On 17 April, AmCham EU sent a letter addressed to Commissioner Thierry Breton calling for a coordinated response to the COVID-19 crisis with regard to defining critical sites and infrastructure and maintaining global supply chains.
Our companies operate in a large variety of sectors, many of which are affected by the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Our member companies are facing new challenges as they adapt to the current circumstances. Maintaining a reliable supply of products and services is necessary for European citizens and the economy. Our members believe that clarity is essential to minimise any disruptions in the production and delivery of critical products and services.
In our letter, AmCham EU calls on the European Commission to take all the necessary actions to ensure that global supply chains remain open and to counter any opportunistic protectionism. Moreover, AmCham EU asks that essential services, infrastructure and manufacturing sites all over Europe are kept open. The letter identifies the number of sectors that should be considered as critical and essential.
Read the full letter here.
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From Monday, 28 September to Thursday, 1 October 2026, AmCham EU led a delegation of members to Washington, DC to bring the views of the business community to policymakers in Congress and the administration. Discussions showed that both sides value the stability the Turnberry framework agreement brings. While parts of the agreement remain to be implemented, meetings pointed to the possibility for cooperation on economic security. Implementation will continue to need dialogue between the two sides, which is expected to carry on after the mid-term elections.
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At RAID 2026, Thibaut L’Ortye, Chief Policy and Public Affairs Officer, AmCham EU joined a panel discussion on EU-US regulatory approaches to technology. Taking place on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, the discussion explored how transatlantic cooperation can focus on shared outcomes rather than identical rulebooks, including on cybersecurity, AI safety, consumer protection and resilient supply chains. Mr L’Ortye also highlighted the wider conditions needed to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness.
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The reform of the Union Customs Code changes who is treated as the ‘importer’ when a non-EU company uses an indirect customs representative. That creates a problem under the EU VAT Directive, which links import VAT deduction to being identified as the importer or consignee. In practice, the non-EU company may no longer meet that requirement, while the customs representative may not qualify for the deduction either.
That could leave import VAT irrecoverable and create uncertainty for businesses using established import models. The Commission should ensure that the non-EU principal can still be identified in customs data for VAT purposes and fix the mismatch between the UCC and the VAT Directive.
Learn more about what changes are needed to keep import VAT deductibility workable under the new customs framework.
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