119-hr5320

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5320 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 5320

To strengthen United States relations with certain countries of Central 
and Southeast Europe and develop a comprehensive strategy to strengthen 
 democracy, rule of law, and civil society, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 September 11, 2025

 Mr. Keating (for himself and Mr. Wilson of South Carolina) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
 Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To strengthen United States relations with certain countries of Central 
and Southeast Europe and develop a comprehensive strategy to strengthen 
 democracy, rule of law, and civil society, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Transatlantic Growth Enterprise 
Act''.

SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.

 The table of contents for this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title.

Sec. 2. Table of contents.

Sec. 3. Findings.

Sec. 4. Sense of Congress.

Sec. 5. Establishment of Transatlantic Growth Enterprise.

Sec. 6. Definitions.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

 Congress finds the following:

    (1) The United States has a strong and unwavering interest 
 in promoting peace, security, democracy, good governance, and 
 rule of law in Central and Eastern Europe.

    (2) Many countries in Central and Eastern Europe are strong 
 and reliable NATO partners that serve as indefensible allies to 
 the United States and transatlantic security.

    (3) In recent years, de-democratization in Central and 
 Eastern Europe, particularly in Hungary, has greatly undermined 
 the United States bilateral relationship with those countries 
 and have enabled malign actors like China and Russia to gain a 
 foothold in the transatlantic alliance.

    (4) Russia's illegal war of aggression in Ukraine and 
 China's significant support for Russia's war of aggression pose 
 a significant economic and security threat to the European 
 continent.

    (5) Strengthening the United States security and economic 
 relationship with Central and Eastern Europe while countering 
 malign action in the region is in the vital interest of the 
 United States.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

 It is the sense of Congress that--

    (1) a strong security and economic relationship between the 
 United States and countries in Central and Eastern Europe is 
 vital to United States national security;

    (2) Central and Eastern European countries play an 
 important role in NATO and the transatlantic security 
 architecture and serve as a bulwark against Russian malign 
 influence and aggression;

    (3) the United States can better counter the influence of 
 the People's Republic of China around the world through 
 transatlantic cooperation including with countries in Central 
 and Eastern Europe; and; and

    (4) United States investments in Central and Eastern Europe 
 and strengthened business to business ties between the United 
 States and Central and Eastern Europe strengthen the economic 
 security of the transatlantic relationship and contribute to 
 increased prosperity and energy security around the world.

SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF TRANSATLANTIC GROWTH ENTERPRISE.

    (a) Enterprise Authorized.--The Secretary of State shall, in 
coordination with the Chief Executive Officer of the Development 
Finance Corporation, and other relevant Federal agencies, carry out a 
program, to be known as the ``Transatlantic Growth Enterprise'', in 
support of strengthening United States relations with participating 
Enterprise countries, with a particular focus on strengthening business 
to business ties and fostering a robust investment environment in 
participating Enterprise countries as well as expanding energy security 
and security cooperation within Enterprise countries.

    (b) Objectives.--The objectives of the Enterprise shall be the 
following:

    (1) Strengthen United States relationships with like-minded 
 participating countries.

    (2) Expand business-to-business ties, including by working 
 with relevant Chambers of Commerce, between United States 
 industry and important economic and security sectors in 
 participating countries.

    (3) Expand energy sector cooperation between the United 
 States and Enterprise countries, including in the nuclear 
 energy sector.

    (4) Strengthen people-to-people ties between the United 
 States and participating countries.

    (5) Strengthen security cooperation and efforts to counter 
 Russian malign influence and aggression on the European 
 continent.

    (6) Counter the People's Republic of China's growing 
 private sector footprint in Enterprise countries;
            (c) Meetings.--The Secretary shall seek to convene appropriate 
stakeholders of participating Enterprise countries at least twice per 
calendar year to discuss shared goals and priorities for the 
Enterprise. Such stakeholders shall include, as practicable, government 
officials, business leaders, and civil society representatives.
            (d) Limitation.--To the extent that projects or activities are 
undertaken or supported by the Secretary, the Enterprise may only 
engage with counterpart government officials of Enterprise countries 
that the Secretary has determined are not undermining United States 
interests in the region--

    (1) through cooperation with Russia or China; or

    (2) by undermining democracy in the region including 
 through the conclusion of a bilateral agreement with the 
 People's Republic of China or the Russian Federation that 
 enables the stationing of that country's police or military 
 forces on the enterprise country's territory.

    (e) Reports.--

    (1) Implementation report.--Not later than 180 days after 
 enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary, 
 in coordination with the heads of the Federal agencies 
 described in subsection

    (a) , shall submit to the appropriate 
 congressional committees a report detailing the activities of 
 the Enterprise, which shall also include--
        (A) an overview of the diplomatic engagements 
 undertaken in the Enterprise;
        (B) an assessment of the progress of achieving the 
 objectives described in subsection

    (b) ; and
            (C) recommendations for future initiatives for the 
 Enterprise to undertake.

    (2) Form.--The report required by paragraph

    (1) shall be 
 submitted in unclassified form but may contain a classified 
 annex.

    (3) Energy strategy.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in 
 consultation with the heads of the Federal agencies described 
 in subsection

    (a) , shall submit to the appropriate 
 congressional committees a report that includes the following:
        (A) An overview of ongoing energy cooperation 
 between the United States and participating Enterprise 
 countries.
        (B) An overview of the dependency of enterprise 
 countries on the Russian and Chinese energy sectors and 
 the impacts of these dependencies on United States and 
 transatlantic trade and energy security.
            (C) A list of opportunities in the energy sectors 
 of participating countries, including in energy 
 infrastructure, that would enhance the work of the 
 Enterprise, further United States national security, 
 support decoupling from energy sector dependencies on 
 Russia and China, and strengthen United States 
 bilateral relations with enterprise countries.
            (D) An assessment of required appropriations or 
 additional needed authorities for the United States to 
 carry out public sector opportunities listed pursuant 
 to subsection
            (c) .
        (E) An assessment of actions required by the 
 private sector and opportunities for the United States 
 to provide support to the private sector to carry out 
 private sector opportunities listed pursuant to 
 subsection
            (c) .

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
 ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on 
 Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 
 Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.

    (2) Enterprise country.--The term ``Enterprise country'' 
 means the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, 
 Moldova, Ukraine, or Bulgaria, and may include any other 
 country in Central and Eastern Europe that the Secretary of 
 State determines appropriate to participate in the Enterprise 
 authorized by 

section 5.

    (3) North atlantic treaty organization.--The term ``NATO'' 
 means the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
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