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

Member News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

Troutman Pepper Locke | White House Delays Planned Tariff Increases on Wood Products

On December 31, 2025, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation (the amendment), delaying the increase in tariffs for certain finished wood products until January 1, 2027. The amendment modifies Proclamation 10976, which imposed tariffs under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act on certain imports of timber, lumber, and derivative wood products (Section 232 wood tariffs). The original action established additional duties on softwood timber and lumber, upholstered wooden furniture, and kitchen cabinets and vanities, and it scheduled significant rate increases for...

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Member News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

Jaguar Freight | The Weekly Roar: Risky Business in 2026

In this week’s Roar: Trans-Pacific Ocean rates are up, the challenges of moving inventory closer to customers, low U.S. manufacturing activity, the new EU Emissions Trading System rules, and building a data-driven supply chain. Trans-Pacific Ocean rates are trending up ahead of the Lunar New Year. The causes included shippers speeding up shipments ahead of the holiday and geopolitics still weighing on the global supply chain. For now, despite some improvements, Red Sea diversions remain an issue, forcing longer and costlier routes. Lingering...

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Chapter News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

European Council | EU-Mercosur: Council Greenlights Signature of the Comprehensive Partnership and Trade Agreement

The Council today adopted two decisions authorising the signature of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement (EMPA) and of the Interim Trade Agreement (iTA) between the EU and Mercosur. Together, these agreements mark an important milestone in the EU’s long-standing relationship with Mercosur partners – Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Once in force, they will establish a framework for political dialogue, cooperation and trade relations within a modernised and comprehensive partnership. The agreements will require the consent of the European Parliament before they can be formally concluded by...

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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

Paul Burroughs
Head of Corporate Banking, North America
CITI