Core Brief: What Is EU Culture? What Is American Culture?

The EU no longer needs to kowtow or adapt to American expectations, it can operate from its cultural perspective - that may well change the world

Sep 05, 2025

Now that the EU can no longer depend on or trust the US, it no longer needs to obey it. This means the EU can work from its cultural perspective rather than adapting to meet American expectations.

The EU consists of 27 countries and many more cultures. The US Census Bureau identifies nearly 1,500 cultures in the US. In the book “11 Nations,” Colin Woodard identifies 11 distinct cultural regions, each with its own history, values, and political leanings. While there is no clear answer to the exact number of cultures in the EU or the US, what is clear is that there are many. However, there are also overarching, broad cultural perspectives that characterize and differentiate the EU and the US.

What's Happening

Since the erosion of trust with the US, the European Union is working more independently. Europe's strategic shift means decisions are now rooted in its own diverse culture rather than American standards. This transition reflects cultural realignments, realignment to the home culture, which will shape policy, governance, and international engagement. Alignment with the US will drift apart, the gap widening over time.

The Cultural Perspective

The United States is shaped by strong individualism (Hofstede), where personal freedom, independence, and self-expression are core values. Achievement is framed as an individual pursuit, and success is often measured by what a person can accomplish alone. Universalism (Trompenaars) reinforces this through a consistent application of rules and laws, with fairness defined as treating everyone the same regardless of context.

The communication style is low-context (Hall): clear, direct, and explicit. People are expected to say what they mean. Misunderstandings are considered the listener’s fault for not paying attention or asking clarifying questions.

Schwartz’s mastery orientation prioritizes control over the environment and problem-solving through innovation. Americans are taught to control and shape their environment to achieve goals, whether in business, science, or politics. This is reinforced by an internal direction (Trompenaars), where success is assumed to come from personal drive and effort, not external forces. The result is a culture that favors control, planning, and competition; they are in control, not fate.

The European Union blends moderate Individualism with strong collectivism (Hofstede), balancing individual rights with a shared commitment to social welfare. Most EU countries value the common good and long-term stability over personal gain. Particularism (Trompenaars) allows for flexibility, recognizing that relationships and context often matter more than rigid rules.

Communication is mixed-context (Hall). Northern Europe tends to favor clarity and precision, while Southern Europe relies more on nuance and relational cues. This internal variation reflects the EU’s cultural complexity and flexibility. Power is exercised through negotiation, not assertion.

Schwartz’s harmony orientation shapes many EU policies, with a strong emphasis on environmental balance, sustainability, social cohesion, and caution over disruption. The EU also leans toward an external direction (Trompenaars), favoring cooperation and adaptation, and emphasizing working with the environment and others. Power is shared, negotiated, and oriented toward long-term stability rather than unilateral control.

Practical Implications

In governance and regulation, the United States favors minimal federal oversight and allows states and industries to set many of their own standards. This leads to a patchwork of rules and limited national coordination, as seen in areas like environmental regulation or labor law.

The European Union develops centralized policies, like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), that apply uniformly across all member states, creating a cohesive framework with built-in enforcement mechanisms.

Economically, the US prioritizes individual entrepreneurship and rapid innovation, often allowing tech startups and financial firms to operate with minimal constraints until problems arise. In the EU, precautionary principles guide regulation from the outset. For example, labor protections and environmental standards are built into economic policy, even if it slows growth. The result is a more stable but less risk-tolerant business environment.

Socially, the US approach links health care and welfare to employment, which can leave millions uninsured and underprotected. The EU model provides universal healthcare and unemployment benefits as rights, not perks, funded through higher but widely accepted taxation. Public services are seen not as handouts, but as guarantees of dignity and cohesion.

In international relations, the US typically acts unilaterally or through flexible coalitions that prioritize national interest. Treaties are often transactional and subject to reversal based on domestic politics. In contrast, the EU builds long-term multilateral relationships rooted in legal agreements and institutional commitments. Diplomacy is consensus-based, and foreign policy aims to reinforce shared rules, not impose dominance.

Why It Matters

The EU’s autonomy is a geopolitical shift. No longer constrained by US expectations, the EU is returning to and leveraging its cultural strengths, long-term orientation, sustainability, and collective responsibility to shape global policies independently. Europe's regulatory leadership, financial autonomy, and diplomatic strategies increasingly diverge from US influence.

An independent EU no longer bound to American priorities in trade, defense, or diplomacy will expand its cultural perspective globally. In Africa, South America, and Asia, EU trade deals, regulatory standards, and diplomatic initiatives, once dominated by the US, will give nations a choice. Many will choose Europe, expanding the EU’s power and weakening the US.

What's Next?

As Europe continues on its independent path, expect deeper divergence in international policy frameworks, trade standards, environmental commitments, and strategic alliances. Europe's cultural strengths will not only differentiate it from the US but may position it as the new global rule-maker.

Europe is no longer a pawn of the US; it is now leading.

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