Economic Focus 14 by Distinctive Media Group Ltd

ISSUE 1 VOL 12 SPRING 2017 MAGAZINE OF THE ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

INVESTORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GUIDE TO OPPORTUNITIES IN SAUDI ARABIA POTENTIAL FOR CLEAN ENERGY IN THE GCC REFORMS TO TAXATION OF NON-UK DOMICILES OWNING ART IN THE UK INTRODUCTION TO VALUE ADDED TAX

IMPACT OF DATA PROTECTION REGULATIONS ON MIDEAST BUSINESSES MARKETING TUNISIAN OLIVE OIL QATAR-UK BUSINESS AND INVESTMENT FORUM UK AND SAUDI ARABIA AFTER BREXIT

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ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

Economic Focus is an Arab-British Chamber of Commerce publication Editorial Team

Abdeslam El-Idrissi, Chief Editor Cliff Lawrence David Morgan Dr Yasmin Husein Arab-British Chamber of Commerce 43 Upper Grosvenor Street London W1K 2NJ Tel: +44 (0) 20 7235 4363 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7245 6688 economicfocus@abcc.org.uk www.abcc.org.uk

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CONTENTS Chamber Activities

Value Added Tax in the GCC

UK and Saudi Arabia after Brexit 6

Understanding M&A Agreements 44

Riyadh Chamber Delegation

New EU Data Rule and Middle East Businesses

Business Briefing on Sudan

UAE Bankruptcy Law

Tunisian Olive Oil

British Quarterly Economic Survey

Members’ Networking

Distinctive Publishing or Arab-British Chamber of Commerce cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies that may occur, individual products or services advertised or late entries. No part of this publication may be reproduced or scanned without prior written permission of the publishers and Arab-British Chamber of Commerce.

Qatar-UK Business and Investment Forum

ISSN No: ISSN 1751-4339

Saudi Vision 2030

Clean Energy

Reforms to Taxation of Non-UK Domiciles

Owning Art in the UK

Disclaimer

Focus Reports Saudi Arabia – Land of Opportunities 16

Members News Member Interview

New Members

Special Features Focus on Finance

Learning and Development – UK Education

Arabic Section 74

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ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

Dr Al-Shuaiby with leading members of the SPE in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia

The UK and Saudi Arabia after Brexit: Toward a stronger partnership Highlights of a keynote speech delivered by Dr Afnan Al-Shuaiby to the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) in Al-Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. On 13 March 2017 Dr Al-Shuaiby delivered the keynote speech at the SPE monthly dinner meeting in Al-Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Her speech outlined what investors and businesses could expect from Brexit and its potential for enhancing UK-Saudi collaboration. Dr AlShuaiby spoke about the possible impact on UK trade and investment, stating that it provides an additional boost to the UK to work more closely with its “old friends”, such as the KSA. She argued that Brexit would provide significant momentum for reaching a future freetrade agreement (FTA) with the GCC countries, particularly the KSA. One area where Brexit had had an impact was on the value of the British pound which by falling had made UK real estate investments more attractive;

UK goods were also relatively cheaper to import. Dr Al-Shuaiby cited the UK’s strong economic forecasts and robust performance post-Brexit. She went on to highlight the changing tax landscape with regards to the new UK laws from April 2017, especially those concerning residency status and tax for non-domiciles. She then reflected on the scale of Saudi investment in the UK property market and the continued strengths of London real estate. Her speech went on to address the UK’s determination to build a “global Britain” that champions global free trade. She explained the UK’s new industrial strategy which sets out some key areas where it was seeking to attract greater investment such as science, research, innovation and upgrading infrastructure.

Dr Al-Shuaiby speaking in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia

In the final section of the speech, Dr Al-Shuaiby focused on how the Brexit policy and the Saudi Vision 2030 were opening up new areas for cooperation in education, ICT and renewable energy. Dr Al-Shuaiby concluded that prospects for deepening UK-Saudi relations were excellent, stressing how the Chamber provided a bridge for UK and Saudi businesses.

ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 7

Dr Al-Shuaiby (head of the table, right) in discussion with members of the Riyadh Chamber delegation

Riyadh Chamber delegation in visit to London A delegation from the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce visited the headquarters of Arab-British Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday 18 April 2017. The delegation was received by Dr Afnan Al-Shuaiby. The Saudi delegation was headed by Mr Saud Al-Nefiee, Member of the Board of Directors of Riyadh Chamber and Head of Logistics and Transportation Division, who was accompanied by representatives of the

Saudi Public Transport Authority and the Council of Saudi Chambers and Public Security from the Saudi Ministry of Interior. The ABCC keenly encourages such initiatives and is ready to provide more cooperation and offer the necessary facilitation to achieve exchange of knowledge and trade between the Arab world and Britain. This visit sought to gather information and explore the specifications, standards and regulations for using advertising materials in public transport vehicles and the latest technologies that could be used to apply this experience to public transport in Riyadh in particular and in other major cities throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

In order to achieve the objectives of the visit, the ABCC designed a specific programme of meetings for the Saudi delegation including visits to the London Chamber of Commerce followed by a visit to Transport for London (TFL). The delegation was accompanied by a senior member of the ABCC. During their visits, the Riyadh delegates were acquainted with the experience of using commercial advertisements in different means of transportation in London and the specifications and standards that are adopted. The regulations and the effectiveness of such activities for raising revenue were studied and discussed during the meetings.

ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

Business briefing on Sudan A briefing on doing business in Sudan was hosted by the Chamber on 1 March attracting executives from British companies keen on exploring the opportunities in the Sudanese market. H E Mr Michael Aron, the British Ambassador to Sudan

Dr Afnan Al-Shuaiby

The gathering was addressed by H E Mr Michael Aron, the British Ambassador to Sudan and his counterpart from the Sudan Embassy in London, H E Mr Mohamed Eltom. The event coincided with a business delegation from Sudan, headed by the Ambassador H E Mr Aron, which included senior executives from the US Sudan Business Council. Welcoming the ambassadors, visitors and delegates, Dr Afnan Al-Shuaiby, Secretary General & CEO, ABCC, described Sudan as “an emerging market with considerable natural resources and rich commercial potential”. Dr Al-Shuaiby remarked that the conditions were becoming more favourable for the strengthening bilateral commercial relations and cooperation between the UK and Sudan. She highlighted some of key economic areas in Sudan which should interest British investors such as education and training, mining, oil and gas, water management, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, construction and financial services. Delivering a keynote briefing, H E Mr Aron emphasised that Sudan was opening up for trade and investment following an executive order taken in January by outgoing US President Obama to suspend the economic sanctions on Sudan in place since 1997. The “well-planned” decision to suspend sanctions had been taken following extensive discussions between the US

H E Mr Mohamed Eltom, Sudan Ambassador to the UK

and Sudan during 2015 and 2016. The Ambassador explained that sanctions would be formally lifted on 12 July and, he believed, the new Trump Administration would not seek to reintroduce them.

It has the resource potential to solve the region’s food security and water was in plentiful supply. Sudan grows essential cereal crops and has vast pastures for grazing cattle and sheep. Finally, there are abundant fish stocks.

The briefing was also held in the context of the new UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue which was initiated by the two governments in March 2016. H E Mr Michael Aron expressed the belief that the UK and Sudan could build on the historic links between the two countries and praised the cooperation that has developed between the UK embassy in Khartoum and the Sudan embassy in London.

Mr Ahmed Alamin Abdellatif, President of the CTC Group, representing the Sudanese private sector business delegation, explained that the US Sudan Business Council had been established to provide a mechanism to engage with the US private sector.

H E Mohamed Eltom, the Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan in London, began his remarks by warming thanking the ABCC for its consistently supportive role. He welcomed and introduced the members of the Sudan delegation who were all present. The Ambassador said the economic potential of Sudan had been underestimated. The investment climate had been impeded by conflict and politics, but there was now a new mood of national reconciliation which would be reflected in businesses taking a more positive look at the country. He gave a briefing on the main features of the market, highlighting the following: Sudan links the Arab world with Africa and has borders with seven countries and it has free trade agreements with neighbours creating a combined market of 600 million people.

New measures were to improve the commercial climate and banks would start looking at the market again now that sanctions had been suspended. Companies needed export guarantees and insurance in order to operate. Mr Abdellatif was joined by members of the Sudanese business delegation: Mr Wael Elnefeidi, CEO, Elnefeidi Group, a diversified corporation active in agriculture, automotives, food, logistics, mining and real estate; Dr Hania Morsi Fasl, OBE, founder and CEO, Khartoum Breast Care Centre, a pioneer breast cancer centre in Sudan; Mr Anis G Haggar, Chairman, Haggar Group, an investment company operating in Sudan, South Sudan and other countries in Africa; Mr Hassan Abdelhalim, Business Development Manager, ARAAK Group, a leading company in the industrial, food, engineering and construction sectors.

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 9

From left: H E Mr Nabil Ammar, the Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia to the UK, Dr Afnan Al-Shuaiby and Mr Abdel Salam al- Wadi, chairman of the Tunisian Olive Oil Association

Business Roundtable on Tunisian Olive Oil The Chamber hosted roundtable discussion on 23 March 2017 with the aim of raising awareness within the UK of the opportunities for selling Tunisian olive oil in British supermarkets. The Chamber was delighted to welcome H E Mr Nabil Ammar, the Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia to the UK, who was accompanying Mr Abdel Salam alWadi, chairman of the Tunisian Olive Oil Association, visiting London to promote his country’s high quality olive oil in the UK market. The roundtable discussion, chaired by Dr Afnan Al-Shuaiby, Secretary General & CEO, ABCC, was attended by representatives of UK companies interested in learning about the potential for sourcing supplies of olive oil from Tunisia. Mr Abdel Salam al-Wadi told the meeting that 20,000 tons of olive oil bottled in Tunisia was exported to over 60 markets around the world and Tunisia is currently the 4th largest olive oil producer in the world. Olive oil as an industry has historic roots in Tunisia going back more than 3,000 years. The EU has recently waived taxes on Tunisian olive oil imports and can now export 56,700 tons tax-free in

Mr Abdel Salam al-Wadi, chairman, Tunisian Olive Oil Association, in discussion at the ABCC, with (left) H E Mr Nabil Ammar, the Tunisian Ambassador

2017 – which represents a huge opening for UK importers. Mr Salam al-Wadi explained the unique features of Tunisian olive oil: it is handpicked from more than 100 million olive trees and it was 100% pure and unblended. He mentioned that the ABCC was critical to the Tunisian Olive Oil Association’s strategy to increase the

country’s produce in the UK market. The UK currently imports 60,000 tons of olive oil a year. Pledging support, Dr Al Shuaiby stressed that it was important to develop a long term marketing campaign to build the brand of Tunisian olive oil in the UK and increase awareness and trust in the market.

ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

Mr Abdeslam El-Idrissi, Director of Trade Services, ABCC, speaking, with Ms Kay Shelford, Director of Sales, Rembrandt Hotel, (left) and Dr Lamya Al-Imara, ABCC Membership Officer (right)

Members’ Networking Event A very successful ABCC networking social evening took place on Wednesday 29 March attracting up to 200 business people. It was held in the luxury Kensington setting of the Rembrandt Hotel, one the Chamber’s corporate members, and brought together representatives of ABCC member companies and other firms interested in learning more about the Chamber. Attendees were able to engage with each other and the Chamber’s membership team and other staff. In welcoming remarks, Mr Abdeslam El-Idrissi, Director of Trade Services, ABCC, touched on the growing opportunities for exporting to the Arab markets and their potential as investment destinations. Ms Kay Shelford, Director of Sales, Rembrandt Hotel, welcomed guests, while Mr Layaan Almenoar introduced the leisure facilities in the Aquilla Health and Fitness Club available to hotel guests. Everyone greatly enjoyed the hospitality and refreshments provided by the hotel, including a raffle conducted by

Ms Shelford. Discussions were aided by sector specific meeting points which made it easier for networkers to identify any potential business partners. This

was the first members’ networking event held in an outside venue and the Chamber received much positive feedback from those who participated.

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 11

Kaplan acquires Genesis Institute to further facilitate training and development in the Middle East Global training and education company, Kaplan, which is an ABCC member, has acquired Genesis Institute. The deal was signed at the Genesis headquarters in Dubai by Kaplan UK Chief Executive Officer, Peter Houillon and Binod Shankar, Managing Director of the Genesis Institute. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Genesis will trade under the name Kaplan Genesis and will continue to be based in Dubai and operate across the GCC. It will now be able to integrate the world-class Kaplan Schweser CFA materials into its already exceptional CFA programmes. The organisation will also offer preparation for other financial and business qualifications, as well as leadership and professional development programmes for corporate clients in the Middle East and globally. Peter Houillon, CEO Kaplan UK, said: “The combination of Kaplan’s distinguished learning heritage and global reach with the Genesis brand and local expertise provides exciting opportunities to build a highly competitive offering. Many of Kaplan’s UK and US clients, already with a significant presence in the region, will benefit from our combined expertise and global network.” Andrew Perkins, Global Director of Kaplan Leadership and Professional Development, said: “At Kaplan, we approach learning and development differently: we combine the development of technical competence and behavioural confidence that enables better decision making by individuals, team and organisations. We will now tailor these programmes to support the development of regionally based talent for our GCC, UK and US clients.” Binod Shankar, Managing Director of Genesis, said: “Being part of Kaplan gives us the resources and infrastructure to enhance the fantastic student experience we have worked hard to create at Genesis. This is great news for our current and future students.” As per the UAE's Federal National Council, the budget for 2017 is set by the Cabinet at AED48.7 billion ($13.3bn)

Peter Houillon, Kaplan UK Chief Executive Officer and Binod Shankar, Managing Director of the Genesis Institute

with a prime focus on education. About 20.5% of the 2017 budget, or AED 10.2bn ($2.7bn), is earmarked for the education sector. Given the UAE's fastpaced growth and the government's vision of promoting innovative education as a drive for the future, this decision has opened new opportunities in various fields and programmes. This economic objective aligns with Kaplan Genesis’s vision of holistically promoting learning and development among public as well as private sector professionals through customized collaboration.

