Fighting the economic impact of COVID-19 with a more united EU and a stronger EU-US relationship
For our last ‘Town Hall’ for members, AmCham EU connected with Peter Beyer, Member and Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation, German Bundestag.
During the meeting, Peter shared his insights on the COVID-19 emergency and its impact on the EU as well as on the EU-US relationship. He stressed that the COVID-19 outbreak showed the fragility of cross-border cooperation in times of crisis and the need for a stronger and more united EU. According to him, stronger competences at the EU level are needed to allow for an effective response to the crisis, especially with regard to its economic impact. Peter noted that the extent to which the EU will be able to do that depends on the willingness of the Member States which are still very divided with regard to the economic recovery plan.
As for the impact on the EU-US relationship, Peter indicated that the pandemic showed the need for more intensified transatlantic cooperation. Being natural allies, he added, the EU and the US need to start discussing a free trade agreement without further delay.
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Branching out with AI
Meta’s open-source Canopy Height Maps helped the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre improve its 2020 Global Forest Cover map, demonstrating how artificial intelligence can strengthen Europe’s ability to monitor forests and advance climate and biodiversity goals. Developed with the World Resources Institute, the maps use Meta’s DINO self-supervised computer vision model to estimate tree height from satellite imagery. This helped researchers apply the five-metre threshold used in many international forest definitions and better distinguish forests from other tree-covered land, including agricultural tree crops. The resulting product, available through the EU Forest Observatory, provides one of the most comprehensive open views of global forest cover. Read more on Invested in Europe.
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The transatlantic relationship at 250 years: a shared history and a forged future
Authored by Malte Lohan, CEO, AmCham EU
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Advancing skills for Europe’s AI transition
On Tuesday, 30 June, AmCham EU hosted a roundtable exploring strategies for preparing Europe’s workforce for the age of artificial intelligence (AI). Members and policymakers analysed how AI is changing roles across sectors and how employers, governments and education providers can respond. Joined by Idoia Mendia, MEP (ES, S&D) and Mario Nava, Director-General, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission, the conversation focused on digital and data skills, as well as expanding AI literacy across organisations. Participants also discussed reskilling and public-private cooperation to support a more inclusive labour market. In addition, members shared best practices from their companies and pointed to the need for policy frameworks that support lifelong learning and skills-based hiring. As AI becomes part of everyday work, Europe must close the skills gap to strengthen competitiveness and prepare people for the future of work.
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