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From Wednesday, 19 February to Friday, 21 February, AmCham EU visited Copenhagen, Denmark ahead of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The delegates took part in several meetings, including with the Minister of European Affairs, Minister of Industry, Minister for Digital Affairs and Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities. This is part of AmCham EU’s longstanding efforts to engage with every Presidency given the important role they play in the Council.

The delegates were welcomed to Copenhagen on Wednesday, 19 February at a dinner with Jennifer Hall-Godfrey, Chargée d’Affaires, US Embassy and Consulate in the Kingdom of Denmark. 

Thursday, 20 February, began with a meeting with Sune Stampe Sørensen, Director-General and CEO, Danish Patent and Trademark Office on the importance of intellectual property enforcement. Afterwards, we sat down with Marie Bjerre, Minister for European Affairs to speak about how business can support Denmark's upcoming Presidency. 

The first meeting of the afternoon was with Maria Schack Vindum, Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Green Transition, where we discussed the upcoming Omnibus package and the need for regulatory simplification. We spoke with Rasmus Degn, Head of Department, International Economics and Financial Conditions, Ministry of Economic Affairs to discuss how to reinforce the EU's role in global finance. Afterwards we sat down with Nis Christensen, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries to discuss the upcoming review of the Common Agriculture Policy and the future of farming with a focus on digitisation. Rounding out the day was Tobias Elling Rehfeld, Deputy Permanent Secretary and Director, Defence Policy, Ministry of Defence. 

The delegation continued on Friday, 21 February when we spoke with Caroline Stage Olsen, Minister for Digital Affairs about how Europe can complete a digital Single Market where people can benefit from the free movement of online services, goods and data. Rounding out the morning was a meeting with Martin Hansen, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Gender Equality, where we underlined how the upcoming Chemicals Industry Package can enhance competitiveness and regulatory certainty. 

Before departing Denmark, the delegates met with Lars Aagaard, Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities and Morten Bødskov, Minister of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs. The first meeting focused on the EU’s 2040 climate targets. The second meeting covered the role of business in reinforcing transatlantic ties, especially when the relationship is tested. 

With Presidency of the Council of the European Union currently under Poland, find out what they should focus on for the rest of their mandate. 

Poland assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union at a time when the EU must course correct. It is time to move away from a heavy regulatory agenda and protectionist trends and towards an environment conducive to investment and innovation. American companies are committed to working with the Polish Presidency to support this mission. In this context, AmCham EU’s Recommendations to the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union outlines a wide range of proposals to boost the region’s competitiveness, resilience and global standing. 

From Tuesday, 1 October to Thursday, 3 October, AmCham EU visited Warsaw, Poland ahead of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The delegates took part in several meetings, including with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of State Assets and Ministry of Finance. This is part of AmCham EU’s longstanding efforts to engage with every Presidency given the important role they play in the Council. 

The delegates were welcomed to Warsaw on Tuesday, 1 October at a dinner with Mark Brzezinski, US Ambassador to Poland and the staff of the US Embassy in Warsaw.  

Wednesday, 2 October, began with a breakfast hosted by AmCham Poland, where Susan Danger, CEO, AmCham EU joined a panel discussing why Europe must address regulatory constraints and protectionist trends to regain its attractiveness on the global stage, as outlined in our Agenda for Action. Joining Ms. Danger on stage was Magdalena Sobkowiak, Undersecretary of State, European Union Affairs Division, Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland and Paul Jones, former US Ambassador to Poland. Following this, we met with Jacek Bartmiński, Deputy Minister, Ministry of State Assets to discuss how business can help decarbonise our economy. In the afternoon the delegates sat down with Ignacy Niemczycki, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Economic Development and Technology to speak about the importance of rules-based trade systems in supporting economic growth and prosperity. The final meetings of the day were with Dariusz Standerski, Secretary of State, Ministry of Digital Affairs and a roundtable attended by experts from the Ministry of Health. 

The delegation continued on Thursday, 3 October when we spoke with Jakub Wiśniewski, Undersecretary of State for economic policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and highlighted the role the transatlantic relationship plays in benefiting millions of citizens on both sides of the Atlantic. Before lunch, we looked at the measures the upcoming Polish Presidency can implement to tackle food insecurity with Bogusław Wijatyk, Director General, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Rounding out the delegation was our meeting with Andrzej Domański, Minister of Finance, where we discussed the need for further investment in sustainable and digital finance.