About Kaplan Kaplan is a leading international provider of training and education services operating in more than 30 countries and working with over 2,600 corporations and businesses. Kaplan’s vast breadth and scope and distinguished heritage going back almost 80 years sets it apart from its competitors. In the UK, Kaplan provides training for professional qualifications and business programmes. It trains more than 45,000 business and government professionals and international students annually for investment qualifications (including CFA®), professional accountancy and tax exams, and develops bespoke programmes for corporate and government offices.

Genesis Institute Genesis Institute, founded ten years ago, leads the CFA examination market in the UAE and is a leading provider of financial training solutions. It was set up by highly qualified and experienced professionals who are passionate about the delivery of relevant, high quality and effective financial education. Its innovative programmes are structured to combine the right balance of practical case studies and insights from business reality to hone both the skills and knowledge of participants. Genesis offers a wide range of courses for finance and non-finance professionals working at entry, mid-career, or senior level positions.

Contact For the UK - Andrew Perkins, Director, Leadership and Professional Development, Kaplan Tel: +44 (0) 7768 876 255 Email: andrew.perkins@kaplan.co.uk For the GCC - Binod Shankar, Managing Director, Kaplan Genesis, Tel: +971-527775611 Email: binod.shankar@kaplangenesis.com

ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

Qatar-UK Business and Investment Forum The ABCC was delighted to have partnered with the Qatari and UK governments in the successful delivery of the Qatar-UK Business and Investment Forum, which took place at Grosvenor House Hotel, London, on 27 March. The conference saw the largest ever trade delegation from Qatar visiting London and was addressed by government ministers and business executives from Qatar and the UK. The event, followed by a second conference in Birmingham on 28 March, reflected growing Qatar-UK cooperation. During the event, Qatar pledged to invest an additional £5 billion in Britain over the next five years on top of its £40 billion worth of investments in the UK it already has and which includes high-

profile London landmarks such as the Shard, Harrods, the Savoy Hotel and a stake in Canary Wharf financial district. The Forum addressed key trade, economic and investment topics and new construction projects. It facilitated discussion on the potential effects of Brexit on trade and new opportunities for developing private-private cooperation. The Forum provided a showcase for Qatar’s 2030 Vision and its ambitious projects for economic diversification.

The Forum was organised in cooperation with the National Committee for Organising the Qatar – UK Business and Investment Forum, the Qatar Ministries of Economy and Commerce, Finance, Foreign Affairs, the Qatar Permanent Committee for Organising Conferences, the Qatari Businessmen Association, Qatar Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the UK Department for International Trade. Speakers from Qatar were headed by Prime Minister and Minister of Interior,

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 13

His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani, who, in his opening remarks, stated that the forum reflected the close historical ties enjoyed at all level by the UK and Qatar. Their relationship dated back to the early discovery of oil and gas in Qatar. Today, UK firms are involved in every sector in Qatar’s economy and the UK itself is a preferred destination for Qatari investment. Qatar is now a major supplier of LNG to the UK, contributing to the nation’s energy security. For its part, Qatar was implementing new initiatives under its Vision 2030 which had now entered its second phase covering the years 2017-2022, the Qatar Prime Minister stated. He stressed that Qatar was looking to a future beyond oil and gas by building a diverse knowledge-based economy. H E Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani concluded that Qatar had full confidence in the UK and expressed thanks to all the delegates for participating in the forum. The Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox MP, UK Secretary of State and President of the Board of Trade, stated that the Forum, which was being held in London and Birmingham, heralded a new chapter in UK-Qatar relations. The UK Minister pointed out that the Forum coincides with the largest trade delegation from Qatar in history. The bonds were already strong at the personal level reflected in education where thousands of Qataris come to the UK to study and with more Qataris having second homes in London. RT Hon Dr Fox outlined three main reasons why Qatar and the UK could deepen their relations today: both countries were looking outwards to the world; they had a track record of mutual investment successes; and both had embarked on a bold industrial strategy.

UK had its Northern powerhouse and Midlands engine strategy, which showed that both countries were rising to meet new challenges. Dr Liam Fox announced that the UK was to double the amount of export finance available to support trade with Qatar to £4.5 billion. He welcomed the £35bn that Qatar had invested in the UK in real estate, the hotels sector and in iconic projects such as The Shard, which all reflected the strength of the bilateral cooperation. Investment was a two-way process and the UK was present in Qatar with Shell as its largest single investor out of a total of 600 UK firms operating in the market. UK firms had the skills and expertise needed to deliver the Doha World Cup in 2022.

Emadi, Minister of Finance, accompanied by H E Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani, CEO, Qatar Investment Authority, Mr Ali Ahmed Al Kuwari, CEO, Qatar National Bank and Mr Abdulbasit Ahmad Al Shaibei, CEO and Board Member, QIIB. They were joined on the panel by Mr Xavier Rolet KBE, CEO, London Stock Exchange Group. The Minister began by pointing to the phenomenal growth in the Qatar economy and population over recent years. Within the space of 20 years and within one generation Qatar had been transformed into a major modern global player. Over this time, its financial sector had grown from nothing to become a location for leading international banks operating to the highest standards.

Following the June 2016 referendum, the UK was creating its own trade policy in the interests of a global Britain.

In conclusion, Dr Fox mentioned investment opportunities outside London which was why Birmingham was chosen to host the second day of the forum.

He said that the UK admired the way that Qatar had adopted an ambitious plan in Vision 2030 to nurture its human capital and develop local capacity. Likewise, the

He explained that London had been selected as the venue for the latest Qatar Forum because the UK was the preferred destination for Qatar investment, as well as tourism, students, healthcare and the first destination for Qatar Airways.

The first session discussed Qatar’s financial power with speakers drawn from the Qatar banking and finance sector headed by H E Mr Ali Shareef Al

H E Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani described the role of the QIA in preserving the wealth of continued page 14

ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

from page 13

the nation for future generations. He explained how the QIA had promoted investment in the UK economy extending from stakes in Heathrow and the London Stock Exchange. Mr Xavier Rolet commended the exemplary loyalty of Qatar as a shareholder and described the forum as an opportunity to take Qatar’s partnership with the UK to a new stage. He believed that there was much more that could be done to strengthen bilateral cooperation highlighting areas such as Islamic finance, green projects and SMEs, where the UK was proficient. Mr Ali Ahmed Al Kuwari, CEO, Qatar National Bank, explained how the bank managed Qatar’s assets in the UK and how its services could assist British businesses in Qatar. Mr Abdulbasit Ahmed Al Shaibei, CEO, QIIB, flagged up how Qatar was developing into a major hub for Islamic finance, which he defined as a growing global industry. Islamic finance, which was thriving in Qatar as a result of its robust and

transparent legal system and strong infrastructure, now represented 25% of the country’s financial sector. Session 2 examined how sustainable development depended on expansion of the non-oil sector. H E Sheikh Ahmed Bin Jassim Al Thani, Minister of Economy and Commerce, Qatar, stated that following a decade of growth, Qatar’s future vision was seeking to build on its success by targeting diversification. This vision had four key components, human, social, economic and environmental. It was now at the stage of developing the private sector’s role in achieving sustainable growth and a knowledgebased economy. Qatar was looking towards investors to cooperate on implementation of new infrastructure projects, education and industrial clusters. H E Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, Chairman, Qatar Businessmen’s Association, said that the non-oil sector was now contributing more towards the

economy helping to diversify Qatar’s income sources. He said that public and private sectors were closely cooperating to achieve success in implementing mega projects. Qatar welcomed partnership with global firms including those in the UK. Mr Abdul Aziz Bin Nasser Al Khalifa, CEO, Qatar Development Bank, outlined the bank’s activities in support of SMEs, highlighting the role of economic zones as hubs for innovative industries. He hoped that the UK would be able to help in developing certain skills in areas such as life sciences and healthcare. Session 3 looked at potential partnership opportunities between private sector firms. H E Sheikh Khalifa Bin Jassim Al Thani, Chairman, Qatar Chamber of Commerce, described how Qatar was open to investment and explained why it was an attractive market for investors because of its tax exemptions and flexible policies. H E Sheikh Turki Bin Faisal Al Thani, Chairman, Al Sawari Holding, believed that Qatar had much to learn from the experience of the UK’s diverse economy and its large service sector. Mr Omar Hussein Al Fardan, President & CEO, Al Fardan Group, described his company’s distribution of UK brands in the Qatar market and how he hoped for more opportunities with UK firms. Mr Yousef Mohamed Al Jaida, CEO, Qatar Financial Centre, said the QFC offered a commercial environment for investors based on English common law and was attracting more companies into the market. Mr Joseph Abraham, CEO, Commercial Bank, Qatar, said that the country’s banking industry was one of the strongest in the Middle East and able to help firms to benefit from the opportunities arising from the growth of Qatar’s population and activities such as preparations to host the World Cup.

The Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox MP, UK Secretary of State for International Trade, speaking at the forum

Mr Eric Schulz, President, Civil Aerospace, Rolls Royce, said his company had strong relations with Qatar, investing in technology and supplying engines for Qatar Airways. Session 4 was focused on energy

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 15

and industry and began with H E Dr Mohamed Saleh Abdullah Al Sada, Minister of Energy & Industry, Qatar, who said that UK had the technological knowledge that could benefit Qatar. Mr Jesse Norman MP, UK Minister for Industry and Energy, praised Qatarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supply of LNG to the UK market and looked forward to future mutual investment with Qatar. The minister said that the UK had set out on a new course post-Brexit but remained open for business and had a firmly global outlook. Mr Maarten Wetselaar, Integrated Gas & New Energies Director, Royal Dutch Shell, spoke of the bold vision that had made Qatar successful over the past 15 years and turned it into a global gas leader. He said that Shell was committed to playing a part in developing the gas sector through to 2030. Mr Saad Sherida Al Kaabi, CEO, Qatar Petroleum, stated that QP was pleased to work closely with UK firms and the UK was an important market. He believed that the oil and gas industry had a long future in Qatar. Session 5 on transport infrastructure began with H E Mr Jassim Bin Saif Al Sulaiti, Minister of Transportation and Communication, Qatar, who described how the country was investing heavily in its infrastructure in the run up to 2022 and in completion of the 2030 vision. H E Mr Hassan Abdullah Al Thawadi, Secretary General, Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Qatar, said that the upgrading of the infrastructure was not simply to host the World Cup but was intended as a lasting legacy for future generations. Eng Abdulla Abdulaziz Al Subaie, MD & CEO, Qatar Rail, described the numerous rail projects currently being undertaken including metro, tram and long distance rail for passengers and freight. Sir George Iacobescu, CBE, Chairman and CEO, Canary Wharf Group, said that the Canary Wharf offered a lesson in the transport services need for major projects. Canary Wharf, which is 50% owned by Qatar, had no transport links at all 30 years ago but was now a hugely successful site with major 40 buildings. Eng Abdullah Al Attiya, Assistant to the

President, Ashgal, stressed that the opportunities for UK construction firms and consultants in Qatar were massive. Ashgal was completing numerous public projects. UK firms were urged to join with local contractors to complete these projects. In the final session on health, education and tourism projects, the speakers were HE Dr Hanan Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health to the State of Qatar, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, HE Mr Akbar Al Baker, HE Dr Hassan Al Darhem, Qatar University President and The Rt Hon Ms Karen Bradley MP, UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Dr Hanan Al Kuwari described the plans that Qatar was undertaking to improve the health of its people and the new facilities under development. These included new hospitals, clinics and wellness centres. HE Mr Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways Group, mentioned that there were now more than 70 flights each week between Qatar and destinations in the UK such as London Heathrow, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Manchester. Mr Al Baker also stated that London was home to the headquarters of

International Airlines Group (IAG), of which Qatar Airways is a key shareholder and the UK this summer will become the very first market to which the airline will fly its new Qsuite, bringing First to Business Class. H E Dr Hassan Al Darhem, President, Qatar University, stated that Qatar was open to cooperating with universities in the UK to enhance its education sector, including specialist research. Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP said that Britain could use its experience of hosting the 2012 Olympics in order to assist Qatar in the delivery of a successful international sports event.

Conclusion Concluding remarks were delivered by the Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, speaking on behalf of the British government. The forum ended with a Gala Dinner attended by His Royal Highness Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex and Her Royal Highness Countess of Wessex. The event was seen as hugely successful in strengthening UK-Qatar cooperation.

ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

Saudi Arabia – Land of Opportunities An investor’s guide to industrial opportunities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia within the context of the implementation of the Saudi Vision 2030 programme The Kingdom has established the Industrial Clusters programme to develop the potential of some key industries, namely, Minerals and Metal processing, Automotive, Solar Energy, Plastics and Packaging and the Pharmaceutical industry. An important element of the strategy is to use the Kingdom’s abundant mineral and petrochemical resources, plentiful energy and other advantages to pursue highly focused development.

Metals such as manganese, silver, copper, tungsten, chromium, zinc and lead;

Ease of transportation to Europe, Africa, India, GCC countries and other key export markets;

Industrial minerals such as feldspar, sulphur, gypsum, kaolin and barite;

Most of Saudi Arabia's precious and basic minerals are located in the west of the country, parallel to the Red Sea, while its industrial minerals are mainly in the east.

A high-value products market of over 2 billion people within three hours by air;

A committed, well-qualified workforce, including graduates from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.

