Despite widespread public enthusiasm in Europe for the new U.S. administration of President Barack Obama, long-term worrying trends remain that confront the trans-Atlantic relationship, said James Goldgeier, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

"There is no question the European public is extremely excited" about new relations with the United States under Obama, he told the Feb. 6 symposium.

This is evident in public opinion polls, which under the previous administration of President George W. Bush showed people in many European countries overwhelmingly pessimistic about relations with the U.S. and its role in the world, he said. Now 70 percent to 80 percent of pollees believe their relations with the U.S. — and America's ties with the rest of the world — will improve, he added.