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The new EU-US strategic partnership on critical minerals marks a positive step forward for the transatlantic relationship, demonstrating how EU-US cooperation can deliver benefits for businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. Critical minerals sit at the heart of modern technologies and industrial value chains, essential to products like semiconductors and future energy technologies. This strategic partnership will help provide American and European companies with a more secure supply of these inputs. More broadly, the agreement can support the EU and US economies in reducing strategic dependencies in global critical minerals trade – a shared challenge.

Beyond critical minerals, the strategic partnership points to an opportunity for a new chapter in EU-US cooperation built around shared economic and strategic priorities. The two sides have a greater impact when using their combined weight to address shared challenges. Pursuing the kind of cooperation outlined in the strategic partnership should be a priority as the two sides build on the August 2025 EU-US Joint Statement, with further opportunities for coordination on issues such as securing industrial supply chains for AI development, tackling non-market trading practices and bolstering transatlantic cyber resilience.

The Industrial Accelerator Act will be a key test of whether the EU can strengthen industrial competitiveness while advancing decarbonisation. With significant pressure already weighing on businesses in Europe, from high energy costs and supply chain disruptions to unnecessary red tape and intensifying global competition, getting that balance right matters. If Europe fails to send clear signals that it remains a predictable place to invest, capital will go elsewhere.

AmCham EU supports the objectives of the IAA, but its success will depend on how it is designed. A central question in the debate is how ‘European preference’ should be approached. Strengthening Europe’s economic resilience and security is a legitimate objective. However, an approach that creates uncertainty for companies from partner countries, particularly by leaving key decisions to secondary legislation, risks undermining investment and limiting access to the technologies needed for the transition.

The focus should instead be on providing clarity early and rewarding companies that create real EU-added value through manufacturing, R&D, skills and emissions reductions. Learn more in our full paper.

From Monday, 13 to Wednesday, 15 April, AmCham EU travelled to Helsinki for a series of meetings with Finnish stakeholders on the future of EU environment policy. In discussions with representatives from the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, the Ministry of the Environment, the European Chemicals Agency and Members of the Finnish Parliament, the delegation examined how the EU can pursue its environmental objectives and support competitiveness by delivering long-term simplification in environmental policies.

Across the meetings, one theme was evident. Europe’s environmental legislation must be more coherent and efficient across the Single Market. Members emphasised that simplification is not about lowering standards, but about avoiding unnecessary complexity while preserving a high level of environmental and human health protection and building the business case for investment in sustainable frameworks such as Circular Economy. As the EU takes forward its next environment policy initiatives, the priority should be a framework that combines ambition with legal certainty, supports investment and delivers practical outcomes across Europe.