Mineral and Metal Processing Cluster The Kingdom is rich in the natural resources and raw materials needed for manufacturing and industrial development. Covering 2 million km2, Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Middle East and the 13th largest country in the world. Its particular geology serves to give it an abundance of natural resources and raw materials, including: l

Metal ores such as bauxite and iron ore;

Advantages and opportunities of the Minerals and Metal Processing cluster include:

Extensive reserves of metal ores and metals;

Strong demand from an economy growing by 5 - 6% a year;

Buoyant demand from neighbouring Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries;

Plentiful energy for use in smelters, furnaces and processing plants;

With its abundant metallic minerals, plentiful energy and other advantages, Saudi Arabia is developing its metals processing capacity and capabilities. This is taking place rapidly and on a broad front, especially in high-demand areas such as aluminium and steel. The Industrial Clusters programme is driving the development of Saudi Arabia’s Minerals and Metal Processing. It aims to: l

Encourage and support further Saudi Arabian and foreign investment in the sector;

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 17

Boost Saudi Arabia exports of high value-added, metal-based components, semi-finished products and finished products;

Create and sustain employment;

Reduce aluminium, steel and other metal-related imports;

Assist with national economic diversification.

Plastics and Packaging Cluster The Kingdom is rich in oil and gas, the key natural resources used to manufacture petrochemicals products, the feedstock for plastics and packaging. It has some 265 billion barrels of proven and recoverable oil, accounting for a fifth to a quarter of global oil reserves. It also has up to 258 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, giving Saudi Arabia the fourth-largest reserves in the world. The country's huge exports of oil and gas help to give it an annual current account surplus of $164.8 billion, or 23.3% of GDP. The largest market in MENA, Saudi Arabia offers easy, tariff-free access to the GCC and Greater Arab Free Trade Area markets; access to over 400 million consumers in the wider MENA area; the

abundant energy needed for largescale production; and close industrialacademic ties. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia offers significant government commitment, support and incentives. The Ministry of Commerce & Industry and Ministry of Petroleum and Minerals Resources are particularly closely involved, using its targeted Industrial Clusters programme to develop the plastics and packaging sector.

The industrial cluster aims to: l

Make Saudi Arabia the service hub for consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies to export plastics and packaging worldwide;

Encourage and support further Saudi Arabian and foreign investment in the sector;

Reduce imports and increase exports;

Create and sustain employment;

Assist with national economic diversification.

Plastics and packaging in the Kingdom are supported by close industrialacademic connections and strong R&Ds, operated flexibly with various degrees of public- and private-sector participation.

In Riyadh, the Higher Institute for Plastic Fabrication (HIPF) has particularly close industry links. This $67 million, 60,000 m2 training centre provides a range of short courses for plastic processing and fabrication, a diploma degree and advanced courses. Majority state-owned company SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corporation) is a leading producer of PVC, polyester, polyolefin and other polymers. SABIC's Plastics Application Development Centre is under construction at the Riyadh Techno Valley research complex at King Saud University. SABIC is also one of the Saudi and US partners involved in the High Institute for Elastomer Industries at Yanbu, a 43,000 m2 vocational training centre which started 2013. In Jubail, the major petrochemical producer National Industrialization Company operates its dedicated TASNEE Plastics Research Centre.

Pharma & Biotech Cluster The global pharmaceuticals industry generates total revenues of over a trillion US dollars annually. The industry is a major contributor to the world's knowledge economy. Advantages and Opportunities The Saudi healthcare market is over $26bn and growing at a rate of 12% with annual government expenditures exceeding $8bn on drug medications. The National Industrial Cluster Development Program (NICDP) in coordination with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and concerned government regulatory bodies is leading the development of the pharmaceutical industry in Saudi Arabia.

Aims: l

Enhance the quality of life;

Generate economic diversification;

Become more self-reliant - to export more rather than it imports;

Create new job segments attractive for Saudi men and women to contribute and work;

Position Saudi Arabia to become a major contributor in the innovation and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals. continued page 18

ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

from page 17

Currently, there are more than 40 business opportunities in Saudi Arabia in the healthcare sector spread over pharmaceuticals investments, R&D, vaccination and automating the healthcare systems amounting to nearly $20bn. The Kingdom is focused on attracting innovative foreign direct investments (FDIs). The country is investing and transferring latest technologies. The sector has already attracted leading global pharmaceuticals players like GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Sanofi & Pfizer and is expecting more to enter the market due to continuous dynamic regulatory reviews and enhancement of infrastructure.

Automotive Cluster The Saudi Arabia market is also a major consumer of cars and trucks, all currently imported. Saudi citizens are expected to buy up to 1 million cars a year by 2020. There is strong demand for trucks buoyed in part by the country's booming construction sector. Against this strong background, the Kingdom is committed to developing a national automotive cluster, encompassing car, truck and bus: R&D; design; components; sub-systems and sub-assemblies, full vehicle assembly; and logistics.

Shape and introduce policies to enable the clusters to have the right conditions and factors required to attract and retain investors. Create an enabling and collaborative environment among different public and private institutions, resulting in a coordinated strategic dialogue to align efforts, resources and visions to implement new industries and businesses. Support foreign and local investors incompiling sound business cases.

At the heart of this drive is the industrial clusters programme which aims to:

The Industrial Clusters aim to:

Encourage and support further Saudi Arabian and foreign investment in the sector;

Make the KSA a major player in vehicle development and production;

Reduce imports and increase exports;

Create and sustain employment;

Assist with national economic diversification. the knowledge and competitive intelligence base to create feasible, executable and consistent Industrial Cluster and Cluster Enabling strategies, while anticipating global market trends, opportunities and threats.

Turn investment opportunities into businesses by developing competitive anchor projects for each cluster.

Shape and introduce policies to enable the clusters to have the right conditions and factors required to attract and retain investors.

Create an enabling and collaborative environment among different public and private institutions, resulting in a coordinated strategic dialogue to align efforts, resources and visions to implement new industries and businesses.

l Build

Build the knowledge and competitive intelligence base to create feasible, executable and consistent Industrial Cluster and Cluster Enabling strategies, while anticipating global market trends, opportunities and threats.

Support foreign and local investors in compiling sound business cases.

In Saudi Arabia, foreign companies enjoy all the benefits, guarantees and incentives offered to Saudi-owned companies. Any equipment required for a project that cannot be sourced from within the country, such as some mining and metal processing equipment, is exempt from import duties. Once the project is operational, capital and profits can be repatriated without restriction. Other Investment incentives and support includes the Human Resources Development Fund, which provides financial support for training and employment; and innovation grants.

Contacts The KSA Industrial Clusters Programme is jointly supervised by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry and the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. Details of contacts can be found here: www.ic.gov.sa/index. php?option=com_content&view=arti cle&id=9&Itemid=109

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Saudi Vision 2030 Opportunities and Challenges By Paul C Homsy, Advisor, Volaw Saudi Arabia has begun a transformation from an economy dominated by public sector spending and oil export revenues to a diversified economy, where the private sector will take over as the main engine of economic growth. The goals and objectives are set forth in two documents recently approved by the Saudi Government, namely Saudi Vision 2030 (Vision 2030) and the National Transformation Program 2020 (NTP). This ambitious transformation will bring with it challenges and opportunities in the coming years. Background Saudi Arabia has developed rapidly over the last eighty years since the discovery of oil in 1939. During the first few decades of this period oil prices remained relatively low but starting in the mid-1970s oil prices increased which led to the economic boom of the 1970s and 1980s, the construction of a modern infrastructure, growth of the urban centres, the increase in Saudi oil production, and the establishment of numerous joint ventures between Saudi and foreign companies. This growth was accomplished by a massive inflow of foreign workers while Saudi nationals were primarily employed in the public sector.

Oil prices collapsed in 1986 and 1987 which led to a slow down but again rose rapidly during the 2003 to 2014 oil price boom. During this period, Saudi Arabiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s GDP doubled and the Kingdom became the 19th largest economy in the world. Like the first oil boom, the Saudi Government invested in infrastructure, healthcare and transportation. Defence spending continued to account for a significant portion of Government allocations. There were several important differences between the first oil boom and the second one which have greatly affected the direction of Saudi Arabiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

national transformation programme as described in Vision 2030 and the NTP. First, Saudi Arabia experienced rapid population growth. Despite high oil prices, Saudi Arabia, with one of the highest percentages of youth populations in the world, experienced a dramatic increase in youth unemployment. Second, the late HM King Abdullah started Saudi Arabia down the path of increasing liberalisation with women entering the work force and it liberalised access to its economy by joining the World Trade Organisation and opening many of its business sectors to 100% foreign ownership.

Third, Saudi Arabia developed a dynamic stock market and started opening Saudi listed companies to foreign ownership. Fourth, recent events in the region have brought about a rethinking of traditional ways of doing business and government policies.

Challenges: Declining Oil Prices and Fiscal Deficits Oil prices dropped from a high of $110 per barrel in 2014 to a low of around $28 in January 2015, which has partially recovered to the $40 to $50 range. While Saudi Arabia’s goal over the last few decades has been economic diversification, the economy still depends heavily on oil revenues which account for 90% of total government revenues (See, Moving Saudi Arabia’s Economy Beyond Oil, McKinsey Global Institute, December 2015 (McKinsey Report)). The Saudi economy doubled in size from 2003 and 2013 during the second oil boom. Economic growth depended on oil exports and government public sector spending (McKinsey Report). However, in 2015, Saudi Government expenditures reached $260 billion while the deficit reached $98 billion. Unless oil prices return to oil boom levels, Saudi Arabia, without the transformation programme, could face the rapid depletion of its monetary reserves to cover fiscal deficits.

Job Creation Saudi unemployment is around 12% while unemployment among youth (15-25 years old) is around 43%. Unemployment among Saudi women is even higher as many more Saudi women are receiving higher education and entering the workforce. According to Vision 2030, the private sector will need to employ 4.1 million Saudis by 2030 and create a total of 8 million jobs in the public and private sector by that year, (see, Arab News, 7 August 2016).

Foreign Labour The second oil boom during 2003 to 2013 was accompanied by a rapid increase of foreign workers and their families, which now comprise one

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 21

third of the Saudi population. Despite Saudisation efforts going back to the 1980s, foreign workers, mostly from South Asia, comprise over half of the total workforce. It is no simple matter to substitute Saudis for these foreign workers as many of them are employed in low paid unskilled jobs. Saudis are mostly employed in the public sector, where salaries are higher than the private sector.

Broad Goals and Commitments of Saudi Vision 2030 Vision 2030 sets forth, in broad strokes, various goals and commitments to shift the Saudi economy from oil dependence and the domination of the public sector to a more diversified economy, less reliant on oil exports, and more focused on the private sector. There will be a particular emphasis on developing sectors that have the maximum potential for employing Saudis and on growing businesses that can compete within Saudi Arabia and globally. Behind these efforts is an overall goal of knowledge transfer and creating an entrepreneurial culture. H H Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the Saudi Deputy Crown Prince, announced that Vision 2030 is based on three pillars: 1. Saudi Arabia is the “heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds”; 2. Saudi Arabia will become a “global investment powerhouse which will be used to stimulate our economy and diversify our revenues”; 3. Saudi Arabia is strategically located and can be a hub for global trade among Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Public Investment Fund and Aramco Aramco is the economic crown jewel of Saudi Arabia. Aramco controls the world’s largest oil reserves and has a value of up to $3 trillion. Key to Saudi Arabia’s transformation is converting Aramco from an oil production and export company “into a global industrial conglomerate” and making the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund by transferring ownership of Aramco

to PIF. The first step in unlocking value from Aramco would be to publically list five percent of Aramco on one or more stock exchanges and allow foreigners to subscribe to this IPO. Such an IPO is expected to yield $150 billion to PIF. PIF was established in 1971 to invest in projects that are strategic to the development of Saudi Arabia’s economy. PIF has about $160 billion in assets and holds stakes in Saudi Telecom, Saudi Basic Industries Corp., one of the world’s largest petrochemical manufacturers, Tadawul (Saudi stock exchange), and the National Commercial Bank, the largest Saudi bank. PIF has also made some significant overseas investments including the purchase of a 38% stake in South Korea’s POSCO Engineering and Construction Co. for $1.1 billion and a 5% stake in Uber. PIF would become more actively involved in making acquisitions around the world and encourage international expansion of Saudi companies by investment in such companies. Saudi Arabia is also planning to tap global debt markets through a series of international bond sales. PIF will also invest in emerging technologies on a global basis and broaden foreign access to Saudi Arabian capital markets while building a sophisticated financial system and market for equity, debt, and derivatives. Saudi Arabia will also broaden its relationships with countries in the Middle East and internationally to facilitate trade and technology transfer. It appears that PIF intends to expand its foreign investments from 5% currently to 50% by 2020.

Mining Sector Saudi Arabia has substantial mineral resources besides oil, which include aluminium, phosphate, gold, copper, and uranium. The NTP has targeted this sector to contribute about $28 billion to Saudi GDP and create 90,000 jobs. Saudi will adopt various structural reforms and new licensing procedures to encourage private investment in this sector including partnerships with international mining companies which will have a side benefit of increasing the competitiveness and productivity of Saudi companies. A key challenge to expansion of the mining sector, as well as a business opportunity for construction and finance companies, will be creating the internal infrastructure continued page 22

ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

from page 21

to transport and ship the raw materials or refined products to export markets. Given Saudi Arabia’s low cost of energy, it can be expected that much of the metals will be smelted or refined in Saudi Arabia.

Defence Industry Saudi Arabia currently has the third largest annual defence budget in the world (approximately $87 billion) after the United States and China. Only 2% of this budget is spent within Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom intends to develop its local defence sector to source 50% of its military equipment within Saudi Arabia by 2030, including sophisticated equipment such as military aircraft. Such a programme will present various opportunities for joint ventures, and technology transfer agreements with foreign military contractors.

