Following Board elections in February, AmCham EU is pleased to announce Vincent Jamois, Michelle Gibbons, and Renato Addis as members of the Board.

• Vincent Jamois, Vice President, Global Public Policy, for Time Warner is AmCham EU’s new Policy Group Chair. 
• Michelle Gibbons, Deputy Managing Director at Fleishman-Hillard, joins the Board as Vice-Chair, Lawyer/Consultant
• Renato Addis, Partner at EPPA Partnership S.A. is the new Member-at-Large, Lawyer/Consultant

All three bring extensive professional experience and AmCham EU looks forward to working with them over their two-year tenures.  Their terms begin in mid-March. They join the existing Board members which include:

• John Vassallo (Microsoft), Chair
• Patrick Oliver (Accenture), Vice-Chair, Corporate
• Lizanne Scott (Motorola) Communications Group Chair
• Penny Naas (Citi), Operations Group Chair
• Thomas Reynaert (UTC), Member-at-Large, Corporate

AmCham EU would like to thank outgoing Board members: Kiran Desai (Mayer Brown) – Vice-Chair, Lawyer/Consultant, Michelle O’Neill (Honeywell) – Policy Group Chair, and James Searles (Steptoe & Johnson LLP) – Member-at-Large, Lawyer/Consultant, for their commitment to AmCham EU throughout their tenures.

AmCham EU’s 2010-2015 Agenda for Action

We are very pleased to present you with AmCham EU’s Agenda for Action. This represents the views of business leaders from over 140 of our member companies, and sets out our priorities for the next five years. Our aim was to come up with ideas to help pave the way towards a sustainable recovery and make Europe more competitive on the world stage.

In developing the Agenda, we also conferred with external stakeholders including the European Commission, the European Parliament, NGOs, the media and academics. We submitted the Agenda for Action to the Commission in response to its EU 2020 consultation process. We were pleased our comments were referenced and quoted by the Commission following their consultation, and that our ideas are fundamentally in alignment.

The agenda is in an e-book format and contains video segments of some of our business leaders outlining our five priority areas. Please make sure the volume on your computer is turned on to hear their remarks. 

See Agenda for Action

Please note Adobe Flash Player is required, download free copy  

As we start a new decade AmCham EU took a look ahead at what the next ten years will bring to the transatlantic economy with particular focus on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and green technologies at the fourth Transatlantic Conference on Thursday 4 March with over 150 attendees.

The conference started with a keynote address from The Honorable William E. Kennard, United States Ambassador to the EU. In his remarks the ambassador cited the importance of the transatlantic relationship and despite the financial downturn of over a year ago the economic relationship across the Atlantic is still founded on a powerful vision.

At the conference the Transatlantic Economy 2010, authored by Daniel Hamilton and Joseph Quinlan from the Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins University was launched. Daniel Hamilton presented the key statistics from this year's study which revealed that the EU and US are still each other's biggest investors.

Following the opening presentations were two panel discussions on Foreign Direct Investment and Innovation & Green Technologies. Both panels looked at how the EU and US can work closer together to seek convergence on standards and norms and remain competitive in a globalised world in these sectors.

The conference concluded with a keynote address from David O'Sullivan, Director General for Trade at the European Commission during lunch. Mr. O'Sullivan took the opportunity to present some of the key priorities for DG Trade and during Commissioner De Gucht's mandate.

Press release

Photo album

In the presence of over 30 MEPs, representatives from 30 AmChams across Europe, representatives from several Permanent Representations and AmCham EU members the Transatlantic Economy 2010 study was launched at the European Parliament. In his opening remarks John Vassallo (Microsoft), Chair of AmCham EU emphasised the importance of the transatlantic economy, citing some of the key statistics in this year's study authored by Daniel Hamilton and Joseph Quinlan from the Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins University.

A call for closer cooperation between business and government was emphasised by Pilar del Castillo MEP, who hosted the launch event. In her remarks MEP Castillo highlighted the importance of the transatlantic economy in ensuring growth and jobs and in particular providing stability to the global economy.

