2026 Washington D.C. Nordic Directors’ Debrief

AmCham Denmark’s Mark Draper recently joined fellow directors from across Europe for the annual AmChams in Europe USA conference culminating in an intensive week of meetings in Washington, D.C.

The delegation secured direct access to senior figures shaping the transatlantic agenda, including John Murphy, who leads international policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and David L. Fogel, Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the U.S. Commercial Service. Conversations on Capitol Hill provided a ground-level read on how Congress is currently viewing Europe, NATO, and the U.S.-EU trade and security relationship.

Meetings also included Deputy Secretary of State Michael Rigas and Courtney Austrian from the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, alongside discussions on trade policy, defense trade controls, and the broader direction of U.S.-EU relations. Key themes throughout the week included tariffs, political risk, data sovereignty, defense, energy, AI, and critical minerals – all increasingly viewed as part of a wider transatlantic strategy.

The trip underscored a clear signal from Washington: commercial diplomacy is climbing the U.S. agenda, with continued pressure on Europe to address regulation and non-tariff barriers.

Following the trip, the Nordic AmCham directors came together for an online debrief webinar, where Mark and his fellow Nordic Executive Directors shared firsthand reflections and key takeaways from their conversations in Washington. The session proved to be a lively and engaging exchange, rich discussion, and no shortage of sharp questions. A testament to just how closely our members are following developments across the Atlantic.