Retail Sector Saudi Vision wants to expand the retail sector by opening this sector to modern and international brands with the expectation that this sector can employ one million Saudis. The Saudi retail sector is relatively undersupplied and there is substantial room for growth by foreign retailers and mall developers, especially outside the main urban centres of Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dammam/Al Khobar. E-commerce will also be increased.

Renewable Energy Saudi domestic consumption of oil has increased dramatically and now accounts for 25% of total Saudi oil production (Wall Street Journal, 2 July 2015). Vision 2030 targets the development of a local renewable energy industry, including nuclear, solar, as well as natural gas, in order to increase the amount of crude oil for export.

Tourism, Culture, and Entertainment Currently, the only tourism is religious tourism, i.e. pilgrimages to the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina. Approximately 8 million Muslim pilgrims visited Saudi Arabia in 2015. Saudi Arabia would like to increase the capacity to receive pilgrims to 15 million by 2020 by improving related services and infrastructure.

Vision 2030 also contemplates the expansion of the entertainment and cultural sectors, with local and international investors and entertainment companies as well as an increase in the number of libraries, museums, and cultural events.

Healthcare Despite low oil prices, the Saudi Government increased the 2015 health budget by 48% to approximately $42 billion. Vision 2030 mentions that public corporations will have the primary role in developing healthcare although they will also help prepare for a shift to privatisation in the long term. The Saudi healthcare market is expected to expand at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 11.4% through 2018 (see, “Oxford Business Group Report” on Saudi Healthcare Sector). Saudi Arabia will continue to prioritise the healthcare sector even with low oil prices. Saudi Arabia is expected to also try to attract more outside investors into the pharmaceutical production sector as well as other parts of the Saudi healthcare sector.

Miscellaneous Other Initiatives Vision 2030 calls for a number of other goals and initiatives including the following: 1. Better utilisation of the extensive Saudi subsidies for food, fuel, water, and electricity by “redirecting them towards those in need”; 2. Emphasis in education on vocational training, technology, and entrepreneurship; 3. Improving access to funding for small and medium size business; 4. Equal opportunity for men and women; 5. Improving working and living conditions for non-Saudis including ownership of real estate; 6. Establishing special economic zones including logistic, tourist, industrial, and financial zones; 7. Restructuring the Saudi economic cities and the King Abdullah Financial City;

8. There will be no taxes on income or wealth of Saudi citizens and the emphasis will be on more “efficient spending by the government”.

Key NTP Initiatives The NTP provides a number of interim objectives to be accomplished by 2020 in order to facilitate the goals of Vision 2030, which include the following: 1. A balanced budget through improved financial governance; 2. Creation of more than 450,000 jobs; 3. Private sector takeover of 40% of the funding of the NTP goals through private/public sector partnerships and privatisations; 4. Redirect or change government spending programmes and projects; 5. Increase the supply of residential housing through incentives to real estate developers, improved licensing procedures, and the like; 6. Increase vocational training and improve the overall education system; 7. Increase non-oil exports from approximately $55 billion to $100 billion; 8. Increase value-added domestic production of imported products and increase the sourcing of local products and services for Aramco and other purchasers. Vision 2030 and the NTP call for major transformations that touch every aspect of the Saudi economy and society in general. These broad goals will require time and detailed planning and legislative changes for implementation. While these transformations are designed to make Saudi Arabia more self-reliant in terms of human resources and the growth of local industry, Saudi Arabia will also adopt changes to broaden access to foreign technology, expertise and capital. www.volaw.com Volaw is a member of the ABCC.

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ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

Clean energy offers massive potential Clean energy offers massive potential for the GCC States to maintain global energy leadership and reap substantial fossil fuel savings, says Orient Planet Research. Shifting to clean and renewable energy presents a very strong potential for oil-producing GCC countries to maintain global leadership in the energy sector despite the current market slowdown, while reaping massive savings of up to $87 billion as well as potentially reducing up to one gigaton of carbon emissions, according a report into clean energy in the Gulf. The report Clean Energy in the GCC issued by Orient Planet Research, of Orient Planet Group, highlights the array of benefits for the GCC economy and the global environment if the region would focus and take advantage of the growth potential in clean and renewable energy. Scaling up renewable energy in the GCC

countries would reap multiple benefits across the region, the report noted, adding what Gulf countries would stand to gain in terms of job creation, fossil fuel savings, and reduction in carbon emission, among others. Achieving the RE plans for the region's electricity sectors, for instance, could result in an overall savings of USD 55 to 87 billion, depending on oil and gas prices. Carbon emissions could also be reduced by one gigaton (Gt) by 2030, leading to an 8 per cent cut in the region's per capita carbon footprint. The figures were based on the findings of the Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which added that as more renewable power plants are brought online every

year, fossil fuel savings in the power and water sectors could peak at around 400 million barrels of oil equivalent by 2030. In the case of Saudi Arabia, the region's largest consumer of fossil fuels for power production, the Kingdom would save around 170 million barrels of oil and gas resources by 2030, or 44 per cent of the GCC-wide savings. The IRENA analysis indicates that the fulfilment of renewable energy targets can cut power sector fossil fuel consumption in Saudi Arabia by 25 per cent by 2030. Other recent findings contained in the report include: l

Saudi Arabia says solar will be contributing 76 per cent of its sustainable energy plans by 2040, with wind at 17 per cent

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 25

Water use could be cut by 16 per cent in the power sector in the region

In the UAE, fuel consumption in water and power industries could be cut 50 per cent if targets are met

Fuel use would drop 23 per cent in Saudi Arabia and 21 per cent in Kuwait.

Nidal Abou Zaki, Managing Director, Orient Planet Group, said: "Rapid industrialisation, population growth, and an increased rate of water desalination are all contributing to burgeoning energy demand. Right now, more fossil fuels are being used to meet the rising energy requirement but there is now a growing need to transform towards a more sustainable future. The prospects are bright for GCC countries in this regard especially because the region has a strong potential to be a net exporter of electricity generated from solar power in the future. This is only one aspect which GCC governments can capitalize on moving forward." The development of fossil fuel reserves and their exportation has led to wide economic growth, bringing prosperity and development to the region. The GCC economies' position within global energy markets over the past 40 years has been shaped by their role as oil and gas producers. Rapid socio-economic growth over the past decade is positioning them as one of the world's highest growth markets. "However, now is the time to study and explore sustainable alternative. Pursuing renewable resources in the Gulf is highly practical as it is as richly endowed with renewable resources as it is with hydrocarbons. The region, as the report notes, boasts of abundant year-round sunshine, the space to develop large solar power plants, significant wind and geothermal resources, and biomass derived from urban waste. There is no better time to pursue clean energy than now when the industry is experiencing significant growth worldwide," Abou Zaki added. In terms of job creation, meanwhile, the report highlights that the estimated 5.7 million employed directly or indirectly in the global renewable energy industry in 2012 could triple by 2030, with the solar segment expecting to account for 85 per cent, followed by waste-to-energy

at 14 per cent. The report also cited that renewable energy will help GCC countries produce 116,000 jobs annually. Such considerable job opportunities are crucial as global economies continue to struggle with economic boom-bust cycles. Unemployment and its associated social and economic impacts remain a key concern and an instrumental driver of public policy. Moreover, RE power generation is becoming more cost effective. Improving technology and growing competition have seen RE costs drop dramatically. In addition, solar power generation fits very well with demand patterns in a geography such as the GCC, where air conditioning dominates the electricity demand curve. Overall, the report states that RE offers the region an important opportunity to be at the forefront of optimizing clean energy to efficiently and effectively meet increasing power demand in a sustainable manner. Orient Planet PO Box 500266 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 4562888 Email: info@orientplanet.com

www.orientplanet.com/contactus.htm l Renewable energy (RE) plans for region's electricity sectors could result in overall savings of USD 55 to 87 billion l

Fossil fuel savings in power and water sectors could peak at around 400 million barrels of oil equivalent by 2030

Savings for Saudi Arabia, the region's largest consumer of fossil fuels for power production, at 170 million barrels of oil and gas resources by 2030

Carbon emissions could also be reduced by one gigaton by 2030

8 per cent cut in the region's per capita carbon footprint forecasted if RE plans implemented

Estimated 5.7 million employed directly or indirectly in the global renewable energy industry in 2012 could triple by 2030.

ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

Reforms to the taxation of non-UK domiciles By Rakesh Dabasia, Private Client Tax Director, Rayner Essex LLP On 5 December 2016, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) finally published draft legislation in respect of the changes to the taxation of non-UK domiciles from 6 April 2017 following two consultations. It is clear that the UK Government has listened to the responses to the consultations as they have taken into account some of the key points raised by stakeholders. The new UK deemed domiciled

resident in the UK during childhood will be included.

UK deemed domicile is currently only considered in relation to inheritance tax where a non-UK domiciled individual has been resident in the UK for at least 17 out of the last 20 tax years.

A non-UK domiciled individual can lose their deemed domiciled status if they cease UK residence for 6 complete tax years for income and capital gains tax purposes and 4 complete tax years for inheritance tax purposes.

From 6 April 2017, a non-UK domiciled individual will also be UK deemed domiciled for income and capital gains tax if they have been resident in the UK for 15 out of the previous 20 tax years. Those that meet the new UK deemed domiciled test will, from 6 April 2017, be taxed on an arising basis and will not have access to the claim for the remittance basis of taxation unless the unremitted foreign income and capital gains are within the ÂŁ2,000 de minimis rule, which will remain in place. The determination of whether an individual was tax resident in the UK will be based on the legislation that applied in that particular tax year. The Statutory Residence Test (SRT) will therefore only apply from 6 April 2013. Any tax years

Transfers of property by an individual whilst they are non-UK domiciled, who at the time of their death are deemed domiciled in the UK, will continue to be outside the scope for inheritance tax.

Born in the UK with a UK domicile of origin Individuals born in the UK with a UK domicile of origin who have acquired a foreign domicile of choice will be UK deemed domiciled if they are resident in the UK. Individuals have in the past left the UK and acquired a domicile of choice overseas and stated that they have retained their foreign domicile of choice on returning to the UK.

Rebasing of foreign assets for capital gains tax purposes HMRC have provided non-UK domiciled individuals with unrealised capital gains on foreign assets the opportunity to rebase their assets at 5 April 2017. This will remove any capital gain accrued to 5 April 2017 from a tax charge when it is sold after 5 April 2017. Without this rebasing election, many non-UK domiciles would have considered selling assets prior to the new rules coming in. There is a sting in the tail! The rebasing election will only be available to a nonUK domiciled individual who becomes deemed domiciled from 6 April 2017. If a non-UK domicile becomes deemed domiciled after that date they will not be able to rebase their assets. There were many representations to the Government that this was unfair but the view of the Government was that the rebasing election was there to give taxpayers time to organise their affairs with the new regime.

The rebasing election will also not be available to a non-domiciled individual born in the UK with a UK domicile of origin who is treated as deemed domiciled in the UK. An individual will need to remain UK deemed domiciled at the time of the disposal of the asset to benefit from the rebasing. The rebasing election will apply on all assets but it is possible to elect for the rebasing not to apply on an asset by asset basis and there is no requirement for any part of the sale proceeds relating to the part of the gain accruing before April 2017 to be kept offshore. In theory, a non-UK domiciled individual could sell the asset on 6 April 2017 and have no tax to pay on the remitted proceeds provided clean capital was used to purchase the asset. The rebasing election will only be available to a non-UK domiciled individual who has paid the remittance basis charge in any tax year before April 2017. Careful consideration has to be given to whether to pay the remittance basis charge in 2016/17 to benefit from the rebasing election where the remittance basis charge has not been paid in any previous tax year. For the offshore asset to benefit from the rebasing election it will have to be held between 16 March 2016 and 5 April 2017. On 26 January 2017, HMRC amended the draft legislation such that the rebasing election will now apply to assets which are interests in non-reporting offshore funds which are subject to income tax under the offshore income gain regime. If you are therefore considering disposing of foreign assets on or before 5 April 2017, you should consider delaying the sale to benefit from the rebasing if the value of the asset has increased.

Mixed funds within an offshore bank account

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 27

who are tasked with using the incredibly complicated identification rules when remittances are made. It will allow a non-UK domiciled individual to segregate income, capital and capital gains where they are able to identify each component. It is very important therefore that there are accurate records such that the identification of the source of funds is possible. HMRC have given no detail on the identification process at this stage. The draft legislation sets out that the offshore transfer rules will be disapplied so the mixed funds can be transferred to a new nominated bank account and the segregation can be made from there. We need to see from HMRC more guidance on how practically this will happen. Once the account has been segregated, a non-UK domiciled individual can choose the order in which he wants to bring those funds into the UK. In most cases it will be from capital first, capital gains second and then finally income. Unlike the rebasing election, this opportunity does not require a non-UK domiciled individual to have paid the remittance basis charge so it applies to all non-UK domiciled individuals except those that were born in the UK with a domicile of origin in the UK. This window of opportunity has been increased from one year to two years to allow taxpayers to organise their affairs and to give the banks the time to determine the components and set up the new bank accounts for the transfers. If you have offshore mixed funds then it is recommended to not make any remittances to the UK on or before 5 April, wait until after 5 April 2017 and start the identification process now so the segregation can be made.

Taxation of Offshore Trusts

From 6 April 2017, there is an opportunity for a non-UK domicile individual to segregate mixed funds within a bank account.

Many non-UK domiciled individuals were advised to create an offshore trust before becoming UK deemed domiciled for inheritance tax to benefit from excluded property status. They have provided an effective tax shelter for a non-UK domiciled individual.

