ASEANCHAM-EUNewsletter 2024/02 |
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Dear Members, Partners, and Friends, Spring is fully upon Europe, which also kicks start a host of festivities in ASEAN countries - starting with the Lunar New Year (or Tết), Holy Week and Easter (Mahal na Araw), the end of ramadan (Hari Raya Aidilfitri/Lebaran), and finally the Buddhist New Year (Songkran/Peemai/Thingyan) for Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. As we step into this vibrant season, we at the ASEANcham-EU are delighted to unveil an exciting array of upcoming activities and news that will continue to enrich our members experiences and enhance their networks. Firstly, we are looking to expand our network to the Netherlands. Following my visit to The Hague, Rotterdam and Amsterdam in March, the chamber has started our engagement with the government and business communities in the Netherlands. In the coming months, ASEANcham-EU will be reaching out to ASEAN companies in the Netherlands in order to provide them with an access to a wide network of business and government stakeholders in Europe.
Secondly, with the technical support of our corporate member idloom, we are setting up a digital platform for connecting the ASEAN and EU companies and trade organizations for exchanging useful information about trade and investment. We hope to launch the platform for our members in June. And finally, the EU-ASEAN Forum organised by Friends of Europe will be taking place on 16 April 2024. ASEANcham-EU is collaborating with Brussels-based think-tank Friends of Europe for a discussion on trade and digitalisation between the two regions at a conference in Brussels.
For more information and updates on our upcoming activities, please visit our website and social media channels (X, LinkedIn, Facebook). Once again, if you have friends or colleagues who are interested in finding out more about ASEANcham-EU and what we do, do send them the link to subscribe to this newsletter, which will help ASEANcham-EU to continue expanding its reach. With your support, ASEANcham-EU will continue to promote economic growth, innovation, and mutual understanding, and to serve as a pivotal bridge connecting businesses, policymakers, and stakeholders between ASEAN and the EU. I wish you a good springly season! Yours sincerely, |
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The first quarter of 2024 kicked off with a series of meetings and activities for ASEANcham-EU: Meetings with Belgian Regional Trade and Investment Agencies - ASEANcham-EU met with FIT (Flanders Investment and Trade), AWEX (Agence wallonne à l'Exportation et aux Investissements étrangers) and Hub.Brussels to discuss ways of collaboration and to officialise our partnership with them. The three agencies serve as the central point for investment and trade into their respective regions (Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels Capital Region), and to help Belgian companies trade and invest overseas, including to ASEAN.
- The three agencies cover ASEAN extensively with an in-market representative in several Southeast Asian countries. Hub.Brussels is present in Bangkok, Manila, Hanoi, Jakarta, Singapore while FIT has representation in Singapore, Hanoi, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Yangon, Manila, Bangkok, while AWEX has officies in Singapore, Manila, Ho Chi Minh, Jakarta, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. ASEAN companies interested in investing in Belgium can get in touch with the respective offices (FIT,AWEX, Hub.Brussels).
Meetings with the EU's European External Action Service - ASEANcham-EU, together with our Advisory Council member H.E. Leo Faber, met with Leila Fernandez-Stembridge, the Head of Division for Southeast Asia for the European External Action Service and her colleauges Andreas Berg and Doerthe Wacker. The meeting reaffirmed the EU's commitment to ASEAN with a strategic partnership and the Indo-Pacific region more broadly, and their desire to continue growing trade and investment ties between both regions.
- Trade between ASEAN and EU blocs has been on the rise in the past decade, with each traditioanlly being one of the top 3 external trading partners of the other, although region-to-region trade took a dip in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic but has since been recovering strongly. ASEAN as a whole represents the EU's 3rd largest trading partner outside Europe (after China and the US) with more than €271.8 billion of trade in goods in 2022.
- ASEAN investment into Europe has also been growing steadily and impressively to a total stock of over €172.4 billion in 2020, with more than 730 investment projects from ASEAN recorded in the EU.
CEO's visit to the Netherlands - ASEANcham-EU's CEO visited the Netherlands in March 2024 where he met with the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), NLinBusiness Agency, the Hague Business Agency with the support of our Advisory Council members H.E. Ben Knapen and Mr. Roland Brouwer, as well as the ASEAN Embassies and Trade Agencies representatives in the Hague (not all ASEAN member states are represented in the Hague as some cover the Netherlands from Brussels). ASEAN companies intereseted in investing in the Netherlands can contact the NFIA here.
- We are also pleased to welcome Mr Roland Brouwer as our newest advisory council member. Mr Brouwer is based in Amsterdam and his profile can be found here.
