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Balance and proportion key to tackling foreign subsidies distorting the internal market

26 Jul 2021
Competition policy

The European Commission’s proposed Regulation on foreign subsidies distorting the internal market and the objectives of resolving gaps in its current legal powers in relation to distortive foreign government subsidisation of companies is a step towards creating a level playing field in which companies from around the globe can compete on a fair basis within the European Single Market. Our new position paper highlights a number of areas where we believe the proposal needs to be further refined in order to best achieve the objectives of the Regulation.

Batteries Regulation: a key stop on the road to net-zero

23 Jul 2021
Environment

The European Commission’s Proposal for a Batteries Regulation will be one of the key legislative proposals to meet the ambitious climate goals set out in the European Green Deal, and should support and facilitate the uptake of the battery industry as well as the use of batteries in different applications. AmCham EU supports the proposal and in a new paper offers areas where the Regulation could be improved to best move towards the targets whilst ensuring clarity and coherence for industry.

Cross-industry statement on the need for a transition period for the implementation of the Batteries Regulation

22 Jul 2021
All Committees
Environment

On Thursday, 22 July, AmCham EU co-signed a statement on the need for a transition period in the implementation of the Batteries Regulation. The European Commission’s Proposal for a Batteries Regulation is an important step towards achieving the objective of improving the sustainability of batteries, whilst protecting the Single Market. The co-signers of this statement are committed to supporting the EU’s transition towards sustainable batteries and ensuring that the review of the batteries legislation is a success.

Proactively decreasing carbon footprint for over 30 years

20 Jul 2021
Environment
Transport, Energy & Climate

The Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices manufacturing plant in Norderstedt, Germany, was founded in 1960 and over the years has been upgraded to become a major production site within the global Johnson & Johnson manufacturing network. ‘In 2020, the site made the switch to be powered by 100% renewable electricity and is currently working to upgrade the water treatment, reusing key process chemicals and continuously striving to reduce waste.

Learn more at The Green Way and join the conversation on Twitter with #EUGreenWay.

Support communities hit by devastating floods

19 Jul 2021
All Committees

Catastrophic flooding hit Belgium, Germany and other parts of Western Europe. As the death toll continues to rise and many are still missing, our thoughts go out to the families of the victims, the communities who have been devastated as well as the rescue teams.

AmCham EU will make a donation to the Belgian Red Cross. We encourage you to also support relief efforts by clicking here.

For more information, please reach out to Thibaut L’Ortye (TLO@amchameu.eu). 

Economic recovery: where do we stand?

19 Jul 2021
All Committees

AmCham EU's monthly plenary meeting on Wednesday, 14 July saw speakers focus on the state of play of Europe’s economic recovery; sharing their optimism for what lies head. Currently, the European Commission has approved the eighteen national recovery and resilience plans and funding will soon start to be released into the economy. The panel also highlighted the key role that private investment will have to play in support Europe’s growth in the years to come. 

Proportionate approach needed for Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive

19 Jul 2021
All Committees
Sustainable Finance

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) represents a good opportunity to improve environmental, social and governance disclosures and has the potential to lead to greater relevance, comparability and reliability of environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting across the EU. Its new reporting requirements would entail a significant change for preparers of disclosure, a concern outlined in a recently published AmCham EU paper. A proportionate approach balancing the growing demand for ESG data with the growing burden companies face in gathering, preparing, assuring and reporting such data, is therefore needed. 

Female Entrepreneur Award 2021

Norwegian start-up wins AmCham EU Female Entrepreneur of the Year Award

15 Jul 2021
All Committees

The American Chamber of Commerce to the EU (AmCham EU) and JA Europe announced today that Maria Wathne, CEO of the student start-up Paramate, won the AmCham EU Female Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2021 at Gen-E, the European Entrepreneurship Festival. With this year’s focus on female entrepreneurship, AmCham EU and JA Europe aimed to send a strong signal that Europe needs more women in leadership.

G20 Global taxation

Global taxation: the time is right for an international agreement

15 Jul 2021
Tax

In recent weeks, momentum has been building up towards an international solution to the challenge of creating a tax system fit for the 21st century. The G7 first announced an agreement on a minimum global corporate tax. It was then closely followed by the G20 finance ministers endorsing the OECD Inclusive Framework’s statement for international tax reform. Most recently, the EU reiterated its commitment to fostering an international compromise by postponing its digital levy proposal. While these developments are all crucial steps towards a global deal, critical work remains to iron out the details as well as address significant issues of complexity.

The Green Way: clean energy investment and innovation

15 Jul 2021
All Committees
Environment
Transport, Energy & Climate
Responsible Business Conduct
Sustainable Finance

AmCham EU companies invested in Europe are committed to helping the EU achieve its climate ambitions and are stepping up to the challenge in many ways. To kick off our Green Way campaign, AmCham EU welcomed Varun Sivaram, Senior Adviser to Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John F. Kerry and Chris Delaney (Goodyear), Chair, Executive Council, AmCham EU on Tuesday, 13 July to discuss the importance of the transatlantic relationship and collaboration between the EU and the US to accelerate the clean energy transformation. 

