On 31 January, AmCham EU organised a site visit to the UPS air hub of the Cologne Bonn airport for the Coordinators of the TRAN committee in the European Parliament.
 
Brian Simpson, Chair of the committee, was joined by Said El Khadraoui (S&D coordinator), Dieter-Lebrecht Koch (EPP, Committee Vice Chair), Gesine Meissner (ALDE Coordinator) Roberts Zile (ECR Coordinator) and Michal Wojciechowski (Administrator for the TRAN Committee). The visit was very timely, as it took place right before MEPs start discussing the threefold airport package, which proposes to revise existing regulation on the noise emissions of airports, slot allocations for airlines, as well as the liberalisation of airport groundhandling services.

AmCham EU welcomes the European Commission’s proposals on the Capital Requirements Directive IV (CRD IV). The European Commission has led efforts to restore financial stability through a range of issues, including higher standards of capital. However, the international nature of markets and firms is at odds with separate regulatory reforms, and AmCham EU strongly believes that a level playing field for the global financial services industry is essential.

We believe that the best way to ensure safer and sounder markets is to strive for international consistency in key areas such as capital, taking into account global companies’ need for crossborder financial services.

Click here to read the full paper.

On Monday, the 27 European Council members met in an informal summit to determine the necessary plans to stimulate growth and employment for the financially challenged EU.

The Council’s subsequent press release detailed their immediate priorities for economic recovery including completing the single market, helping small and medium-sized businesses, and stimulating employment particularly for younger workers.

Their priorities mirrored the five key measures for growth that AmCham EU identified in advance of the summit: the quick adoption and implementation of economic governance measures; the deepening and reinforcement of the single market; the reformation of the labour market and preparation of the workforce; the boosting of innovation; and the facilitation of access to third country markets.

AmCham EU is hopeful that the Council will act swiftly on their priorities in order to restore economic prosperity in the EU.

Please click here to read AmCham EU's press release following the 30 January summit
 

At a meeting with AmCham EU members on Friday 27 January 2012, Ambassador Philip Verveer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and US Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy urged closer cooperation between the US and EU on several key policies, namely Data Protection, Cloud Computing and on Internet Governance.

 

In her first message of 2012, Susan Danger, Managing Director of AmCham EU, gives an update on the organisation’s activities for the coming months, including a cross-sectoral delegation to Strasbourg and Transatlantic Week.

In advance of the informal European Council meeting on 30 January, AmCham EU identified five key measures it believes are urgently needed to put Europe back on a path of sustainable growth. The economic and financial crisis gripping Europe is entering a critical phase requiring bold action and strong leadership.

‘Austerity measures alone are not going to get Europe out of this crisis. We need to put in place mechanisms that are going to spur employment, encourage business investment and drive the necessary economic reforms to ensure Europe remains a player in the global economy’, stated Hendrik Bourgeois, Chair of AmCham EU.

AmCham EU heartily endorses the call for a European Cloud Partnership proposed last week by Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission, in a speech given in Davos at the World Economic Forum. AmCham EU agrees that by inviting public authorities, industry, consumers and suppliers to work together on Cloud issues we can further advance the technology and better address the challenges and barriers.

On Monday 23 January, AmCham EU welcomed Philip Lowe, Director-General of DG Energy for January’s plenary meeting focusing on the 2050 Energy Roadmap. Lowe highlighted the importance of providing businesses and households with secure, sustainable, affordable energy for completing the internal market.

Speaking on the potentials and difficulties regarding new energy technologies, he said 'Energy policy is not only about climate change. Ensuring your energy supplies and staying competitive matter too. You must not think only of saving the world, but also of saving yourself'.

AmCham EU welcomes the Commission’s comprehensive reform of data protection rules and applauds its efforts to create one law applicable to all Member States. AmCham EU believes that privacy laws need to be globally consistent and clear. To facilitate growth and innovation in the EU (and globally), data protection rules should be flexible and simple enough to encourage the development and take up of innovative new services.

Last night, at 21:00 EST, President Barack Obama delivered his annual State of the Union address before the US Congress and the American people. In this year's speech, President Obama highlighted his plans for continued economic recovery in the United States and included a call to ease the partisanship affecting the implementation of measures to improve the economy.

This annual address, a major event of the American political calendar, is used as a platform for the President of the United States to explain policy priorities for the coming year.

Please click here watch President Obama's State of the Union address.