In times of change on both sides of the Atlantic, there is a need to refocus further transatlantic cooperation on issues relating to the clean economy transition. To this end, The Clean Economy Bridge initiative organized a conference in Berlin in February 2025 that included input from experts on the current state of transatlantic climate and energy cooperation and opportunities for exchange on future prospects. Around 80 participants from politics, science, business and civil society attended, representing the broad spectrum of stakeholders engaged in German-American cooperation. 

Four key takeaways emerged from the event:

• Transatlantic cooperation is diverse: Cooperation with the US on the clean economy transition is wide-ranging, spanning different levels and including a variety of partnerships and initiatives. For example, cooperation is well established between cities, research and civil society, and has often had a specific thematic focus (e.g. coastal protection, H2 infrastructure). 
• Leverage synergies between different partnerships: Strengthening the links and networks between these different levels and partnerships can result in synergies and mutual benefits – for example, cities and academia can work together in attracting and recruiting US researchers. 
• Adopt pragmatic communication strategies: When communicating on climate and energy policies and measures, greater emphasis should be placed on their economic, social and security benefits, with more general references to environmental policy, in order to gain broader support. 
• Involve new stakeholder groups: Involving different stakeholders in transatlantic exchange can open up the discussion to new viewpoints and approaches. For example, involving actors from the agricultural sector in discussions on clean economy issues has led to new, solution-oriented perspectives and helped to overcome political differences. 

The discussions touched on a number of topics that have shaped German-American cooperation on the clean economy to date, including carbon management, hydrogen and offshore wind, as well as potential topics of interest for the future including geothermal energy and grid expansion. Going forwards, the TCB aims to continue to bring together the transatlantic community on these and other topics of mutual interest, using a variety of formats including study tours, workshops and conferences – in the interest of accelerating the energy transition. 

For an extensive summary of the event in German, please click here.