The U.S.-German Congressional Business Roundtable, jointly organized by AmCham Germany, the Transatlantic Business Initiative (TBI) and the U.S. Embassy Berlin, served as a pivotal platform for top-level transatlantic stakeholders to address critical priorities of transatlantic importance. The roundtable featured remarks from Dr. Siegfried Russwurm (Chairman, TBI), U.S. Ambassador Dr. Amy Gutmann, and Simone Menne (President, AmCham Germany), emphasizing the imperative of strengthening the transatlantic relationship with a forward-looking approach of avoiding lose-lose dynamics, as this year’s Munich Security Report fittingly addressed. Collectively they underscored the importance of further developing common standards and favorable investment conditions to foster prosperity and create beneficial conditions for businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. We were deeply honored by the attendance of German Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck and Munich Security Conference Chairman Amb. Christoph Heusgen, who joined our roundtable discussion alongside a diverse group of transatlantic business stakeholders. The MSC, as a vital platform that fosters open-minded and future-oriented dialogue, is of utmost importance for our continued exchange on the most urgent geoeconomic topics. We greatly appreciate Chairman Heusgen and the MSC for facilitating such a vital platform, as well as engaging with AmCham Germany in the realm of an institutional partnership.
On Saturday evening, AmCham Germany’s networking dinner, themed "Navigating Uncharted Waters: Mapping Transatlantic Pathways for Securing Economic Growth, Innovation, and Resilience", enabled further space for insightful discussions. We extend our sincere appreciation to our esteemed speakers, Simone Menne, Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), and Alex Rogers (President, Global Affairs & Technology Licensing, Qualcomm), for their contributions to enhancing transatlantic cooperation. We appreciated Brian Nelson, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, attending the event and the shared conversations.
Our speakers highlighted the essential value of strong cooperation between the private sector and governments to sustainably ensure the competitiveness of economies. Simone Menne emphasized the priority of transforming lose-lose dynamics into win-win scenarios, advocating for expanding opportunities for all transatlantic stakeholders. Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) stressed the urgency of returning to a regime of free trade and addressing protectionist tendencies as well as underlying anxieties. Alex Rogers, representing Qualcomm, one of the largest software and wireless technology corporations, highlighted the imperative of adapting to the intricate realities of the contemporary world, where the assumption of trade being inherently free is no longer guaranteed. Despite the looming challenges, he expressed profound optimism regarding the pursuit of continued prosperity in the German-U.S. American relationship. A common theme of all speakers was a call for action to both politics and business to further stimulate growth and guarantee stable economic prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic.
We express our sincere gratitude to our speakers, guests, and event sponsors, whose support made our networking event possible. Special thanks to our premium partner Qualcomm (represented by Alex Rogers, Nate Tibbits, Benjamin Sokolowski, Wassim Chourbaji, and Juliana Koza), and our partners Monroe Atlantic (represented by Jim Monroe), Cerberus Beteiligungsgesellschaft (represented by David Knower), and Microsoft (represented by Wolfgang Dierker).
As an official institutional partner of the Munich Security Conference, AmCham Germany and its events aim to reaffirm the unwavering commitment to transatlantic cooperation. As an organization, AmCham Germany remains steadfast in the belief of free trade, inclusivity, respect for human rights, and the rule of law — all unalienable cornerstones of a vibrant transatlantic alliance built upon shared values, entrenched histories, and pivotal for a prosperous future.