This is a most welcome change for both non-UK domiciles and their tax advisers

There are a number of changes happening to the taxation of offshore

trusts, as a result of the changes to the taxation of a non-UK domiciled individual from 6 April 2017. The Government have had great difficulty in coming up with a coherent and fair tax system without seeming to deter foreign investors to the UK. The original proposals were to tax beneficiaries on any distributions from a trust to simplify matters. It was soon realised that this could mean that the capital held by the trust could be subject to tax. The Government then gave reassurances that non-UK assets held within a non-UK trust by non-UK domiciles would continue having the preferential tax treatment. So where are we now? We are now pretty much back to the rules as they were with changes which will only affect trusts where distributions are made to someone who is UK deemed domiciled under the new rules. If no distributions are required, it is possible to protect the trust from the new rules but care has to be taken to not taint the trust such that it loses it protection. The Government has changed the way in which distributions from offshore trusts to non-UK residents are treated as it used to be possible to wash out capital gains to a non-UK resident before making a distribution to a UK resident. If you are the Settlor or beneficiary of an offshore trust, it would be prudent to seek tax advice before 5 April 2017 to assess your position.

How Rayner Essex can help you? Each non-UK domiciled individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position is going to have different issues to consider. Please contact the author if you would like to discuss how the rules impact on you and the steps you should take to mitigate their impact.

Contact Rakesh Dabasia Private Client Tax Director Rayner Essex LLP Email: rakesh.dabasia@rayneressex.com https://rayneressex.com Rayner Essex LLP is a member of the ABCC.

ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

Qatar was reported to have bought The Card Players by Paul CĂŠzanne for $250 million at auction in 2012

Owning art in the UK: A guide for non-doms By Fiona Graham, Partner and Head of Oxford office, Boodle Hatfield LLP Fundamental changes to the taxation of resident non-domiciliaries (RNDs) take effect from April 2017. Once an individual has been resident in the UK for more than 15 tax years he will be deemed domiciled in the UK for income tax, capital gains tax (CGT) and inheritance tax (IHT) purposes. This is a significant change for income tax and CGT and a shortening of the current 17 year period for IHT. For the first time, the RND will not be able to elect to be taxed indefinitely on the more favourable remittance basis. Taxation on the remittance basis broadly

means that the RND is only taxed on foreign income and gains which are brought into or used in the UK, where applicable on payment of an annual charge. Instead once deemed domiciled, the remittance basis will no longer be available to the RND and he will instead be taxed in the UK on all foreign income and gains as they arise. More drastically," formerly domiciled residents" - a UK resident who is now domiciled outside the UK but who was

born in the UK and has a UK domicile of origin (broadly someone with a UK-domiciled father, or mother if his parents were unmarried) - will have no access to the remittance basis at all whilst he remains resident in the UK. For as long as individuals qualify, there can still be considerable advantages for owners of artworks opting to be taxed on the remittance basis: any profits from sales of art owned outside the UK can be kept outside the UK tax

net. However, as can be seen below care must be taken that a remittance is not inadvertently triggered when artwork is brought to the UK. Long term residents will also now need to consider their position once they have become deemed domiciled and some RNDs may consider owning art through a trust or trust company structure as an alternative to individual ownership.

Art and the remittance basis If a RND brings works of art into the UK a tax charge may arise on any foreign income or gains initially used to purchase them. If the art was purchased from funds that have already been taxed in the UK or that arose prior to the individual becoming UK resident or from other sources of ‘clean’ capital there will be no remittance. Nor do the remittance rules catch assets purchased out of foreign income (excluding earnings) which were already owned at 11 March 2008 or works of art (and other assets) which were purchased afterwards but were already in the UK on 5 April 2008. Where the purchase was funded in full or in part by foreign income and gains it is those funds that are taxable if remitted not the value of the art itself. Whilst this may be helpful where the value of the art has appreciated, if the value has gone down since purchase, the RND may be taxed on a greater sum than the art is actually worth. There are however various exemptions that allow art to be remitted without triggering an initial income tax or CGT charge. For instance works of art (and other assets) can be brought to the UK for temporary purposes (up to 275 days in total) without triggering a remittance as can assets purchased from foreign income or gains totalling less than £1,000. In addition assets can be brought to the UK for restoration or repair or to be put on public display without triggering a remittance. The difficulty, however, is that these exemptions end whenever the art is sold, lost or stolen and technically a remittance of the original purchase funds would be triggered at that point as well as CGT on any profit arising on sale. However in a move designed to encourage sales of assets by UK auction houses, since 6 April 2012 a tax charge

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 29

will not be triggered on the original income or gains used to purchase the asset if the proceeds are taken offshore or reinvested in a particular type of qualifying investment within 45 days of the sale proceeds (defined as purchase price minus any agency fees and other incidental costs of the disposal that were deducted prior to payment) being ‘released’. The term ‘released’ is rather convoluted but means the day on which the sale proceeds were first made available by the seller for the use or benefit of the owner (or any relevant person see - below). In practice therefore owners will generally have 45 days from receiving the proceeds of sale to take them offshore. If the proceeds are paid in instalments (for example, because the value is very high) each instalment must be taken offshore within 45 days of that instalment being released. In exceptional circumstances HMRC may agree to extend this 45 day period on request. The whole of the sale proceeds must be paid to the seller either in one tranche or in instalments by the first anniversary of the 5 January following the tax year in which property ceases to be exempt property. There are, as one would expect, various anti-avoidance provisions and conditions that have to be met. Essentially to qualify for this relief the sale has to be an ‘arm’s length’ sale and once sold no ‘relevant person’, for example, the owner, his spouse, minor children or grandchildren or a trust or company in which he is interested, can retain any sort of interest or benefit in the artwork. In other words the sale must be a genuine commercial sale to a third party to ensure that no remittance is made. Similarly agency fees that are paid directly or indirectly to a relevant person are not deductible. In case these measures prove ineffective at preventing non-commercial arrangements designed to avoid tax, there is also a "catch all" provision that prevents the exemption applying if the sale is made as part of or as a result of a scheme or arrangement, a main purpose of which is the avoidance of tax. As a result of all this, if a RND owner wants to sell a valuable artwork to a trust or company or a close relative, for tax reasons or perhaps simply because they would like to make a lifetime gift, great care should be taken not to trigger a remittance, if indeed this is achievable at all.

For a remittance of the purchase funds not to be triggered on sale, the proceeds have to be taken out of the UK in such a way that they can no longer be used or enjoyed in the UK in any way that would count as remitting income or gains. For instance using untaxed foreign income and gains to pay for a service provided in the UK but to an offshore account (for example, the RND's professional fees for advice relating to, say, a property) is still a remittance under the normal remittance rules. The other circumstance in which a remittance is not triggered is if the proceeds are reinvested in a type of investment that attracts a particular type of relief: Business Investment Relief (BIR) allows RNDs to bring unlimited funds to the UK broadly for investment in UK commercial trading companies without triggering a remittance. There were suggestions that the relief should be extended to allow the proceeds of a sale to be used to purchase other works of art in the UK but unfortunately this was not taken up. Further, and most helpfully, where works of art (and other chattels) are sold in the UK by a RND who is still able to claim the remittance basis, the resultant gain can be subject to the remittance basis (if appropriate) rather than being automatically subject to CGT. In practical terms, no CGT will arise where the proceeds are removed from the UK or reinvested within 45 days. Any gain will only become taxable if the proceeds of sale are subsequently brought back or otherwise used or enjoyed in the UK. This is potentially a very important concession, as without it, even if the income or gains used to purchase the object were not taxable when it was sold in the UK, any profits would have been. In addition since 6 April 2013, no tax charge will arise if exempt property is lost, stolen or destroyed in the UK. Where compensation is received for such property, this will not be treated as a remittance so long as either the entire payment is taken offshore within 45 days or used to make a qualifying investment.

Long term residents From April 2017 once a RND has become deemed domiciled in the UK, he will be taxed on profits from sales of foreign artworks going forward as they arise. The remittance basis is continued page 30

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domiciled in the UK, if he directly owns UK assets worth more than ÂŁ325,000 (in total), he will be liable to IHT at 40% on death (and in some cases gifts), unless specific exemptions apply. Therefore it is often advisable for RNDs who do not need or want to keep valuable art with them in the UK to keep it elsewhere anyway or to utilise an offshore structure.

no longer available to him. However, perhaps surprisingly, this does not mean remittance issues can be completely ignored when art is brought into the UK. Art which was purchased using untaxed income and gains will continue to be taxed on the remittance basis when brought to the UK or when an initial exemption (for example, where brought to the UK for temporary purposes, restoration, repair or public display in the UK etc.) expires (for instance because the art is sold, lost or stolen as explained above), even if at that point the owner is taxed on the arising basis. Further, if the vendor has since become deemed domiciled in the UK, he will be taxed on the arising basis on any capital gain on a sale of artwork that had been exempted from the remittance rules, regardless of whether he takes the proceeds out of the country within that 45 day concessionary period. Please note the above is our interpretation of the proposed new rules as drafted at the time of writing but the final version of the legislation may result in a different outcome. Long term residents who will be deemed domiciled from 6 April 2017 may be able to benefit from re-basing on the sale of an art work from that date where they have previously claimed the remittance basis and the asset was situated outside the UK between 16 March 2016 (or, if later, the date it was acquired) and 5

April 2017. Interestingly, and of particular application to art owners, there is a concession in the draft legislation that assets which are temporarily in the UK (to which one of the above exemptions applies) can also qualify for re-basing provided the exemption does not expire triggering a remittance before 6 April 2017. The ability to re-base is very helpful, as it will mean that only that part of the gain accruing after 6 April 2017 will be subject to CGT, although there may still be a remittance of the initial purchase funds. If re-basing does not apply it may be better for the asset to be sold outside the UK, which is bad news for UK auction houses. An alternative transitional relief is also available to RNDs who have at some point been taxed on the remittance basis (whether deemed domiciled under the new rules or not) and have purchased artwork from mixed funds e.g. a mixture of clean capital income and gains. For a transitional period, for 2017/18 and 2018/19 only, the art could be sold and the proceeds separated out into their component parts so that the RND can remit the proceeds in the most tax efficient way going forward (for example, clean capital first). Income tax and CGT are not the only taxes that RNDs need to worry about; even before he becomes deemed

Once he becomes deemed domiciled in the UK for IHT (currently after 17 years, and from 6 April 2017 after 15 years) he will also be subject to IHT on artwork (and any other assets) which is directly owned by him anywhere in the world. These individuals may therefore like to consider owning their artwork - both that kept in the UK and that housed overseas - through a trust or corporate trust structure, and ideally setting up such arrangements before they become deemed domiciled. However this is not without its complexities, as the following section describes.

Owning art through an offshore trust structure Firstly, if the settlor transfers a work purchased out of foreign income or gains into a trust or directly funds the trust's purchase of art work out of these funds and that art is transferred to the UK, this may trigger a taxable remittance of the purchase funds, as the trustees are relevant persons in relation to them. Additionally, it is important to understand that the income tax and CGT treatment of artworks owned by the offshore trust is different from that owned by individuals: the provision of an art work to a beneficiary to enjoy in the UK (for instance to hang on the walls of his/her home) amounts to a benefit provided by the trust. When an offshore trust provides a benefit to a beneficiary in the UK, an income tax or CGT charge can arise on the value of that benefit if it is matched with income/gains arising or which have already arisen in that trust. The benefit accrues annually and is currently based on the value of the benefit rather than the whole value of the art work. That benefit is then matched to any income and/or gains in the structure and an annual tax charge may then arise. Even if the structure is "dry" at the outset so that there is no income or gains to "match" to the

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 31

benefit, if income/gains subsequently arise they can then be matched to benefits received in previous years, so a tax charge may arise at that later point. To prevent the benefit being matched to the user, he could pay a market rent to the trustees for use of the work and to that end professional valuations would have to be obtained and a negotiation carried out on behalf of both the user and the trustees. At present, in some cases the rental valuation can be significantly reduced if the burden of use is placed on the beneficiary, such as responsibility for repair, insurance and security. The figures would however have to be carefully considered, as depending on the value of the work and what other funds the trust generates, if any, paying rent could prove more expensive than any tax bill. In addition the payment of rent introduces income into the trust structure which can then become taxable when matched to capital payments paid to and benefits given to any beneficiaries who are taxable in the UK, so this may be best avoided. However note a recent government consultation has proposed changing the method of valuing the benefit of the use of art to the official rate of interest (currently 3%) multiplied by the acquisition price less any payments actually made by the beneficiary for use of that art including insurance and storage. No further details are known at the time of writing on 14 February 2017. Turning to IHT, if the settlor retains a right to use the art (or other trust assets) then he risks any UK situs art being deemed to be in his estate for IHT on his death, if the gift with reservation rules cannot be circumvented. Further, a trust created since 2006 which owns art located in the UK will have an IHT exposure, on 10 year anniversaries/ capital appointments, at a maximum rate of 6% based on the current value of the art. If IHT is the main concern, a subsidiary offshore company could be inserted into the structure. Such company then owns the art directly. As the trust owns non-UK assets (the shares in the offshore company) no IHT charges arise and the gift with reservation rules are not in point. Even though changes will be introduced from April 2017 to prevent UK residential property owned

in an offshore structure being outside the IHT net, these provisions do not extend to other assets including works of art, at present at least. It should be noted that, again, formerly domiciled residents are subject to a harsher regime: from their second year of UK residence IHT trust charges will apply to all their trust assets (whether located in the UK or overseas) and if the settlor retains an interest in the trust and the gift with reservation rules apply, all the trust assets (both UK and foreign) may be deemed to be in his estate for IHT on his death. Care must be taken by the trustees in allowing their beneficiaries to use the art works. Where art is directly owned by trustees, a formal agreement is required, such as a Bailment Agreement, setting out the terms on which the beneficiaries are in possession of the trust property, such as who pays for insurance etc. If instead a corporate structure is utilised, whilst one might expect that the beneficiary can be benefitted in the same way, due corporate process must be followed. A company cannot decide to allow a third party free or non-commercial use of its assets; the directors have a fiduciary role and why would it be in the interests of their shareholders to allow such free use of its assets? In practice, the trustees would need to decide (and formally resolve) in their capacity as shareholders of the company to confer a benefit on one of the trust's beneficiaries, and

then formally direct the directors of the company to resolve to allow that beneficiary to use the art free of charge. The company would need to ensure that their governing documents allowed them to use assets in this way and may also need to seek corporate advice based on the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation on such process. As the corporate is the owner of the artworks, it is that entity that then needs to enter into a Bailment Agreement directly with the user. Critically, aside from tax aspects and irrespective of whether a corporate is interposed, trustees also have the usual fiduciary duties in relation to the artwork. Broadly this means that they must manage the works professionally and treat them like an investment, as they would any other trust asset. They need to obtain updated valuations regularly to identify the best strategy for the trust in order to maximise its assets and to act in the best interests of its beneficiaries. This may not be appropriate or possible if an individual simply wants to enjoy his art in the UK on his own terms.