Photo album

PHOTOS: (top) Pilar del Castillo MEP; (middle) (l-r) Jaime Malet, President, AmCham Spain, Pilar del Castillo MEP, John Vassallo (Microsoft) Chair AmCham EU, Susan Danger, Managing Director, AmCham EU, Fiona Harvey, Environment Correspondent, Financial Times.

The seventh annual AmCham EU Briefing for European AmChams took place 2-5 March 2010. For the first time this was coupled with best practices sessions for members of the AmCham network. The week-long event was attended by 48 members of the AmChams, representing 30 chambers in total.

Highlights of the event included a morning of European briefing sessions on the Lisbon Treaty and EU 2020 Strategy, given by AmCham EU Secretariat members, the European Policy Centre (EPC) and EurActiv. This was followed by an afternoon of EU policy case studies given by AmCham EU members. The national AmChams, as co-sponsors of the Transatlantic Economy 2010 study, also attended the AmCham EU Transatlantic Conference 2010 as well as a cocktail at the European Parliament in the presence of over 30 MEPs. For the first time ever AmCham EU also hosted an exclusive roundtable of AmCham presidents from across 11 countries. The final day of the programme focussed on best practices for AmChams and included sessions on tips for successful advocacy on a national level.

PHOTOS: (top) AmCham representatives participate in EU briefing session, (below) AmCham presidents roundtable

AmChams in Europe (ECACC)

AmCham EU hosted a briefing and networking cocktail reception at the European Parliament in Brussels on Thursday 25 February on the transatlantic regulatory reform agenda for financial services. On hand to discuss and learn more were AmCham EU members, US government representatives and key assistants of MEPs from the ECON, JURI and IMCO Committees.

The assistants were briefed by Mathew Haarsager, US Treasury representative in Europe. This was followed by briefings from leading members of AmCham EU’s Financial Services and Company Law Committee including the Committee Co-Chair, Mitchell Coen (Barclays Capital), Penelope Naas (Citi), and Nick Collier (Morgan Stanley Int.).

PHOTO: (top) (l-r): Mitchell Coen (Barclays Capital) Vice-Chair AmCham EU Financial Services and Company Law, Mathew Haarsager, US Treasury.

Recently appointed Deputy US Trade Representative (USTR), Ambassador Miriam Sapiro met with AmCham EU members on Monday 22 February 2010. Ambassador Sapiro is responsible for trade negotiations with Europe, the Middle East and the Americas, As well, Ambassador Sapiro supervises intergovernmental affairs, market access, services and investment, intellectual property and innovation, and the Washington, DC - based Office of WTO and Multilateral Affairs. Ambassador Sapiro discussed with members the current status of ongoing trade negotiations and presented her priorities during her mandate.

 
PHOTO: (L-R) Rory Macmillan (Nike), Dan Mullaney (US Mission), Miriam Sapiro (Deputy USTR), Susan Danger (AmCham EU) and John Vassallo (Microsoft).

Speaking to AmCham EU members during a luncheon 18 February 2010, Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn highlighted the need to have closer cooperation between private and public sectors to stimulate innovation in Europe.

In one of her first public speaking engagements after being confirmed, the commissioner presented her priorities for her mandate which include: more funding for SMEs for innovation, the completion of the EU Research Area, putting an end to the fragmentation and duplication of research, and the pooling of resources to finance large-scale research infrastructures.

The commissioner’s presentation was then followed by questions from the audience and briefings on AmCham EU’s positions on healthcare, transport and climate change, and finally nanotechnologies. In concluding, the commissioner thanked AmCham EU for its role in pushing for innovation and invited the association to continue working with her and her team in stimulating research, innovation and science in Europe.

Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn's speech

Press Release

PHOTO: (Top) (L-R) John Vassallo (Microsoft) Chair, AmCham EU; Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn; John Bell, Chef de Cabinet, Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn.

AmCham EU’s recommendations to the Spanish presidency are now available online and in brochure format. In this document you will find the policy priorities of our 15 committees listed in Council formation. For further information on AmCham EU's presidency group events please contact Sara Webber at the secretariat.

Recommendations to the Spanish presidency

From 26-28 January, twenty members of AmCham EU’s Presidency Group, lead by Rory Macmillan from Nike, gathered in Brussels for a series of meetings with the key stakeholders for the incoming Belgian presidency.

Photo album