On 15-16 May, AmCham EU welcomed 12 of its Executive Council members to Brussels for their annual Spring Plenary meeting. Following the Internal Plenary, ExCo members participated in an information session with Accenture on AmCham EU’s upcoming Agenda for Action. They met with Arancha Gonzalez, Chief of Staff to Director General Pascal Lamy, WTO, before attending the opening plenary of the European Business Summit. The day ended with a dinner with The Hon. William E. Kennard, US Ambassador to the EU, and Jean-Luc Demarty, Director General for Trade, European Commission at which the main topic of discussion was on the TTIP. 

At a press conference at the European Business Summit today, AmCham EU, AmChams in Europe, BUSINESSEUROPE, EUROCHAMBRES, the European Services Forum, the European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, the Transatlantic Business Council, the Transatlantic Policy Network and the US Chamber of Commerce, launched the Business Alliance for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

The business organisations united under the umbrella of the Alliance will contribute innovative solutions to open new markets to realise a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Agreement that is ambitious and comprehensive.

Please click here to read the full press release.

Congratulations to Richard Kaye (JP Morgan), who has been elected Chair of AmCham EU's Financial Services and Company Law Committee for a two-year term.

Thank you to Michael Collins (Citi), former Chair of the Committee, for all his hard work and dedication to AmCham EU.

On 26 April 2013, Mark Lange from Microsoft Europe offered an information session to AmCham EU staff on the newest technologies and services offered by Microsoft. Discussions mainly covered cloud computing, including its advantages and the legislation challenges it faces. The staff was also introduced to the motion sensing input device Kinect, which promises many new technological developments, but which is already widely used in the video game industry.

In her April video message, Susan Danger, Managing Director of AmCham EU, talks about the TTIP events in Dublin attended by AmCham EU. At the backdrop of the EU informal Council of EU Trade Ministers, AmCham EU participated in both the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) Business Roundtable on EU/US Trade and Investment and the event 'Driving the Future: The Importance of Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership' organized by the US Embassy in Ireland. She also underlines the launch of 'The Transatlantic Opportunity' brochure in Dublin, as well as AmCham EU's April plenary meeting on cybersecurity challenges with keynote Robert Madelin, DG CONNECT.

Today AmCham EU joins Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in celebrating World Intellectual Property Day (World IP Day). This year’s theme ‘Creativity: The Next Generation’, recognises the power of young innovators in driving innovation and creativity across the world.

On 22 April, AmCham EU hosted its April plenary meeting on Addressing cybersecurity challenges: the need for global cooperation, featuring a luncheon keynote address from Robert Madelin, Director-General, DG CONNECT, European Commission. The event began with a panel session discussing the topic of cybersecurity challenges, with Pastora Valero, Director, EU Public Policy, Cisco and Chair of AmCham EU's Digital Economy Committee as moderator and guest panellists Ivailo Kalfin, MEP; Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar, Cyber Security Policy Advisor, European External Action Service; Danielle Kriz, Director, Global Cybersecurity Policy, Information Technology Industry Council; and Marco Riboli, Vice President and General Manager, Symantec EMEA Southern Region.

Today, AmCham EU's IP Committee has met with Mr Michael Koenig, Acting Head of Unit of the Industrial Property in the DG MARKT, European Commission in the run up to the World IP Day celebrations. The discussion focused on the ongoing revision of the EU's trademark legislation. Mr Koenig highlighted the modernisation proposed by the European Commission regarding the principle of 'one-class-per-fee' that will apply both for Community trademark applications and for national trademark applications.
 

On 19 April, the AmCham EU Competition Policy Committee welcomed Hilary Jennings, Head of Global Relations, Competition Division, OECD. Ms Jennings spoke extensively with members about the successes and challenges in dealing with competition policy at the OECD level.

Ms Jennings first acknowledged the OECD’s efforts to be more representative of the global community. Several attempts have been made until today to include new members of the G20 among the OECD’s membership.
 

On 16-17 April, AmCham EU members representing the Environment Committee made their annual trip to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The delegates had 16 meetings with MEPs, MEP assistants and political group advisors from a variety of political parties. Environmental issues discussed included f-gases and air quality, REACH, RoHS, endocrine disruptors, nanotechnologies, the overlap of environmental legislation and resource efficiency.