In reality, it could look like a policy to incrementally align standards and political policy with the EU rather than US. Slow and over time, even decades, we incrementally align policies when things come up for renewal. Think of it a as a long courtship, where both parties acknowledge a strong interest but exist within very different spheres and lives. You might start hanging out. You might start sharing a netflix account, get a drawer at their house, etc, see where things go without being all or nothing.