Abstract
The economies of the European Union and of the United States are becoming more inter-twined and inter-dependent. One can state that this far-reaching and powerful development has driven both the economies even further towards open and integrated trans-atlantic marketing. The EU-US economic relationship is not only vital to the health of the global economy but it also directly supports almost 12 million jobs. Considering the importance of the EU-US bilateral economic relations, one might suggest that potential conflicts between the two economic powers are handled with great care. Indeed, this has been the case after the quick recovery of Europe's economy after World War II, and a strong trans-atlantic relationship has prevailed during these years. However, the European economic unification process that took place after the treaty of Rome in 1957, came along well with the European wish to establish a strong airline consortium, which were be able to compete with the few dominant US aircraft manufacturers at the time.
