Mila Malairau and Victor Baciu Participated in the Annual AmChams in Europe (ACE) Conference in Washington, D.C., and Houston, Texas, Celebrating 60 Years of Transatlantic Relations and Partnerships

Mila Malairau and Victor Baciu Participated in the Annual AmChams in Europe (ACE) Conference in Washington, D.C., and Houston, Texas, Celebrating 60 Years of Transatlantic Relations and Partnerships

• 19.05.2023

AmChams in Europe (ACE) annually organizes a prestigious conference in the United States of America (USA). This year, the Executive Directors and other representatives had the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C., and Houston, Texas. The primary objective of this conference was to highlight the significance of transatlantic relations, strengthen relationships, and obtain important insights into the US economic and political landscape.

This year’s conference was especially significant because ACE is celebrating its 60th anniversary. To mark this occasion, ACE Executive Directors traveled to Washington and Houston from May 8th to May 12th, 2023, and paid visits to prestigious government institutions, agencies, and administrations. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Department of Commerce and State, and the Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank) were among the notable institutions on their itinerary. They also visited the NASA Space Center and met senior leaders from some of the largest US firms.

Established in 1963, AmChams in Europe is the umbrella organization for 45 American Chambers of Commerce (AmChams) from 43 countries throughout Europe and Eurasia.
In Europe, the organization represents the interests of more than 17,000 American and European companies employing 20 million people with investments of more than 1.1 trillion dollars on both sides of the Atlantic.
As part of the delegation, Mila Malairau and Victor Baciu had the pleasure of visiting:
- US Chamber of Commerce – discussing with the President and CEO Suzanne P. Clark; Marty Durbin, Senior President of the Policy Division and President of the Global Energy Institute; Dan Bayers, Vice President of the US Chamber, Climate and Energy; Curtis Dubay, Chief Economist, John Murphy, Senior Vice President of International Policy, on a range of subjects essential for the transatlantic partnership.
- US Department of Commerce – discussing with Marisa Lago, Under Secretary of State for Commerce, and David De Falco, Deputy Assistant Secretary, the importance of strengthening relationships between the corporate and government sectors.
- Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) – discussing with Judith Pryor, EXIM's First Vice President and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, about financing programs and initiatives geared at assisting American and European businesses.
- US Department of State – discussing with Jose W. Fernandez, Under Secretary of State, topics related to immigration policy, energy issues, and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
- POLITICO media organization – discussing with Editor-in-Chief Matthew Kaminski the subtle complexities of politics.
- Evening reception at the Lombardy Hotel in Washington, DC. Among those in attendance were Jörn Fleck, Senior Director of the Europe Center at the Atlantic Council's Transform Europe Initiative; Charles Lichfield, Deputy Director and C. Boyden Gray Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center; and Jon Decker, White House Correspondent and Senior National Editor at Gray Television.

APCO Worldwide - exploring valuable insights on various topics from Dan Scandling, Senior Director of US Politics/Congress; Elizabeth Cohan, Senior Director of International Public Affairs; J. Todd Inman, Senior Director of Global Transport; and James McGregor, Chairman of Greater China.
Houston – discussing the investment attractiveness in the region with Eric Maidla, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Estonia, Matt Todd, Senior Partner at Polsinelli, and Igor Gregorič, Chief and Program Director at the Surgical Division of the Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute-TMC, Professor of the Program of Advanced Heart Failure at McGovern Medical School, and Director of Research at the Center for Advanced Heart Failure.
- The Greater Houston Partnership - an innovative organization focused on supporting the development and growth of the region's economy, discussing with Jeffrey Blair, Senior Director of Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), a renowned city promoter.
- Space Center Houston - meeting William Harris, President and CEO of Space Center Houston, and exploring the organization's headquarters.
- Collins Aerospace - exploring the scientific developments and ideas driving the space sector.
- Honeywell Corporation, where the President of Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS), Pramesh Maheshwari, shared the experience of the organization's presence in Europe.
- ExxonMobil – exploring its global headquarters, amazed by the scale and ambition of the energy giant with more than 63,000 employees and a presence in more than 100 countries.