Solar panels for Verizon's net zero ambitions

The journey to net zero

15 Jul 2021
All Committees
Transport, Energy & Climate

Almost all of Verizon’s operational carbon emissions come from the electricity used to power its networks. The company’s support for renewable energy and the transition to a greener grid is a key enabler to achieve its goal of net zero emissions in all operations by 2035. Learn about the progress they're making on their net zero goal on Investing in Europe.

Learn more at The Green Way and join the conversation on Twitter with #EUGreenWay.

EU Green Deal Fit for 55

Investment-enabling environment key to making Europe ‘Fit for 55’

14 Jul 2021
All Committees
Transport, Energy & Climate

The European Commission has today released its ‘Fit for 55’ climate package as part of the European Green Deal. The package aims at bringing all existing climate and energy-related initiatives in line with the EU’s new 2030 55% greenhouse gas emission reductions targets. The American Chamber of Commerce to the EU (AmCham EU) applauds the ambitions laid out in the new package, while emphasising the need for an investment-enabling environment that will facilitate the uptake of technological solutions required for a successful and timely green transition.

Glass globe for J.P. Morgan green investments

Financing the green transition

13 Jul 2021
All Committees

Over the next 10 years, J.P. Morgan has committed to $1 trillion in investments in green initiatives with the aim of contributing to financing projects that support climate action and help to facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy. Find out more in our interview with Chuka Umunna, Head of EMEA Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG).

Learn more at The Green Way and join the conversation on Twitter with #EUGreenWay

AmCham EU presents recommendations to the Slovenian Presidency to Gašper Dovžan

13 Jul 2021
All Committees

The Slovenian Presidency comes at an important stage of Europe’s economic recovery, with the vaccine roll-out well underway. As attention turns to life after ‘lockdown’, the Slovenian Presidency will play an important role in overseeing the rebuild of Europe’s economy. AmCham EU welcomed Gašper Dovžan, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, 7 July 2021 for a conversation with members on the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. 

Paving the path for Europe's digital decade

12 Jul 2021
All Committees
Digital Economy

The European Commission's 2030 Digital Compass: the European Way for the Digital Decade Communication presents a vision, targets and avenues towards a successful digital transformation. It puts the EU’s digital ambitions for 2030 into concrete terms and proposes the development of a framework of digital principles and promoting the EU’s digital agenda internationally. To ensure that the objectives of the digital compass are met, AmCham EU provides recommendations on the importance of building and maintaining international partnerships; facilitating broad stakeholder participation; accelerating investment and innovation; and enhancing digital skills and inclusion. These recommendations will not only lead to the realisation of Europe’s ‘digital decade’, but also a positive, tangible effect on Europe’s society.

Clarity and consistency key for a strong ePrivacy Regulation

12 Jul 2021
All Committees
Digital Economy

As the ePrivacy Regulation moves into trilogue negotiations, the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (AmCham EU) calls on co-legislators to prioritise clarity and conistency in their negotiations; laying out top-level recommendations on scope and alignment with GDPR; permitted processing of data; and privacy settings. Further review of these areas will ensure that the objectives of the regulation - to build trust and confidence in services for both consumers and businesses in digital services - are best achieved. 

Amazon renewable energy wind turbines

Net zero by 2040 – come wind or shine

9 Jul 2021
All Committees
Environment
Transport, Energy & Climate

As a company committed to addressing the climate crisis, Amazon is on a path to powering its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025 – five years earlier than its original 2030 goal. This is part of The Climate Pledge, which Amazon co-founded with the objective of achieving net-zero carbon within its operations before 2040. To help achieve this goal, Amazon started to roll out the first of its utility-scale projects to deliver clean energy to grids across Europe in 2019.

Learn more at The Green Way and join the conversation on Twitter with #EUGreenWay

A plant growing in cup of coins to show sustainable finance

New EU Sustainable Finance Strategy reaffirms value of international partnerships

7 Jul 2021
Sustainable Finance

The European Commission has adopted a new ‘Strategy for Financing the Transition to a Sustainable Economy’. The American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (AmCham EU) commends the great emphasis that this new strategy places on the value of international partnerships and cooperation in this field.

The Green Way: innovating for Europe’s sustainable future

5 Jul 2021
All Committees
Environment
Transport, Energy & Climate
Sustainable Finance

Transitioning to a greener economy will be the challenge of our time. The European Union has an ambition to lead the green transition and American companies invested in Europe are committed to fulfilling that ambition. From decarbonising the energy sector to building sustainable food systems; from innovating sustainable mobility solutions to making the economy circular: American companies in Europe are innovating today to achieve a more sustainable tomorrow. Check out the steps our companies are taking towards Europe’s greener future!

2021 Female Youth Entrepreneurship Award

Meet the Female Youth Entrepreneurship Award finalists

5 Jul 2021
All Committees

AmCham EU and Junior Achievement Europe (JA Europe) are pleased to announce the finalists of the 2021 Female Youth Entrepreneurship Award. Candidates from across Europe were in the running for the award after participating in a JA Europe programme, making it past the initial start-up phase and creating a business concept that showed potential. Since 2020, the AmCham EU award has shifted focus toward start-ups with a female CEO, founder or a key member of the team. Want to learn more? Meet the finalists.

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