On Monday, November 3rd, EACC Florida—together with the World Trade Center Miami, the Miami-Dade Beacon Council and Greenberg Traurig—was honored to host a private, invitation-only luncheon featuring Guest of Honor H.E. Jovita Neliupšienė, EU Ambassador to the United States. The event brought together a distinguished delegation of Ambassadors and senior diplomats from 14 EU Member States, alongside representatives from key industries, economic development organizations, and several European binational chambers of commerce active in South Florida.
EU Member States represented at Ambassador, Deputy Chief of Mission, or Consul General level included Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, and the Slovak Republic—together accounting for more than 46% of the EU’s GDP.
This marked the first time that the EU Ambassador and such a large group of senior European diplomats from across the continent visited the Sunshine State. During their South Florida program, the delegation also met with Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, members of Congress and the U.S. Senate, eMerge Americas leadership, participated in a conference at FIU, and attended a reception jointly hosted by the EU Ambassador and Belen Alfaro, Consul General of Spain. Following two days in Miami, the group continued to Tallahassee for a series of high-level meetings.
The luncheon program opened with welcoming remarks from Presenting Sponsors and Hosts:
- Christina Sleszynska, Executive Director, EACC Florida
- Alan Sutin, President of EACC Florida and Host at Greenberg Traurig
- Ivan Barrios, President & CEO, World Trade Center Miami
- Rodrick Miller, President & CEO, Miami-Dade Beacon Council
Ambassador Neliupšienė then delivered keynote remarks addressing key priorities and challenges shaping transatlantic business and trade, including:
- Strategic priorities in trade, technology, and security
- Supply chain resilience, especially in transport, logistics, energy, and advanced manufacturing
- EU–US cooperation on climate action, the energy transition, and digital innovation
- Opportunities to deepen the EU’s engagement with regional economies such as Florida
- How the EU is working to counter perceptions of being overregulated, slow to innovate, or overly protectionist
After lunch, the European Ambassadors participated in a lively and engaging Q&A session moderated by Jaret Davis, Senior Vice President at Greenberg Traurig. Audience questions touched on topics such as hurricane resilience, expanding air connectivity between Europe and Miami, opportunities for deeper collaboration in the maritime and defense-technology sectors, and the growing interest in German-style apprenticeship programs to strengthen Florida’s talent pipeline.
Dr. Victor Lozinski, Founder and Chairman of LeverX, also shared personal insights into why relocating his company’s global headquarters from Silicon Valley to Miami has proven to be one of his best strategic decisions.
Local attendees spoke passionately about Miami’s diversity, dynamism, and rapidly expanding position as a global business hub and key gateway for trade and investment between Europe, the United States, and Latin America. Their enthusiasm may have surprised some visiting diplomats, but the message was unmistakable: while many cities aspire to be the next “epicenter of the universe,” Miami is steadily building its case to become the epicenter of the United States.
European companies are warmly encouraged to visit Miami, experience its momentum firsthand, and explore the many business opportunities the Sunshine State offers as a gateway to the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
EACC Florida warmly thanks the following organizations for their support:
Presenting Sponsors: World Trade Center Miami and Miami Dade Beacon Council
Host: Greenberg Traurig
Supporting Sponsor: LeverX
