Malte Lohan, CEO, AmCham EU, opened the conference by highlighting the continued importance of transatlantic cooperation for prosperity and stability. He then sat down with Michael Hager, Head of Cabinet to Commissioner Dombrovskis for a fireside chat. Their discussion focused on Europe’s economic outlook and the role policymakers can play in supporting simplification and competitiveness. 

The first panel, Beyond tariffs: reimagining transatlantic trade for the next decade, examined how the EU and US can overcome ongoing trade tensions and modernise their trade relationship. Payne Griffin, Senior Director, FTI Consulting; Antoine Janssens, Vice-President Business Transformation, Chevron Phillips Chemical; Matthias Jørgensen, Acting Director, the Americas, Agriculture and Food Safety and Head of Unit, USA and Canada, Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security, European Commission and Kathleen Van Brempt, MEP (BE, S&D) discussed the importance of addressing economic security, strengthening supply chains and ensuring competitiveness. Moderated by Suzanne Lynch, Brussels Bureau Chief, Bloomberg the discussion highlighted the need to update the transatlantic trade agenda to reflect new economic realities. 

The final panel, Trust, cooperation and the way forward, explored how closer collaboration can support innovation, competitiveness and resilience. Penny Naas, Senior Vice-President, Innovation and Competitiveness and Brussels Office Director, German Marshall Fund; Despina Spanou, Deputy Director-General, Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, European Commission and Pastora Valero, Senior Vice-President, International Government Affairs, Cisco, discussed how policymakers and industry can work together to reinforce trust and advance the transatlantic agenda. Moderated by Laurens Cerulus, Cybersecurity Editor and Deputy Technology Editor, POLITICO, the discussion highlighted the importance of maintaining open channels for cooperation in an increasingly complex global landscape.