OUR RECENT ACTIVITIES

Tunisia : Invest in Local Democracy and Regional Development

May 31st

The Committee of the Regions of the European Union and the Tunisian Agency for the Promotion of Industry and Innovation, organized with the support of Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA) and our Chamber of Commerce, an important conference on the new investment climate in Tunisia.

Mr. Antonio Tajani, Vice-president of the European Commission in charge of industrial policy and tourism, underlined the EU’s commitment to the region, stressing the importance of a strong partnership especially in the field of tourism, innovation and direct cooperation between businesses in order to strengthen democracy and economic development.

Tunisian Industry Minister H.E. Mr. Abdelaziz Rassaa highlighted the efforts in the fight against unemployment as a crucial part of consolidating the country’s young democracy. He underlined in this context the key role of the country’s well-developed human resources as the engine of economic growth in the future.

Mr.Ferid Tounsi, Director General of the Agency for the Promotion of Industry (API), presented the new business and investment opportunities in Tunisia and detailed the experience of several Belgian companies working in the country.

Meeting of the Board of Directors and General Assembly of the ABLCC

June 8th

The ABLCC organized the meetings of its Board of Directors and General Assembly on June 8th, with the participation of the representatives of the League of Arab States and the Arab embassies in Brussels.

The Secretary General submitted the report on the activities of the Chamber in 2010 and the programme of the upcoming events and initiatives in 2011. The latter report highlights the opportunities linked to the organization of an economic mission to Kuwait in October this year.

During the meeting, approval was given to enlist the representatives of the Ducroire and the company Denys as members of the Board of Directors. Me William Pissoort was also elected as a member of the Financial Committee of the ABLCC.

The General Assembly was followed by a lunch-conference with the participation of the Arab Ambassadors and guest speaker Jean-Luc Proutat, Responsible for OECD economies at BNP Paribas head office in Paris. Mr. Proutat spoke on the world-wide economic situation with a particular focus on the Arab countries.

Visit of a Sudanese business delegation

June 18th

The Chamber welcomed, in cooperation with the Sudanese embassy in Brussels, a Sudanese business delegation specialized in poultry production. A meeting was organized at the premises of the Belgian poultry specialist Incubel Belgabroed, member of our Chamber.

Incubel Belgabroed is the leading company in Belgium, specialized in the production of hatching eggs and one-day old chicks. The company is a major exporter and has a longstanding experience in the Arab world.

The contacts during the meeting at Incubel gave the Sudanese businessmen insight into the up-to-date techniques used in the production facilities of the company, the packaging methods and the transport of the output.

Sudan has a vast agricultural potential and cooperation with Sudanese companies in this field proves to be most attractive.

Meeting with the Chairman of the Iraqi National Investment Authority

June 23rd

On the occasion of the visit to Belgium of H.E. Mr. Rowsch Shaways, Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, accompanied by an important business delegation, the ABLCC organized a round table with H.E. Dr. Sami Al Araji, Chairman of the Iraqi National Investment Authority. Several members of the Chamber, having activities in Iraq, participated in the meeting.

Dr. Al Araji presented the investment potential of Iraq and the opportunities for Belgian companies offered by the Iraqi market in several sectors. Perspectives for cooperation are genuine and comprehensive, especially in oil and gas, construction and housing, water and sewerage, transport, communication, health care, electricity and cement production. Belgian companies furthermore have an extensive experience of the Iraqi market, and numerous important projects have been implemented in the past by Belgian entrepreneurs.

The favourable economic prospects of the country are to a large extend based upon the huge oil reserves : proven oil reserves stand at approximately 140 billion barrels, representing the world’s 2nd largest reserves.

During his contacts with high ranking Belgian politicians, Deputy Prime Minister Shaways launched an invitation for a delegation of officials and businessmen to visit Iraq. The contacts were completed at a reception organized on this occasion by H.E. Mr. Mohammed Al-Humaimidi, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq in Brussels.

B2B contacts with the Egyptian Belgian Businessmen Association –

June 28th

The ABLCC welcomed a delegation of the Egyptian Belgian Businessmen Association (EBBA), headed by H.E. Mr. Rafik Atia, Chairman of EBBA and composed of leading companies in a wide range of sectors and activities.

A workshop was organized along with B2B contacts with Belgian companies in cooperation with BECI, and ahead of visits by the delegation to the Chambers of Commerce of Ghent and Antwerp.

The participants of the delegation represented companies working in several fields, more particularly import and export, heavy industry equipment, consumables, forwarding, mineral resources and metals. A detailed list with the coordinates of these companies is available on the website of the Chamber (www.ccbla.org).

The visit of the EBBA delegation underlined the keenness of the Egyptian business community to develop its relations with Belgium as a hub for trade to and from the European countries.