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Survey Reveals Pessimism Among U.S. Companies in Europe

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – A recent survey has revealed significant concerns among U.S. firms operating in Europe regarding the future of transatlantic economic relations, with approximately 90% of these businesses anticipating a deterioration in ties in the coming years. This sentiment is largely attributed to the anticipated policies of the incoming U.S. President, Donald Trump, particularly regarding tariffs.

The American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (AmCham EU), which comprises over 160 members including major corporations like Apple, Goldman Sachs, Meta, and Visa, conducted the survey. The findings indicated that two-thirds of the respondents expect U.S. domestic policies to adversely affect their business operations within Europe.

Additionally, more than half of the companies surveyed (52%) expressed concerns about the potential negative impacts stemming from EU policies as well.

Conducted from January 6 to 14 among 58 U.S.-controlled entities, the survey highlighted that a substantial 84% of participants identified tariffs and trade policies as the foremost priority for fostering cooperation between the U.S. and Europe. This concern was closely followed by issues related to supply-chain resilience and the energy transition.

A significant majority of the companies emphasized the importance of Europe in their overall operations. They urged both the EU and the U.S. to collaborate on reducing regulatory burdens, lowering trade barriers, and enhancing regulatory cooperation to facilitate smoother business operations.

Furthermore, the survey indicated strong support for environmental initiatives among these firms, with three-quarters of respondents expressing “very” or “extremely” favorable views toward the Paris climate agreement, from which the Trump administration is expected to withdraw. Only 2% of the respondents indicated a lack of support for the agreement.

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