In AmCham Slovenia, a business community of optimism and opportunity, we entered the fourth and last year as the secretariat of AmChams in Europe, as Mag. Ajša Vodnik, CEO of AmCham Slovenia, was re-elected as Vice-Chair in December 2020. With this, AmCham Slovenia received its second consecutive mandate as the secretariat of AmChams in Europe, which will last until the end of 2022.
AmChams in Europe is an umbrella organization that connects 46 AmChams from 44 European and Eurasian states. Together, we represent more than 17,000 U.S. and European companies, employing more than 20 million people and investing more than $ 1.1 trillion on both sides of the Atlantic. As the voice of American and European companies, AmChams in Europe seek to raise awareness of the importance of transatlantic cooperation and the exchange of best practices among fellow AmCham organizations.
AmCham Slovenia, as the secretariat of AmChams in Europe, has made a key contribution to the development of the umbrella organization and the exchange of best practices among AmChams. We have facilitated good transatlantic relations through dialogue and by promoting economic exchange and cooperation between Europe and the United States. We organized three delegations to the United States for AmCham representatives since 2019, where we discussed contemporary issues, topics, priorities, and challenges of transatlantic cooperation with high representatives of American institutions including the White House, Department of Commerce, Department of State, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In addition, we organized several meetings at the headquarters of some of the most successful multinational companies such as Google, Boeing, Microsoft, Accenture, and many others, where we learned about future trends and new business models. The upcoming delegation will be organized for the representatives of AmChams and Europe in May 2022, when we will visit institutions in Washington, D.C., and relevant companies in Raleigh, North Carolina, one of the 10 fastest-growing cities in the United States.
An imperative mission of AmChams in Europe is the exchange of good practices and experiences among fellow AmCham associations. Every year we organize a European conference where we exchange good practices, present a comparative statistical analysis between our organizations and hand out the Creative Network Award for the best practice. This year’s award will be presented at the Best Practice Conference in Bulgaria this fall. In addition, as an umbrella organization, we provide responses to relevant contemporary topics, such as the economy in the pandemic, traveling restrictions and visas, sustainability, shortage economy, and others.
AmCham Slovenia is committed to spreading optimism and a culture of dialogue domestically and internationally. The organization is recognized within AmChams in Europe as one of its most active and successful members, as evidenced by annual comparative analyses. We believe that diligent work within AmChams in Europe strengthens the business community of AmCham Slovenia. We provide our Patron members with access to the entire European network through virtual conversations with the directors, while our entire business community enjoys access to all open virtual events organized within AmChams in Europe.
AmChams in Europe is an exceptional network that connects business communities of the old continent, and we are exceptionally proud to have enjoyed an opportunity to administer it from Slovenia. We believe our role as the secretariat of AmChams in Europe has advanced and strengthened Slovenia’s international visibility and reputation.