Contact Fiona Graham Email: fgraham@boodlehatfield.com www.boodlehatfield.com Boodle Hatfield LLP is a member of the ABCC

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An introduction to Value Added Tax in the GCC PWC provides a general overview of how VAT works and the related operational considerations in order to assist businesses to successfully implement the tax and manage VAT post implementation. The proposed introduction of VAT in the GCC will present a number of challenges for businesses operating in the region as VAT will impact all parts of your business. Experience from implementation in various jurisdictions has shown that businesses need significant lead time to prepare their people, customers, vendors and systems for the introduction of VAT. Such a transformation will require the involvement and support of Senior Management to ensure the necessary ‘whole of business’ engagement in the implementation project. A well planned and executed VAT implementation will result in benefits for the business in respect of on-going compliance and management of risks, as well as, cash flow management.

Introduction Each member state of the GCC will establish their own separate national legislation concerning VAT and as such the detailed compliance requirements and set of rules will be outlined in each respective legislation. As such we outline below an overview of the expected general underlying VAT compliance requirements. An inherent feature of the VAT is the self-assessment nature, meaning every business which is VAT registered (or required to be VAT registered) must record, assess and report its VAT obligations and entitlements, in accordance with the law, to the tax authorities. Other requirements of the VAT will include: l

Mandatory registration for VAT for all

businesses exceeding the mandatory VAT registration threshold. l

Filing of periodic VAT returns with the tax authorities (either monthly or quarterly).

Remitting any VAT payable by a specified date.

Record keeping in respect of all business transactions: • Tax invoices • Debit or credit notes • Import and export records • Records of goods/services provided for free or allocated for private use • Zero rated or VAT exempt supplies and purchases.

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Registering for VAT Businesses and individuals engaged in any business activity whose turnover exceeds the mandatory VAT registration threshold specified by the respective national VAT laws must register for VAT. Voluntary VAT registration will be optional where the business turnover is below the mandatory VAT registration threshold â&#x20AC;&#x201C; careful consideration should be given to the potential amount of VAT reclaimed on purchases by the business as well as the compliance costs in administering and reporting the tax, before making such a decision. Businesses not registered for VAT cannot charge VAT on their sales and cannot claim any VAT incurred on their inputs.

Calculating and reporting VAT Following registration, a VAT registered business is required to charge and remit VAT collected to the Tax Authority on a periodic and regular basis. The total amount that must be remitted is determined by the amount of VAT charged on the total supplies of goods and services less the amount of VAT credits incurred on purchases, for the respective reporting period. In most jurisdictions, the process of reporting and paying VAT is completed through the filing of a VAT Return. VAT registered businesses are required to file the VAT Return usually by the end of the calendar month following the end of the reporting period, which may be monthly or quarterly. The remitting of VAT either on a monthly or quarterly is a serious business consideration in view of the potential cash flow implications for the business.

Invoices The process of charging VAT on supplies of goods and services requires businesses to issue VAT invoices. A VAT Invoice is a document that must be produced and issued by VAT registered businesses to provide documentary evidence of the sale of goods and services in compliance with the VAT law. A VAT Invoice is also required by the business as documentary evidence to support VAT credit claims, i.e. VAT

incurred on the acquisition of goods and services for the purposes of the business can only be claimed if the business holds a valid VAT Invoice from the vendor.

Additional considerations Outside of the general concepts mentioned above there will be a number of requirements with respect to record keeping to support VAT treatments taken by the business, as well as support the amounts filed with the VAT return. There will also be prescribed requirements pertaining to the use of electronic records, preparation of VAT audit files, time and format of records to be accessible for a VAT audit, amongst others. We know from experience in other mature VAT jurisdictions that businesses often struggle to address questions raised during a VAT audit by the tax authorities due to the inability to produce the complete audit trail of documentation to substantiate liabilities and entitlements reported within the VAT return. Due to the transactional nature of VAT it would be prudent for businesses implementing VAT to put in place a combination of automated processes and tools in order to produce a VAT audit file, upon request by the tax authorities. The transition to a VAT will likely require significant resources and it is recommended that businesses start planning now for the introduction of

What is VAT? VAT is an indirect tax applied upon the consumption of most goods and services. VAT is levied by VAT registered businesses which make supplies of goods and services in the course or furtherance of their business. VAT will also apply on the importation of goods. VAT is levied at each stage in the supply chain and is collected by businesses on behalf of the Government. VAT is ultimately incurred and paid by the end consumer. Although VAT will apply to most goods and services there are some likely exceptions: this includes basic food items, essential medicines and exports of goods and international services which are expected to be zero rated supplies. Furthermore other supplies such as healthcare, education, sale or lease of residential property and finance and insurance are expected to be exempt from VAT.

VAT, as the expected changes required to comply with the tax will require significant lead time to design and implement. continued page 34

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from page 33

We recommend you consider the following matters well in advance of VAT implementation:

Scoping, planning and lead times Ascertaining the scope of the changes required within your business at an early stage is essential to the successful implementation of VAT. Once the scale of the task is known, it will be necessary to develop a structured and comprehensive implementation plan. You should consider establishing a steering group comprising of the senior management group within your organisation to oversee this process and to ensure appropriate reporting and coordination. You should also ensure you are aware of the long lead times required for effecting VAT compliance within your organisation. In addition to the changes required to your IT systems and processes, you should ensure your relationships with customers, suppliers, intermediaries and any other impacted external parties are compliant or able to be made compliant immediately upon the introduction of VAT. For example, long-term leases, customer and supplier agreements and other contractual obligations currently in effect or under negotiation may span the VAT effective date, and therefore need to be reviewed in light of each parties’ VAT obligations and entitlements.

Internal and external resourcing Understanding the scope of the task and formulation of a plan to effect all necessary changes will enable you to engage in a resource allocation and budgeting process to ensure appropriate internal and external resources are dedicated to ensure all tasks are completed on time. Internally, you must ensure you dedicate sufficient management resources, with the appropriate authority, to manage and drive the necessary tasks while guaranteeing the commitment of all stakeholders within the organisation to the implementation of the tax. Your business will also need to consider the

allocation of sufficient information technology and human resources to accomplish all tasks. Externally, you may need to ensure you obtain proper tax technical and legal advice to effect VAT implementation.

verified and accounted for, producing compliant documentation for each individual transaction. Your enterprise systems must be able to guarantee accuracy and the ability to generate all necessary information as required, in the event of a request or audit by the tax authorities or management.

Technology and systems An assessment of the capabilities of existing IT systems and re-configurations necessary in order to generate VAT compliant outputs is crucial. In many cases, significant changes will be required to IT platforms and present workflows and processes. Your business’s enterprise systems will need to be enhanced and modified to incorporate all aspects of VAT implementation. From your point of sale terminals, invoice and accounting systems, information technology systems and management reporting systems, VAT will have an impact on your whole of business systems. These adjustments must be considered in the context of minimising interruption to your existing business requirements, while testing them to verify they have the capability to meet compliance requirements. Against this background, focusing on what really is important to be prepared for VAT and ongoing compliance can be considered through these elements: • VAT mapping of business processes and transactions to identify which systems and how they are impacted. • Ensuring underlying Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) changes are made to reflect all relevant VAT processes. • Determine the need and beneficial use of VAT specific tools (transaction integrity checking, cash flow monitoring, automated VAT filing/reporting). • Appropriate governance and controls to ensure VAT regulations and commercial drivers change systems are kept up to date. An important feature of VAT is its accruals nature, which means that all related systems impacted by VAT need to reflect this and do so in the context of the VAT rules on the correct timing of the taxing point. As a transaction based tax, VAT must be

Out-source or in-source of VAT returns A practical point of consideration for companies will be how best to fulfil the preparation of the VAT filing requirements. This could include use of an external advisor for the preparation, review and even filing of the VAT return and related declarations, undertaking these processes internally or a combination of the two. Outside of cost considerations, a key

Key considerations when embarking upon VAT implementation: • Competition for resources within the business, as the VAT implementation project may coincide with other transformation projects planned for the business. • The availability of internal resources such as project managers, business analysts, IT and others needs to be evaluated early. • An early assessment of the requirement and availability to leverage external resources (such as VAT specialists, IT systems and business analysts as well as project management consultants); upon which the necessary resources should be procured early. • An early assessment of any impact the introduction of VAT may have on your cross border transactions and GCC trade as well as any impact on pricing, customers, vendors, intermediaries, capital expenditure planning and your supply chain.

driver of the analysis of which model may be most suitable for the business will be having timely access to enough VAT expertise and tools to accurately and efficiently comply with the law.

Ongoing compliance and review Establishing the systems and processes required for VAT compliance is merely the first step. These systems must be tested and reviewed prior to implementation, and subsequently reviewed following implementation, to ensure outputs comply with the VAT legislative requirements. Further, you must establish an ongoing compliance regime to ensure you remain compliant with changing regulations into the future. Best practice will be to create or augment an existing tax control framework which amongst other things establishes the roles and responsibilities for managing VAT, ensuring compliance requirements are met, ensuring VAT cash flow impacts are forecast and that changes are made to systems to reflect operational or changes to VAT.

Business considerations VAT and cash flow There are a variety of opportunities to improve VAT cash flow and these typically involve deferring the payment of VAT due or improving the timing of recovery of VAT on costs, or both. For example, where your business imports a significant value of goods there may be import VAT deferment schemes available to you to improve the business cash flow. Looking at the optimal management of accounts receivable and payable will improve your cash flow. And there may be other considerations such as ensuring business promotion schemes maximize VAT cash flow savings. Cash flow planning should be considered across the various business departments. For example improved billing and collection systems and processes for collecting from your customers and paying your suppliers can assist in minimizing any adverse cash flow impact of VAT.

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 35

Customs and international trade With cross border trade of goods, businesses need to deal with a wide range of import and export regulations. When goods enter a territory, there are numerous customs related formalities to be complied with. Depending on the origin of the goods, importers may also have to deal with quota regimes or a different duty treatment. VAT will add an additional layer to these existing requirements. If VAT issues, such as who is the importer of record, are not assessed and clarified they can have an impact on your cost structure, if not handled correctly.

How does VAT work? VAT registered businesses charge and add VAT to the value of goods and services they supply. Such businesses can also reclaim VAT incurred on goods and services acquired for business purposes (subject to some restrictions) such as the purchase of raw materials and other consumables used for the purposes of business. For imports, VAT is charged at the first point of entry into home consumption (when customs duty may also apply).

Intra GCC transactions It is expected that there will be specific rules dealing with the VAT treatment of supplies of goods and services from a supplier in one GCC country to a customer in another GCC country. These rules may also differentiate when these supplies are made to VAT registered persons or otherwise. For example, the supply of goods by a VAT registered business to a VAT registered customer in another GCC country would require the customer to self-account for VAT upon acquisition of the goods (as opposed to the supplier accounting for VAT upon sale). Detailed recording and reporting of these intra GCC supplies will be required and this will likely require more administration and resources to ensure compliance. Businesses involved in cross border supplies in the GCC need to consider these additional requirements when planning for VAT implementation.

Government Supplies of goods or services made by Government authorities do not ordinarily amount to the carrying on of business. Thus the introduction of the tax in the GCC is not expected to ordinarily include the Government as they are not taxable persons for VAT purposes. However the VAT is expected to have application in situations where supplies are made by statutory or local authorities which are equivalent or similar to those supplied by taxable persons in the course

of furtherance of their business (as not doing so could lead to significant distortions in competition). VAT would not however apply to supplies made by those statutory bodies and local authorities in executing their regulatory and enforcement requirements. The Government is likely to be treated as an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;exempt personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, meaning they would be relieved from paying that tax and taxable persons making taxable supplies of goods and services to the Government would likely not be required to charge VAT. PwC provides a complete range of services to address all elements of VAT implementation and ongoing compliance. Please contact PwC for further information.

