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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.

On Wednesday, 16 April, AmCham EU met with Michael J. Vaccaro, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, US Department of State. The exchange with members focused on transatlantic defence industrial cooperation, regulatory issues shaping European Defence Markets and the ability of US companies to support European rearmament. Malte Lohan, CEO, AmCham EU also highlighted the importance of an open policy environment across the Atlantic to support cooperation and enable companies to contribute to Europe’s security and defence industrial base.

At the European Food Forum’s Navigating US Tariffs: Impact on European Food and Drink Trade, Economy and Future Relations, Edouard Coppieters, Senior Policy Adviser, AmCham EU, spoke about the new reality in which US agri-food companies operate. Taking place on Thursday, 9 April, he outlined the continued growth of EU-US agri-trade and the need for the EU to continue to diversify its trade partners, welcoming the recent announcement of deals with Australia and India. Alongside Brando Benifei, MEP (IT, S&D), he noted that tackling the uncertainty created by tariffs is essential and that to this end, the Framework Agreement between the EU and US is a needed stable basis. Although tariffs bring uncertainty, the EU must not lose sight of the predictability steps it can take to ensure it remains competitive and attractive to potential new trading partners.

The EU’s agri-food regulatory framework is fragmented and lacks predictability. The Food and Feed Safety Omnibus is a chance to address these shortcomings by reducing delays, improving consistency and easing compliance burdens that limit market access. 

Uncertainty discourages investment and slows the uptake of new solutions. A more proportionate approach can improve legal certainty and support more consistent implementation across Member States. At the same time, maintaining a science-based, risk-based approach to trade measures is necessary to safeguard food security and avoid supply disruptions. 

Together with 14 other associations, AmCham EU has signed a joint statement on the European Commission’s Digital Omnibus on AI, calling for a clear, simple and innovation-friendly implementation of the AI Act. Co-legislators should swiftly reach an agreement on an ambitious final text that keeps simplification at its core. Measures to streamline overlaps with existing EU legislation and improve legal certainty are essential, alongside targeted adjustments to ensure the framework remains practical. This includes extending grace periods for generative AI labelling requirements, ensuring greater legal clarity for AI systems entering the EU market, preserving the risk-based approach of the AI Act by exempting non high-risk systems from registration, and supporting fixed compliance deadlines for high-risk systems.

Learn how the EU can support a clear and innovation friendly framework in the joint statement.

The Tax Omnibus presents a critical opportunity to modernise the EU's tax rules in light of the evolving international framework, notably the implementation of Pillar 2. Many existing directives were designed in response to earlier Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) measures and now impose duplicative, fragmented and resource-intensive requirements on businesses. These burdens undermine tax certainty, increase compliance costs and weaken the EU’s attractiveness as an investment destination.