News

AmCham EU hosts session on diversity and inclusion

On Tuesday, 29 September, AmCham EU hosted a session for members and staff with Roianne Nedd, Global Diversity & Inclusion lead, Oliver Wyman (a Marsh McLennan company). Besides her role as a diversity and inclusion consultant, Ms Nedd is an activist, public speaker and author on intersectional feminism, race issues and equality issues in the workplace.

AmCham EU resumed its Town Hall series with Margaritis Schinas and US Mission to the EU

Last week, AmCham EU resumed its Town Hall series hosting two meetings. On Friday, 2 October, AmCham EU welcomed Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, European Commission who shared his insights on the impact of COVID-19 on the European Union, on the lessons learnt from the crisis and on the way forward.

Earlier in the week, on Monday, 28 September, we also welcomed Michael Lally, Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs and Michael Sullivan, Counselor for Economic Affairs from the US Mission to the EU for an update on the US Mission’s monthly activities and priorities.

Questions? Contact Roberta Brumana RBR@amchameu.eu.

Find out more about our response to the recovery plan from Susan Danger, CEO, AmCham EU

Susan Danger, CEO, AmCham EU speaks to the European Commission’s historic recovery plan for Europe. As the US business community invested in and committed to Europe, we took our time over the summer to think about how we could contribute to the debate and created a response paper. Watch her video and find out more here. 

How COVID-19 influenced tax realities in Central Eastern European countries

Will Morris (PwC), Chair, Tax Committee, AmCham EU participated in AmCham Moldova’s yearly high-level tax conference ‘e-TAXCON ‘20’, taking place virtually for the first time. Representing AmCham EU, Will was part of a special panel on ‘How COVID-19 influenced tax realities in Central Eastern European countries’. The panel was co-organised by AmChams from Armenia, Bulgaria, EU, Georgia, Hungary, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine. In his intervention, he focused on the policies and recommendations that the EU and the OECD have put forward to address the adverse economic effects of the pandemic to ensure that the economic recovery takes place through pro-growth and forward-looking tax policies.

AmCham EU discusses multilateral trade with Ignacio Garcia-Bercero

On Tuesday, 22 September, AmCham EU had the pleasure to host Ignacio Garcia-Bercero, Acting Director for Multilateral Trade Policy, Strategy and Policy Analysis, DG TRADE, European Commission to our trade plenary meeting. The discussion focused on multilateral trade, the future of the WTO, transatlantic trade and China. The conversation was facilitated by Florian Wastl (Mars Inc.), Vice-Chair, Trade & External Affairs Committee, AmCham EU.

State of the Union 2020: Europe’s future is now by Susan Danger, CEO, AmCham EU

At the beginning of the year, Europe was abounding with optimism – a new year, a new decade, and a newly inaugurated Commission with a fresh, forward-looking mandate. This felt like the year that Europe could finally disengage from crisis mode, and look to the future. A smart, green, carbon neutral economy, with burgeoning industry and prospering society was within Europe’s grasp.  Alas, nine months on, 2020 will go down in history as the annus horribilis of our time. But as the fallout of this latest historic crisis weighs heavily on Europe’s fragile societies, can President von der Leyen inject some much-needed vitality into the economic recovery?

The phasing out of primary batteries is incompatible with Europe’s goal for a carbon neutral economy

On Tuesday, 15 September AmCham EU together with 13 other trade associations signed a statement contesting the restriction of primary batteries in framework of the current revision of the EU Batteries Directive. The signatories strongly support the ambitions of the Green Deal and maintain that the phasing out of primary batteries is incompatible with Europe’s goal for a carbon neutral economy. The statement also highlights that over the last few years, the environmental impact of primary batteries has been consistently decreasing and batteries are now effectively recycled if brought to a collection point. Overall, signatories argue that studies have shown that phasing our primary batteries would only have moderate effects on the amount of waste batteries (-25% by weight) but would bring negative impact on global warming. Read the statement here. 

Help is only a telephone call away!

The past months have been very challenging for many people around the globe. Not only the physical effects but also the mental impact of the pandemic is immense. Since the outbreak, many of us have sadly lost loved ones and friends, who have suffered also both physically and mentally from the impact of COVID-19. Therefore, AmCham EU supports the initiatives taken in the framework of World Suicide Prevention Day.

A donation has been made to https://www.chsbelgium.org/en/ to support those struggling around us, as a sign that they are not alone. CHS operates a Mental Health Services Centre in Brussels, housing an international team of professional therapists who provide support for a comprehensive range of mental health issues. CHS has been supporting the international community of Belgian community regardless of their nationality or circumstances since 1971. No-one should feel that they are alone - help is only a telephone call away.

Invested in Europe: Tackling global hunger

Did you know that 109 million Europeans are at risk of food insecurity as a result of poverty? Herbalife Nutrition, a global leader in nourishment, has set up the Herbalife Nutrition Foundation to tackle the triple threat of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition. Through partnerships with local NGOs, donations of nutrient dense products from its Nutrition range, as well as grants, Herbalife Nutrition is increasing access to healthy foods and nutritional education. Through these actions and more, Herbalife’s Nutrition Foundation had a positive impact on over 10,000 children in Europe in 2019. Read more about Herbalife’s story on our Invested in Europe platform.