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Latest Developments from Brussels |
ASEANcham-EU keeps track of the latest developments in the EU that could interest and impact ASEAN-based businesses operating in Europe or those planning to expand their trade and investments into the EU. Our coverage of topics in Europe and opinion pieces can be found on our website. Key recent developments in Europe and the EU: - ASEAN EU Ministerial Meeting (AEMM) and Indo-Pacific Forum. The EU hosted ASEAN's Foreign Ministers for the 24th AEMM in Brussels in February 2024. While the gathering served as a useful signal to reinforce cooperation between both regions, individual member states also took the opportunity for bilateral meetings with their counterparts. Read morehere
- EU-Philippines Free Trade Agreement negotiations officially resume:Following Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Manila in July 2023, both sides annouced the decision to start the scoping process for reviving a possible EU-Philippines trade deal. Following the scoping process, both sides have now agreed to restart negotiations officially. Read more here.
- EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive moves ahead after revisions:The EU's due diligence directive, which obligates certain companies to consider and account for their impact on human rights and the environment throughout their supply chain, has been revised to reduce the scope of companies covered. Find out which companies have been removed under this regultation here
- EU's first ever AI Act moves closer to implementation:The first ever regulation on AI in Europe will enter into force in the coming months, and be progressively implemented over the next 2 years.The regulation contains requirements for various stakeholders in the AI ecosystem including providers, users, manufacturers, and distributors of AI systems in the EU market. Find out more here.
- EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive: The EU has moved forward to enhance its recycling rules, with specific goals for the reduction of packaging waste, including specific design requirements for recyclable packaging and the use of Post-Consumer Recycling (PCR) materials. ASEAN exporters to the EU should take note of the new obligations for the packaging of products. Read more here.
- Upcoming EU elections - how will it affect ASEAN? The European Parliament election, which takes place every five years, is scheduled to take place from 6 - 9 June 2024. During those days, all EU member states will hold elections for its citizens to elect the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who will serve for the next five years. The elections also kick start the process for new appointments in the European Commission, as well as the President of the European Council. While parliamentary groups are likely to perform well this elections and how could it affect ASEAN-EU relations? Read more here.
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ASEANcham-EU will be participating in the following events: - EU-ASEAN Forum organised by Friends of Europe: We are collaborating with Brussels-based think-tank Friends of Europe in order to bring you insightful knowledge on trade and digitalisation between the two regions at a conference on Tuesday the 16th April in Brussels.More on the event here.
- Business lunch for the visitng delegation under the EU-ASEAN Economic Diversification Strategies and Enhanced Partnership Opportunities amid Great Power Dynamics organised by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung from 22 - 23 April.
The following events will be taking place in Europe - The Global Seafood Marketplace, Barcelona, 23 - 25 April. The biggest seafood conference Seafood Expo Global will be taking place in Spain this year, with the 2024 conference program featuring more than 20 educational sessions, presented by top seafood industry experts. The expo will have more than 51,000 square metres of exhibition space. Interested exhibitors and attendees can register here.
- The 8th VivaTech is taking place in Paris from 22 - 25 May, at the at the Expo Porte de Versailles. The event brings together connecting startups, technology leaders, large companies and investors. Interested start-ups and exhibitors can find out more here.
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Creating diplomacy and business through the shared interest of football in ASEAN and Europe. |
ACA Football Partners (ACAFP), a Singapore-based company specialising in football business and a subsidiary of ACA Group, is one of ASEANcham-EU's premium members. The company was initiated by current CEO Hiroyuki Ono in 2021 as a group company of ACA Group, a fund managing firm which moved from Tokyo to Singapore in 2012, and has a capital accumulation of more than US$2 billion. It is funded by contributions from the ACA group, Ono and other investors. ACAFP is the owner of KMSK Deinze which is playing in the Belgian "Challenger Pro League", and which Indonesian player Marselino Ferdinan and Singaporean player Ilhan Fandhi are part of. KMSK Deinze's progress extends beyond the pitch, with the company's plans underway to construct a new stadium, symbolizing its continuous evolution and growth. Elsewhere in Europe, ACAFP also owns Spanish side Juventud Torremolinos CF, while in Asia, the company has partnerships with Singapore's Albirex Niigata FC, Japan’s Urawa Reds and Vietnam’s PVF Football Academy, all of which are leading entities in Asian football ACAFP's interest in introducing footballing talent from Southeast Asia to Europe creates an interesting platform for diplomacy and business talks between both regions - in December 2023, the company hosted a business networking luncheon for the Brussels-based ASEAN Ambassadors together with Belgian companies and government officials from Flanders and the EU. The company is also helping to develop future professional players from Southeast Asia under its project "Rising Star". Between October to December 2022, KMSK Deinze accepted 3 talnted youth players from Veitnam's PVF Football Academy under this programme to train with the club. The club will continue to look for more opportunties to develop footballing talent from Southeast Asia. |
ASEANcham-EU is the premier chamber of commerce representing ASEAN industry and business interests in Europe and the EU. We are registered as an ASBL/VZW in Belgium with the European Transparency Register ID 755751350203-11. If you are a corporate or an individual who is interested to become a member or to learn more about the benefits of joining ASEANcham-EU, please visit our website here or reach out to our executive team at contact@aseancham.eu. We are also keen to work with like-minded partners on events, thought-leadership, and publications. Feel free to reach out to us at contact@aseancham.eu. |
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