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AmCham EU is pleased to announce election results from January. We wish successful terms to Rachele Ciavarella (Salesforce), Nicholas Cosenza (Amgen), Amélie Coulet (IBM), Dominika Domanska (Johnson & Johnson), Kaarli Eichhorn (Jones Day) and Alois Thiant (Marsh McLennan).

Please find below a detailed list of the recent appointments to leadership positions:    

• Rachele Ciavarella (Salesforce), confirmed Vice-Chair, Digital Economy Committee 

• Nicholas Cosenza (Amgen), re-elected Vice-Chair, Healthcare Committee 

• Amélie Coulet (IBM), elected Chair, Trade Committee 

• Dominika Domanska (Johnson & Johnson), elected Vice-Chair, Healthcare Committee 

• Kaarli Eichhorn (Jones Day), re-confirmed Vice-Chair, Ukraine Task Force 

• Alois Thiant (Marsh McLennan), re-confirmed Vice-Chair, Ukraine Task Force 

Our thanks to the members who stepped down recently from their leadership position. We are grateful for their continued engagement and trust in AmCham EU.     

• Emanuele Frezza (UPS), former Chair, Trade Committee 

Senior business leaders gathered in Antwerp, Belgium to convey a clear message on the state of Europe’s industrial base and the urgent need to restore the continent’s competitiveness. The discussions underscored that the drivers of declining competitiveness are well understood and that decisive action is now required, notably through a systemic reduction of administrative burden, completion of the Single Market and measures to ensure lower energy prices.  

Taking place on Thursday, 11 February, the forum brought together political leaders including Bart De Wever, Prime Minister, Belgium; Emmanuel Macron, President, France; Friedrich Merz, Chancellor, Germany and Ursula von der Leyen, President, European Commission. 

Malte Lohan, CEO and Job Boonstra, Senior Policy Adviser, AmCham EU joined the exchange alongside senior executives from across sectors, reinforcing industry’s call for coordinated policy action to enhance Europe’s competitiveness and investment environment. 

The revision of the Public Procurement Directive (PPD) is a critical opportunity to unlock the full value of public procurement for European competitiveness and resilience. A simpler, more consistent and quality-driven framework would strengthen market access, attract a wider range of bidders and enable public buyers to select best-in-class solutions. 

The revision should prioritise practical ‘how to buy’ reforms, including digitalisation, standardised templates and reusable documentation, to reduce administrative burdens and increase participation. In parallel, ‘what to buy’ reforms should focus on transparent and verifiable criteria that reward performance, security and life-cycle value while avoiding unnecessary complexity that risks reducing competition. 

Learn how, if designed effectively, the PPD can support innovation, resilience and better outcomes for public buyers across the EU. 

On Monday, 9 February, AmCham EU met with Bryant Trick, Assistant United States Trade Representative, Europe and the Middle East. Malte Lohan, CEO and Liam Benham, Chair, opened the meeting by setting the context for the discussion and highlighting the need for transatlantic engagement at a challenging time. As efforts continue to implement the EU–US framework agreement and move forward in a constructive manner, the exchange provided an important opportunity for open dialogue.

The Commission’s proposed transitional rules to anticipate the removal of the €150 customs duty threshold risk creating distortions and unnecessary complexity. As discussed at the Trade Contact Group in January 2026, the current approach could undermine simplification efforts and lead to an uneven playing field between businesses involved in low-value distance sales. 

Co-legislators should consider targeted changes to address these risks. In particular, the temporary €3 duty and the use of the H7 simplified customs declarations should apply consistently to all distance sales below €150. H7 data requirements for simplified procedures should also remain proportionate and not exceed those of the standard H1 dataset. Finally, changes to the definition of the customs declarant should be avoided where they may create legal uncertainty or increase fraud and liability risks.

Find out more about why a proportionate and legally sound approach is essential for a workable de minimis transition.