Trade Diplomacy and US states in Europe: Does Brussels matter?

Creating a new office of subnational diplomacy within the State Department reflects the growing importance of subnational actors in global politics. Yet this effort to institutionalize and coordinate subnational efforts does not account for the long-standing presence of subnational representation in Europe. American states have long advocated and lobbied for their territorial interests in Europe (Antunes, Guimarães, and Egan 2023). While there is a significant literature on regional representation of member states to understand the channels of representation and influence, and patterns of mobilization and organizational forms of territorial representation (Callanen and Tatham, 2013; Tatham, 2010; Minto et al, 2023; Donas and Beyers, 2012), few have focused on external representation – or the role of non-European territorial mobilization and influence in Europe. Surprisingly, far less systematic research has been conducted on the policies that subnational interests from third countries prioritize when they establish representation in Europe. This paper focuses on analyzing the trade diplomacy of eighteen American states that have an active presence in Europe. As US states have organized themselves in Europe, what channels and strategies do they use to promote their economic interests? What European issues do US states consider critical for their home state? Does regional representation reflect the increasing influence of EU trade policy decisions on third countries (the so-called Brussels effect)? Drawing on data collected from multiple US states, this paper provides an "external" dimension on regional mobilization on trade issues. Our goal is to look at how US states frame their efforts to promote their economic interests within Europe through a mix of semi-structured interviews and surveys to analyze their modes of conveying their interests, and ways that regional "trade-diplomacy" is exercised by American states in Europe.