US firms in Europe broadly see stable transatlantic ties a year on from trade deal

By Philip Blenkinsop

BRUSSELS, July 27 (Reuters) - A majority of U.S. companies operating in Europe now expect stable transatlantic trade and investment relations, a marked improvement from their views in 2025, according to a survey published on Monday.

The American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (AmCham EU), which has more than 160 members including Apple <AAPL.O>, Goldman Sachs <GS.N> and ExxonMobil , said 51% of respondents in its survey expected stable ties over the next 12 months.

Another 21% of respondents in the survey, released a year after the European Union and the United States struck a trade deal, saw improvement ahead and 28% predicted worse relations.

In late September last year, some 46% expected worsening ties, with 89% pessimistic in a similar survey when U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025. 

AmCham EU CEO Malte Lohan said the latest survey, conducted from July 6 to 20, suggested the EU-U.S. agreement had largely achieved its objectives.

"Businesses see a more stable transatlantic relationship and one that – so far – has avoided the kind of escalation many feared’, he said.

Last week, the European Commission gave a guarded welcome to new U.S. tariffs after a 10% global tariff expired, saying the outcome was in line with their trade deal.

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, editing by Andrei Khalip)