Contacts Jeanine Daou PwC Partner, Middle East Indirect Taxes Leader Tel: +971 (0)4 304 3744 Email: jeanine.daou@pwc.com Nadine Bassil PwC Director, Middle East Indirect Taxes Tel: +971 (0)4 304 3688 Email: nadine.bassil@pwc.com Brian Tilly PwC Director, Middle East Indirect Taxes Tel: +971 (0)4 515 7172 Email: brian.tilly@pwc.com PwC is a member of the ABCC

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Why Trade Finance is vital to global economic growth Trade Finance is opening up new opportunities for non-bank investors, while at the same time offering them greater security and stable income generation. The impact to businesses that use Trade Finance is encouraging economic growth which could be significant in bridging the global trade gap as a result of new banking regulations. Danny Jones, Portfolio Manager, Trade Finance Fund for Dubai-based Rasmala Investment Bank Ltd explains the benefits. What is Trade Finance as an asset class? Trade is a relatively new asset class for investors since it was an area previously dominated by banks and not accessible to non-bank investors. However, regulatory changes have seen banks decrease their supply of Trade Finance, which has created a unique opportunity for nonbank financiers like Rasmala to play a greater role in the provision of Trade Finance and create this new attractive alternate asset class for non-bank investors. So how does Trade Finance work? Trade and finance is an essential part of the real economy and oils the wheels of global trade, which in turn drives economic growth. To make it work, access to finance is crucial, both in developed and developing economies. In its most basic form, Trade Finance is when a lender provides short term private debt financing to buyers (importers) and sellers (exporters) to assist them with sale and purchase of goods, across domestic and international borders. The most fundamental part of trade is the method of payment; the exporter wants payment upfront before the goods are shipped, but the importer wants to make payment only once the goods have been received. This is where banks and non-bank financiers provide trade finance to bridge the trade cycle funding gap between buyers and sellers. Why invest in Trade Finance? Given the current instability in the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s markets, Trade Finance provides an absolute return strategy, stable income generation, diversification and wealth preservation. The system: l Allows access to a multi trillion-dollar asset class that has historically been the domain of banks, which has had low default and loss rates l Provides opportunities to generate income above comparable money market rates l Provides security through low volatility and limited exposure to rising interest rates

l Offers low or negative correlation with traditional asset classes such as equities and fixed income l Provides investors with a globally diversified investment portfolio l Offers short term (maturities typically below 180 days) and self-liquidating investment opportunity. l Transactions are typically secured, asset backed and/or credit insured to mitigate the risk of capital loss.

For example, when traditional stock and bond investments underperform, alternative investments may be gaining or holding steady. Also, due to lower liquidity, alternative assets are often mispriced and so offer opportunities for arbitrage. Trade Finance has a low to negative correlation with other asset classes. They are often floating rate transactions set at a profit rate over LIBOR which limits the risks associated with a rising interest rate environment as income yields will increase in line with LIBOR.

Trade financing creates a big opportunity for small and medium-sized companies to expand their export and production and fits naturally within the Islamic space as the investor is ultimately funding a physical underlying asset/commodity which remains one of the cornerstones of Islamic finance.

What is the Rasmala Trade Finance Fund?

Why is Trade Finance important?

Our financing provides a vital component for producers, manufacturers, traders, importers, exporters and end users, by bridging the gap between countries that produce goods/ commodities and the geographies where they are in demand.

The help it can provide to companies that are involved in global trade, especially to SMEs is important because global trade totalled $16.5 trillion in 2015, with an estimated 80% facilitated by trade finance. In surveys, 46% of businesses report that a doubling of trade finance availability would fuel an increase in production and exports. As the banking sector moves towards the implementation of the Basel III regulations and the resultant increase in operating costs, there will be a further reduction in banks providing trade finance, especially to nonrated companies. This is expected to result in a widening in the global trade finance gap in 2017* (currently estimated to be $1.6 trillion), providing further opportunities for alternative financiers like the Rasmala Trade Finance Fund to fill the space left. How does Trade Finance fit an Investment Strategy? Alternative investment strategies can bring significant benefits to investment portfolios through diversifying exposure away from traditional asset classes such as fixed income and equities.

Rasmala Trade Finance Fund specialises in providing short-term, structured, private financing to companies trading real assets in the real economy within the trade finance sector.

The financing is backed by real assets such as goods including but not limited to hard and soft commodities, equipment, machinery or receivables and enhanced through risk mitigating techniques including over-collateralization and credit insurance, as opposed to the traditional trade finance business of assessment and unsecured lending. The Fund offers monthly liquidity with no long dated lock-ups and targets a stable return of three month USD LIBOR + 5.00% (net of fees and expenses) with a focus on capital preservation. You can find out more at www.rasmala.com or https://youtu.be/uSLj8aItGBM * Sources: The Challenges of Trade Financing, World Trade Organisation. www.adb.org/publications/2015-trade-finance-gapsgrowth-and-jobs-survey www.adb.org/news/global-trade-finance-gapreaches-16-trillion-smes-hardest-hit-adb

Rasmala Trade Finance Fund An Alternative Income Generating Investment Solution Shari’a Compliant

Rasmala Trade Finance Fund specializes in providing short-term, structured, private financing to companies trading real assets in the real economy within the trade finance sector.

Fund Characteristics Income Generating

Low Volatility and Positive Interest Rate Correlation

4 Absolute return strategy.

4 Income yields will rise in an increasing interest rate environment.

4 Targeted Return of 3 month USD LIBOR + 5.00% (net of fees and expenses).

Low Risk Assets and Global Diversification

4 Semi-annual cash distribution.

4 Secured with full recourse on balance sheet, asset backed and/

or credit insured.

Uncorrelated returns 4 Low or negative correlation with traditional asset classes such as equities and

fixed income.

4 Generate alpha through perceived risk vs actual risk. 4 Historically low default and loss rates.

4 Consistent annuity like returns in different market conditions.

4 Transactions are short term and self-liquidating.

Liquid Investment

4 Globally diversified investment portfolio.

4 Monthly Liquidity with no long dated lock ups or other liquidity constraints.

“Investing in Real Assets in the Real Economy” Discover more at: www.rasmala.com @RasmalaGroup

/Rasmala

DISCLAIMER: This advertisement is prepared by Rasmala Investment Bank Limited (“RIBL”). RIBL is regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”). RIBL products or services are only made available to customers who RIBL is satisfied to meet the regulatory criteria to be a “Professional Client”, as defined under the Rules and Regulations of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”) . Investment recommendations take into account both risk and expected return. We base our long-term fair value estimates on a fundamental analysis, after having taken perceived risks into consideration. We have conducted reasonable research to arrive at our investment recommendations and fair value estimates for a product mentioned in this advertisment. Although the information in this advertisment has been obtained from sources that RIBL believes to be reliable, we have not independently verified such information thus it may not be accurate or complete. RIBL does not represent or warrant, either expressly or impliedly, the accuracy or completeness of the information or opinions contained within this advertisment and no liability whatsoever is accepted by RIBL or any other person for any loss howsoever arising, directly or indirectly, from any use of such information or opinions or otherwise arising in connection therewith. Matters of past performance in this document should not be taken as an indication or guarantee of future performance and RIBL makes no representation or warranty, express, implied or otherwise, regarding future performance. The market value of any security and estimated income may be affected by changes in economic, financial, (including, but not limited to, spot and forward interest), and political factors time to maturity, market conditions, and volatility and the credit quality of any issuer or reference issuer. Readers should understand that financial projections, fair value estimates and statements regarding future prospects may not be realized. All opinions and estimates included in this advertisement constitute our judgment as of this date and are subject to change without notice. This advertisment is prepared for general circulation and is intended for general information purposes only. It is not intended as an offer or solicitation or advice with respect to the purchase or sale of any securities referred to in the advertisment. It is not tailored to the specific investment objectives, financial situation or needs of any specific person that may receive this advertisment. We strongly advise potential investors to seek financial guidance when determining whether an investment is appropriate yo their needs. RIBL and its group entities (together and separately, «Rasmala») does and may seek to do business in securities covered in its reports. As a result, users should be aware that the firm may have a conflict of interest that could affect the objectivity of this advertisment. Investors should consider this advertisment as only a single factor in making their investment decision. Rasmala and its re-spective employees, directors and officers shall not be responsible or liable for any liabilities, damages, losses, claims, causes of action, or proceedings (including without limitation indirect, consequential, special, incidental, or punitive damages) arising out of or in connection with the use of this advertisment or any errors or omissions in its content. The research analyst or analysts responsible for the content of this advertisment certify that: (1) the views expressed and attributed to the research analyst or analysts in the advertisment accurately reflect their personal opinion(s) about the subject securities and issuers and/or other subject matter as appropriate; and, (2) no part of his or her compensation was, is or will be directly or indirectly related to the specific recommendations or views contained in this advertisment. Certain information contained in this advertisment constitutes “forward-looking statements”, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “projected” or “estimated” or comparable terminology. Due to various risks and uncertainties, actual events or results or the actual performance of the Market may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in such forward-looking statements.

ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

ADVERTORIAL

Value Added Tax (VAT) – getting it right from day one by utilising proactive change management to help you succeed Robert Noye-Allen, Moore Stephens’ Governance, Risk & Assurance partner, explains why there is a need to consider the implementation of VAT in the GCC as a ‘change project’. In the ever increasing global world of VAT, understanding the international dimension is essential. GCC countries are preparing to generate a new source of income through the introduction of VAT in 2018. The impending GCC regional requirement will mean businesses need the right insight at the right time to remain viable and stay ahead of competitors. Companies that invest in change and transformation assurance, therefore, can expect to maintain successful operations.

A new chapter for VAT compliance Sultan Al Mansouri, the UAE Minister of Economy indicated on 10 January that the UAE is now in the last stages of signing the VAT related agreements with other GCC countries, which are to be implemented by 2018. Further, Sultan Al Mansouri stated that VAT is expected to yield Dh12bn in the first year of its implementation and up to Dh20bn during the second year in the UAE alone. These figures emphasise the significance of VAT within the UAE and wider GCC. The UAE’s economic outlook remains positive in respect of growth. The ongoing policy of diversification and the national sustainability agenda, when coupled with the business-friendly environment, have positioned the UAE as an area of interest and potential for investors. Alongside this, the ever expanding international trade relations of the UAE and other GCC countries are a key factor in diversification and growth. Fully understanding the supply chain, value adding aspects of delivery and the requirement for VAT at each stage is vital to maintaining compliance with the new regulatory system.

Any new VAT system can be complex and full of potential risks and pitfalls for those that are unprepared. In particular, the GCC has not been accustomed to applying VAT to trading transactions. The impending agreement of the common framework for the introduction of a VAT system in the GCC will mark the beginning of a new chapter for the region.

organisation will have a different set of challenges when undertaking a VAT transformation programme depending on their structure, culture, market, and resources – to name but a few. It is therefore important that careful planning is undertaken to ensure the appropriate focus and priority is given to the aspects that will be key to the future prosperity of the business.

Preparation, preparation, preparation

Ensuring you’re ready for the introduction of VAT across the GCC can seem like a daunting and complex project, and this kind of change can seem like a formidable prospect. The impact isn’t just on your business but also feeds through the purchase and supplier chains at every stage of the value adding cycle. Knowing you’re on target for the implementation date (currently 1 January 2018) can give you peace of mind and remove an additional distraction, allowing you to focus on more pressing business and commercial activities.

The boards or senior management of most GCC leading organisations will be considering or implementing change as part of their strategy for the next five years. It is imperative that the introduction of VAT is contained within the overall strategy. For some it may be moderate change to cope with the expectations of a new VAT system. However, for others the project may require more time and effort. Each

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 41

FOCUS ON FINANCE

Impact for all All GCC based entities need to check whether their VAT processes are well-defined, efficient and likely to be effective. It is also key to understand what the impact of VAT will be on operational functions, suppliers, customers/clients, cash flows and systems. A business that has its processes accurately mapped will find it easier to assess the impact of future change and improve efficiency. Being well prepared also means asking: what will be the effect of the VAT change on staff and do they have the capacity, the capability, the training that is necessary to absorb the impact? As part of the change process, businesses need to prepare staff for VAT implementation taking into account the cultures and behaviours within the organisation. Communication planning is vital to give everyone a voice and consider each person as an individual.

Transitional support Having the right infrastructure, systems and specialist teams in place to ensure a smooth transition into the VAT environment is essential to minimising the risk which can result from the change. For countries in the GCC aiming to decrease their dependence on oil and move into a more diversified economy, VAT introduces an increased level of complexity to transactions. Moore Stephens has an established reputation in the Middle East and has been in the UAE for over 25 years, and if your business is likely to be subject to VAT or will fall into the VAT registration category (required to apply VAT), we can help provide a tailor made service for you. Moore Stephens has the range of services and staff to help you every step of the way. We cover training and awareness, applications and information, and IT infrastructure and facilities. Employing Moore Stephens as a trusted partner can make the introduction of VAT a straightforward process. As an international firm, we have the capacity and capability to fully understand your requirements whilst maintaining the agility to provide bespoke consultancy, advisory and assurance solutions in respect of VAT application and compliance. You won’t hear us use business jargon which

could baffle or confuse, and everyone within your business, including your key stakeholders, will be shown the impact of VAT and how it will affect them. You will be working with well trained, practiced and informed teams, who will quickly adapt to your organisation’s individual and evolving VAT needs throughout the change life-cycle and into live running and general operation. Our framework and our approach is based on industry standard best practice, but always with a foundation built on our experience gained over many years of managing work programmes for our clients. As part of our Consulting Services function we can:

ability to uniquely distil complex systems and risks into simple, bespoke solutions forms the bedrock of our commitment to clients. The direct advice and techniques we have developed over the years can be used by your business to ensure VAT readiness and post implementation compliance.”

Allow VAT to pay you dividends

Recently we worked with clients in Malaysia on the new Goods and Services Tax (GST/VAT) to support firms through the VAT change cycle. Clients were impressed with the way we approached VAT and by utilising our advice and assurance have remained successful.

By focusing on the key VAT concerns for your business, we can help you ensure continued economic growth and improved resilience we will also help you maintain consumer business and public confidence that VAT issues are being handled correctly by your organisation. Getting VAT right will give your business a competitive advantage during a period of change. Capitalising on that can pay dividends. Being ready and compliant ahead of the impending VAT deadline makes sound business sense. Understanding your VAT liabilities should ensure you remain compliant with legal requirements, maintain a solid reputation and demonstrate the level of integrity expected by customers and suppliers. Further, predicting how consumer or procurement behaviour may change once VAT is established should ensure you are well ahead of those less prepared. Awareness of the implications for your pricing and marketing will put you in the driving seat and Moore Stephens can help you do that.

