International Summer Business Barbecue in Dresden

The transatlantic partnership is alive and strong in Saxony. This was one of the main messages and takeaways from our International Summer Business Barbecue in Dresden on August 31, 2023.

"Transatlantic relations are of great importance overall to the Free State of Saxony," says Minister-President Michael Kretschmer. "It is good that our proven cooperation exists and that our close friendship is continuously filled with life again and again and in many different ways. Exchange programs in the cultural and social spheres also contribute to this. Moreover, we have close economic ties. The U.S. is our second most important foreign trading partner. Last year, we exported goods worth €2.8 billion to the U.S. in the automotive sector alone - more than ever before."

The importance of the transatlantic partnership in current times was further underscored by MdB Michael Link, Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation for the German Federal Government, who also emphasized the close and strong cooperation with AmCham Germany and how our organization is a driver for the federal government. 

Similar sentiments were echoed by the new U.S. Consul General in Leipzig, John Crosby, who notes: "As the new U.S. Consul General, I look forward to working with strong partners like AmCham Germany to deepen transatlantic relations in Saxony and Central Germany. Among other things, I hope to help deepen our already strong economic ties as well as create more opportunities for transatlantic exchange between young people from Central Germany and the United States. In these challenging times, a strong transatlantic partnership is more important than ever, as we can only overcome current global challenges together."

Overall, our event showed how important cooperation between government stakeholders and business representatives is in order to set the right framework conditions for investments, as our President Simone Menne and Regional Chapter Chair Prof. Dr. Heribert Heckschen noted.

A big thank you to all our speakers, members, friends and guests for a great event! In particular, we'd like to thank our sponsors Eureos, Belchem, Bobcat, General Atomics, Mazars, LBBW and Saxony Trade & Invest for their generous support!