Trade Working Group

Trade Task Force

Mission & Goals

The mission of the Trade Working Group is to engage the European and U.S. business community in the various EACC chapter locations to generate awareness about the relevant transatlantic trade initiatives & policies and the opportunities & challenges they present to businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.

Working Group members will work with EACC staff to identify relevant topics and thought-leaders to address them. One of the main objectives is to develop educational programs to help the business community better understand the key factors that are affecting transatlantic trade and to inform EACC members about new regulation, legal implications and business issues relevant to their global operations.

The goal of these programs is to utilize the EACC’s unique pan-European and US expertise to update the local and national business communities on either side of the Atlantic on what they need to know.

The Trade Working Group will help engage the relevant public and private sector participants involved in this dialog and showcase EACCNY’s unique positioning on transatlantic trade matters and highlight our members’ expertise in international trade & investment. 

The working group will provide EACC members and our larger audience with access to timely & relevant information and resources as they relate to transatlantic trade & investment as well as updates on the fall-out of Brexit for both the US as well as European markets.

Concretely, the Trade Working Group will:

  • Identify the key issues affecting business relations between the US and the European Union and develop informative programs to educate the EACC membership about topics in line with the priorities of the working group target audience
  • Contribute to and participate in trade related business activities, member development & engagement in accordance with the EACC strategic priorities
  • Raise the profile and visibility of the EACC as a resources for trade related questions locally, nationally and internationally and in particular within the working group’s primary target groups
  • Inform US executives about related regulatory issues in Europe and how they affect trans-Atlantic business transactions
  • Inform European executives about related regulatory issues in the United States and how they affect trans-Atlantic business transactions

The Trade Working Group is an initiative with local, chapter-specific members, its reach and cooperation on specific projects however will extend across all EACC chapters in the United State and Europe.

Trade Working Group Responsibilities

  • Meet at least quarterly as a group to identify, plan, and develop programs and activities related to trade and aligned with the EACC’s mission with the support of the EACC staff
  • Working Group members are encouraged to an active dialog with its relevant constituencies and help position the EACC as the go-to platform on the subject
  • Working Group leaders or their designated representative are encouraged to participate in annual committee leaders’ meetings and annual EACC strategic meeting
  • Engage in a regular discourse with the EACC leadership and Staff and committees to help identify relevant topics and regulatory and legislative changes that could affect transatlantic business relations, and help identify subject matter experts to present at seminars/contribute to thought-leader articles
  • Help promote the EACC and its activities to the working group’s main constituencies and identify prospective members within its target audience and help engage them with the goal to get involved and become members of the EACC

Trade News

Chapter News, Trade & TTIP Related

European Parliament | MEPs adopt new trade tool to defend EU from economic blackmail

The main goal is to deter foreign powers from bullying the EU or its member states. Restrictions to trade, direct investment and access to the EU procurement market are among possible countermeasures. This new tool should serve as a shield protecting EU’s sovereignty. The new trade instrument is primarily meant as a deterrent, but it will allow the EU to fight economic coercion and respond with its own countermeasures. With 578 votes to 24 and 19 abstentions. Parliament approved on Tuesday...

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Member News, Trade & TTIP Related

Thompson Hine | U.S., UK and EU Announce Updated List of Controlled “High-Priority” Items Restricted for Export to Russia

On September 19, 2023, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced additional items considered significant to Russian weaponry and are now restricted for export to both Russia and Belarus. In coordination with the United Kingdom and European Union, BIS continues to identify “high-priority items” by their six-digit Harmonized System (HS) codes that Russia seeks to procure for its weapons programs. Items described by these HS codes have been found in multiple Russian weapons systems used against Ukraine. In the September 2023 notice, BIS...

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Member News, Trade & TTIP Related

GDLSK | Uyguhr Forced Labor Prevention Act – Three More Parties Added to the UFLPA Entity Lists

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has today, 9/26/2023, added three more entities to those designated under the UFLPA, bringing the total number of designated entities to 27. As per the DHS announcement, the newly added entities are: Xinjiang Zhongtai Group Co. Ltd. (headquartered in Xinjiang and produces and sells polyvinyl chloride (PVC), iconic membrane caustic soda, industrial salt, calcium carbide, viscose fiber, viscose yarn, and other textile, chemical, and building materials). Xinjiang Tianshan Wool Textile Co. Ltd. (headquartered...

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Trade Working Group Members

Laura Siegel Rabinowitz
Shareholder
GREENBERG TRAURIG

Claire O’Rourke
Senior Relationship Manager
HSBC

Deirdre Geraghty
Partner
A&L Goodbody

James Newlands
Americas Trade Leader
EY

Anthony Zobl
Director, Int’l. Regulatory & Government Affairs
AIG