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Updated Saturday, December 15, 2007 0:00 am TWN, In the ECCT’s annual report to members at the chamber’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on December 7, outgoing Chairman, Ralf Scheller, who has stepped down after serving a maximum of two terms in office, reported that the chamber continues to go from strength to strength. In 2007, membership rose to a new high of 654 members representing 404 companies and organizations while the ECCT organized 255 activities that were attended by some 5,100 participants. On the government relations front, the chamber organized over 60 meetings with government officials at all levels and it dealt with over 150 business issues of which 32 were either fully or partially resolved during the course of the year.The chairman said that committees remain at the core of the chamber’s activities and most of the credit goes to the 46 committee chairs and co-chairs for their initiatives and efforts in strengthening government relations, addressing lobbying issues, arranging interesting speakers and equally important, providing platforms for networking and information exchange, reported Scheller. “The ECCT’s strategy of hiring dedicated staff to work on issues facing the automotive, retail, pharmaceutical and more recently electrical engineering issues has clearly paid off, judging by the results in terms of lobbying breakthroughs,” he added. Besides the many luncheons, committee work, lobbying activities and social events committee resources, there were also a number of new activities in 2007 including the conducting of a comparative tax study with KPMG, the establishment of a Small & Medium Enterprizes Center, the holding of an automotive seminar with the Taiwan government and intensified cooperation between the global European Chamber network allowing members to participate in chamber events worldwide. Scheller commented further that he was pleased to see that the chamber’s 2007-2008 Position Papers released in early November, in which the ECCT presented a “Roadmap to Renewed Prosperity” to the new government that will take office in 2008, have already drawn positive responses from both presidential candidates, and it was frequently referred to by KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou when presenting his economic platform during a recent joint chamber event. Moreover, certain issues such as those related to taxation are also being closely examined following the release of the position papers and the ECCT-KPMG Comparative Study on Taiwan’s Taxation Climate and Competitiveness, which was released in conjunction with the position papers.Scheller concluded by saying that in 2007 the European Chamber further strengthened its position as the leading organization representing European businesses interests in Taiwan. “It is perceived by both government and business as one of the two most influential foreign lobbying organizations. Besides its strength in advocacy, the Chamber has also increasingly become known and appreciated for its high-quality networking and social functions”. Looking ahead, Scheller expects 2008 to be a very busy year for the chamber: “There will be the celebration of ECCT’s 20th anniversary; the continuation of a sluggish domestic economy that will affect members businesses and put more pressure on the ECCT to resolve regulatory issues, and the establishment of the chamber’s relations with a newly elected president and newly appointed cabinet of ministers”. On a personal note, Scheller said that he had enjoyed his term as chairman of the ECCT but he hopes to remain actively involved in the chamber in his new role on the board of supervisors in 2008.
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| | | |  | | Outgoing ECCT Chairman Ralf Scheller presents the annual report on the state of the chamber at the 2007 AGM on December 7. From left to right: Dirk Sanger, Chairman of the ECCT Board of Supervisors; Philippe Pellegrin, 2007 Treasurer and 2008 Chairman; Ralf Scheller; Guy Wittich, ECCT CEO; Dr Peter Albrich, ECCT Vice Chairman; Guy Ledoux, Head, European Economic and Trade Office.(Courtesy of ECCT) Enlarge Photo |
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