing semiconductor supply chains, technology security and strategic alignment. While the agreement may stabilize relations and secure the European demand for U.S. AI chips, it also risks creating structural dependency, political tensions within the EU, and thus, challenging Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem. Subsequently, the policy paper highlights uncertainties surrounding implementation, including supply guarantees, export controls, and unequal access to advanced technologies, particularly for CEE countries. It also briefly outlines the emerging network of EU AI (giga) factories. The paper concludes that, to ensure balanced transatlantic technological cooperation, the following should be taken into account: equal access to AI chips for all EU member states, EU states should avoid overreliance on U.S. semiconductor imports, and they should also pursue concessions from the U.S. regarding the tariff-free imports of EU components.

Dr. Jan Hornát is a distinguished scholar of American foreign policy and international relations at the Institute of International Studies, Charles University. He teaches and conducts research on U.S. foreign policy, transatlantic relations, and global power dynamics. He currently serves as the Head of the Department of North American Studies. Dr. Hornát’s research focuses on the political and ideological dimensions of U.S. foreign policy, the sustainability of liberal democracies, and the evolving geopolitical competition in the Indo‐Pacific region. He is also a researcher within the Peace Research Center Prague. You can access his publications here. Sára Lochmanová works as a Project Manager at the Supply Chain Resilience Center. She holds a Master’s degree in Area Studies with a specialization in North American Studies and is also currently a Ph.D. student at the Institute of International Studies, Charles University.

This policy paper is avaible on our website here in the section titled “Policy Papers.”