Today marks the one-year anniversary of the European Commission’s ‘Fit for 55’ initiative. This climate package is part of the European Green Deal, and it aims to align European climate, transport and energy-related regulations with the 2030 55% greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. It includes more than a dozen legislative proposals, ranging from a carbon border adjustment mechanism to cleaner transport and energy efficiency. AmCham EU members are fully committed to making the objectives laid out in Fit for 55 work. Given its ambitious goals, this wide-ranging initiative affects numerous policy areas and must be evaluated holistically. For the package to be successful, it must respect the Better Regulation principles, avoid fragmentation, ensure regulatory certainty and be guided by international cooperation and innovation. AmCham EU has recently outlined several examples of how certain policy areas overlap and how they can be made more workable for the private sector. We hope these recommendations will guide policymakers in creating an environment that encourages investment and facilitates the uptake of the technological solutions required for a successful and timely sustainable transition. Read our full Fit for 55 Snapshot here.
Fit for 55 Snapshot
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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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