14 April 2016 - An ASEAN Business Seminar entitled “Opportunities in the World’s Fastest Growing Economic Community” was held at the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) on April 11. The seminar was co-organized by the ACCI and the EU-ASEAN Business Networks. The Philippines was among the three countries featured during the seminar.
The seminar aims to promote the various opportunities in ASEAN economies to European businesspeople. Representatives from the EU-ASEAN Business Networks of the Philippines, Indonesia, and Viet Nam were present to deliver presentations about their respective countries of assignment. The EU-Philippines Business Network, in particular, was represented by Mr. Valerio Mazzone, EU Outreach Officer.
The seminar is part of an EU-ASEAN Business Network roadshow to Greece, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Germany.
Philippine Ambassador to Greece Nestor Z. Ochoa, was invited to deliver opening remarks. Ambassador Ochoa expressed his desire that the seminar will lead towards the creation of a business mission to the Philippines in the near future.
Ambassador Ochoa also featured the positive economic developments in the Philippines, such as its phenomenal GDP growth, investment grade ratings from the top credit ratings agencies, and the projection by the HSBC that the Philippines will be the world’s 16th largest economy by 2050. The growing shipping and services sector of the Philippines were also highlighted in the Ambassador’s speech.
As the representative of the EU-Philippines Business Network, Mr. Mazzone informed the seminar’s participants of several reasons why they should do business with the Philippines, namely, The Philippines is the third largest English speaking country in the world; It is number one in voice call centers; number one in seafarers; number two in business process outsourcing; number four in gold reserves; and number four in shipbuilding. The Philippines is also a beneficiary of the EU's Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) and the only Asian nation to have this status. There are also many incentives for foreign businesses under the Philippines’ Investment Priorities Plan and through the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.
Business to business (B2B) meetings were held after the presentations of each EU-ASEAN Business Network country representative. END