Advice from the experts

Contact

Terri Bruce, one of Moore Stephens VAT specialists, says: “Getting your business VAT policies, processes and controls right from the outset is vital to being able to respond positively to the change in the tax landscape. The need to look at your business processes and develop a clear risk strategy for VAT is essential. Our

Robert Noye-Allen Partner T +44 (0)20 7334 9191 Robert.Noye-Allen@moorestephens.com

undertake health checks on your change activities through our Change Assurance Framework;

help you to define your plans for change by considering the readiness of the business and the perceived VAT risks involved;

take responsibility for managing the change programme to give you security in knowing that you can draw on expertise from across the Moore Stephens network.

Business advice in Dubai We act for businesses in Dubai and those wanting to establish a presence in Dubai. Established in 2007, Russell Bedford (Dubai) Limited has offices in both the DIFC and mainland Dubai. Our services include: • Helping you to establish your business and comply with complex requirements. • Providing both internal and external audit services, ensuring that internal controls, risk and governance are being effectively managed and that compliance obligations are being met. • Carrying out audits for DFSA regulated financial services entities.

• Advising Dubai-based residents and businesses on transactional and international tax planning, including Sharia compliant tax solutions. For a free, no obligation chat, please contact Stephen Banks (stephenbanks@rb-dubai.com) or John Donnelly (johndonnelly@rb-dubai.com).

• Providing an outsourced finance function for businesses, from bookkeeping to specialised reports and investigations.

Member of Russell Bedford International

Level 03, Gate Village 10, P.O. Box 506789, Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. T: +971 4 401 9670 www.rb-dubai.com

Are you a business wanting a UK presence? You need look no further. Lubbock Fine is a top 40*, independent firm of chartered accountants which has been advising international businesses for many years. If you are looking to establish a UK presence, we can: • Identify the best vehicle for your UK operations. • Take care of all compliance requirements, including initial registration, opening bank accounts, preparing annual accounts and tax. • Assist you with immigration and property matters, by working closely with specialist lawyers. • Help you identify a business to buy in the UK and carry out financial and tax due diligence.

• Support your business throughout its lifecycle from set up to eventual sale. Lubbock Fine is a founder member of Russell Bedford International, a global network of independent professional services firms. Our clients range from new entrepreneurial start-ups and owner managed businesses to subsidiaries of international organisations. For a free, no obligation chat, please contact Stephen Banks (stephenbanks@lubbockfine.co.uk). *as ranked by Accountancy magazine in its UK Accountancy Firms league table 2015

Member of Russell Bedford International

Paternoster House, 65 St Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 8AB, United Kingdom. T: +44 (0) 20 7490 7766 www.lubbockfine.co.uk

ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

Understanding M&A agreements By Mohammed Majid and Ahmed Gmati, Nabarro LLP This article focuses on the key initial documentation required for preliminary agreements in regional M&A. Preliminary agreements are agreements that are entered into early on in the course of an acquisition or disposal. It is important, when buying or selling a company, to know what is involved in the very early stages, in order to increase the likelihood of success of a transaction and to protect yourself in the event that the transaction fails to complete. The main preliminary agreements used are letters of intent, exclusivity agreements, confidentiality agreements and break fee agreements.

We have set out key features of each of these agreements below.

Letter of Intent A letter of intent (LOI), also known as a heads of terms, a term sheet or a memorandum of understanding, is a document setting out the key terms on which parties wish to buy or sell a company. It is often the first formal step in an acquisition and can be an indicator that a buyer or seller is serious about a deal.

An LOI sets out many of the key commercial terms that have been agreed in principle by the parties that will form the basis of the main transaction documents and future negotiations. The LOI will normally include terms relating to purchase price (either for the shares in a share sale or for the business and assets in a business and asset sale) and often set a timeframe (milestones) for various stages of the transaction up to signing of the transaction documents.

LOIs are generally non-binding and therefore do not obligate the parties to stick to the terms agreed upon, although the parties will often want to make some of the provisions binding. The advantage of making provisions non-binding is that this allows buyers in particular to undertake due diligence, which they usually will not have undertaken prior to signing an LOI, and to then reflect any findings in the actual transaction documents. However, it is not uncommon in Middle East deals to make some provisions binding. These binding provisions can include the purchase price (to give some deal certainty to the seller), but more often include those provisions dealing with exclusivity (if not covered in a separate exclusivity agreement), confidentiality, costs relating to the preparation of transaction documents and dispute resolution mechanisms. The generally non-binding nature of an LOI does not, however, mean that parties should not seriously consider its terms, as they will very much set the basis for the deal and the tone for negotiation of the transaction documents.

Exclusivity Agreements As the process of buying a company can be costly and time-consuming, and does not come with any guarantees that the deal will complete, buyers will often look to secure an exclusive period of negotiation with the seller (particularly where an asset is sought after). An exclusivity agreement ensures that other prospective buyers are locked out from negotiating with the seller during the exclusivity period, which is usually fixed, and that sellers are prevented from actively inducing or soliciting other bids. It will also usually require the seller to terminate any commenced negotiations with other prospective buyers immediately. Whether the seller will grant exclusivity usually depends on its bargaining position. The seller will want to ensure that the period of exclusivity is no longer than what is necessary for the purpose of concluding negotiations and to determine whether a buyer is serious. The seller will not usually want an extended period of time for exclusivity, and will not want to lose any opportunity with any other buyers and will want to end exclusivity if it feels the

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 45

negotiations aren’t progressing well or that the buyer doesn’t have a bona-fide interest in the purchase.

Confidentiality Agreements Creating confidentiality obligations is important for both parties to an acquisition as they will routinely be exchanging sensitive information relating to their individual businesses. Parties will also not want it openly known that a business is being bought or sold because it could affect relationships with suppliers and customers and, in the case of a listed company, could affect its share price. A confidentiality agreement, like an exclusivity agreement, can be negotiated as a stand-alone agreement or included in the LOI. One reason to enter into a stand-alone agreement is so that the target company can be made a party to the agreement, thereby having direct recourse against the potential buyer. It is also often entered into before the parties are at the LOI stage and begin negotiations. Confidentiality agreements are generally enforceable regionally (although injunctive relief is not available in many regional jurisdictions) and if a party breaches its obligations, this can only usually lead to a claim for damages by the injured party. The duration of confidentiality agreements is not generally regulated regionally but in practice can last any period between one and three years.

Break Fee Agreement Break fee agreements cover what sometimes are known as inducement fees, or fees payable by one party to another party if certain events occur which cause the deal to fall through, such as the board of directors rejecting a bid at an agreed level or the shareholders failing to pass the necessary required resolution. In most cases break fees only apply to the seller or a target company although break fees can apply to a buyer. A failed deal may sometimes occur through no fault of the buyer or the seller – failure to obtain regulatory approval, for example. Parties must therefore negotiate these arrangements carefully in order to anticipate such situations (and exclude

matters that are not necessarily in the control of the buyer or the seller). Break fees are increasingly common in regional acquisitions and tend to focus parties’ minds into concluding deals. The amount of any break fees will be negotiated between the parties in advance and is intended to anticipate some of the costs incurred in the early parts of an acquisition, including the costs of the due diligence process and the hiring of professional advisors, etc. In some jurisdictions, such as Saudi Arabia, there is a cap on the amount of break fee that can be agreed upon when the target company is a listed entity. In Bahrain, the amount of break fee must be disclosed to the authorities when there is a firm intention to make an offer for a listed company. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), parties need to be mindful that any break fee arrangement does not constitute a violation of Article 222 of the UAE Commercial Companies Law, which prohibits financial assistance in the course of an acquisition of shares. As lawyers, we highly recommend that parties enter into preliminary agreements, with the support of their external advisors. In our experience, well-drafted preliminary agreements often set the benchmark for how a transaction will proceed and lead to the most efficient and cost-effective (from a client’s perspective) transactions.

Contact Mohammed Majid, Partner, Nabarro LLP Email: m.majid@nabarro.com Ahmed Gmati, Associate, Nabarro LLP Email: a.gmati@nabarro.com www.nabarro.com The businesses of CMS Cameron McKenna, Nabarro and Olswang merge from 1 May 2017.

ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

How the new EU data rule is going to affect Middle East businesses by Shadi Razak, Chief Technology Officer at CyNation On 25 May 2018 all Arab banks, airlines, retailers and service organisations and all other organisations that process high volumes of personal data will be caught by the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

This new piece of legislation will regulate how businesses collect and process the personal data of European Union residents and citizens. The impact on the Arab financial and health sectors (which handle billions of users’ records and data transactions every year) will be tremendous. Essentially, any organisation, regardless its geographical location, that markets goods or services to any EU member state, or uses EU residents’ and citizens' personal data for marketing and selling purposes or employee EU residents and citizens, will be subject to the GDPR in a year’s time. Many companies may dismiss the regulation thinking that it won't be applied to UK businesses after Brexit, but this conclusion would be false. In a nutshell, all the businesses processing or storing the data or EU citizens are accountable according to the legislation. Secondly, the UK government made a public statement that it will make every effort to obtain harmonisation of laws and regulations even once the country has exited the EU completely. Having said this, the UK will still be a part of EU when the legislation comes into force in May 2018. To give you an idea of what can be expected, here are some of the regulation mandates: l

Each individual must give explicit consent for their personal data to be collected and used; These individuals must understand how their information is going to be used; Individuals have the right to object to being profiled;

Companies must clearly stipulate legal channels available should data-processing not comply with its agreed-upon use;

All personal data must be wiped out after a prescribed period of time;

In the event of a serious cyberattack or data leak companies must inform within 72 hours all those affected by about the security breach, as well as the data supervisory authority.

Failing to comply with the GDPR, organisations risk being fined as much as €20 million or 4 per cent of their global turnover (whichever is the greater). This is a substantial amount for a business of any size, and yet, according to various research sources (Trend Micro, DAC Beachcroft, White & Case) around 60 per cent of organisational decision-makers around the world are still unaware of the GDPR. This lack of awareness and knowledge could become very expensive for Arab organisations if they leave putting their GDPR strategies and processes in place to the last minute or ignore them at all. Fortunately, there is still time to prepare, but organisations need to start now. Here are few steps that your organisation should follow to start building a strong foundation that will ensure your business stays compliant and robust. 1. Know your data and who owns it How much of the data that your business stores is up-to-date and relevant? Chances are, not as much as you think. The biggest impact that the GDPR is going to have on MENA based

businesses is related to their procedures for obtaining personal data of their EU customers and collecting their consent to process it. With such a focus on data collection transparency and lawfulness it pays off to make sure that your business data is reviewed and cleaned up in order to comply. Identifying what data a business holds and processes, which person within the organisation controls access to it and how they handle it – all will help to distinguish business critical data from noise data, which is riskprone and subject to investigation. This process is akin to running a spring clean of data in your organisation and making sure you dispose of any personal information that is no longer relevant to your business or just out of date. It will also provide you with better visibility of critical data assets and processes, the risks associated with them and who owns responsibility for these risks within the organisation. High time to start! 2. Update your cyber security strategy and response plans Once the business database is clean and its collection processes are streamlined, you need to make sure it’s protected. The one of the key mandates of the GDPR is to secure data throughout the business process (collection, transmitting, processing and storing). The controller and the processor shall implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk, including: l

the pseudonymisation and encryption of personal data:

the ability to ensure the ongoing

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 47

confidentiality, integrity, availability and resilience of processing systems and service; l

the ability to restore the availability and access to personal data in a timely manner in the event of a physical or technical incident;

In assessing the appropriate level of security account shall be taken in particular of the risks that are presented by processing, in particular from accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to personal data transmitted, stored or otherwise processed. Review your security measures, and ask yourself: l

Who has access to the data, and why?

Is the data being accumulated, stored and used correctly and appropriately?

What is our response plan, should a security breach occur?

Use these answers to guide you while updating organisation’s cyber security strategy and controls so they meet the GDPR requirements. It will additionally allow you to build an extra layer of data protection and introduce one of cyber resilience best practices. Compliance is important, as well as having the right security measures in place to prevent and protect against cyberattacks. Running a rapid cyber risk assessment impact test to assess and highlighting risks your data and processes exposed to, will provide you with an overall visibility of your current cyber security and compliance posture. Identifying potential security and compliance gaps will help an organisation put in place the necessary measures to strengthen any vulnerable areas. Should the business system’s security be compromised, make sure that a clearly defined process for notifying authorities and affected users is in place. The 72 hours window is short and can pass quickly, if the organisation is not prepared and have no thoroughly thought through process in place. Remember, communication is key at this stage, and can often result in a greater reputational damage unless managed in a robust manner avoiding all unnecessary and dangerous moves and public announcements. It might be useful to have a statement or a proper Business Continuity place drafted and ready to be released in case the worst scenario occurs.

In the case of a personal data breach, notify the personal data breach to the supervisory authority and the notification shall: ... describe the measures taken or proposed to be taken by the controller to address the personal data breach, including, where appropriate, measures to mitigate its possible adverse effects. Unfortunately, one of the biggest issues facing organisations today is the protection of personal data from a security breach. Cyberattacks these days are not a matter of “if”, but more a question of “when”. With that in mind, it is a matter of business survivability of having full visibility of the data and monitor your organisation security posture 24/7/365. Using real time security and compliance monitoring solutions can help businesses to be always on the alert for any threats, and respond and recover quickly from breaches. The GDPR demands transparency: aligning your existing processes with it will upgrade your current IT security processes and measures and ensure the business operations are compliant before the legislation comes effective in May 2018. 3. Build a solid team Don’t underestimate the scope and reach of the legislation that may seem to be relevant to EU organisations only. Once it comes into force on 25 May 2018, pleading ignorance will not get you off the hook. A proactive move would be to hire the right people already now to make sure your build strong organisational compliance in the nearest possible future. This team should be headed by an experienced and knowledgeable Data Protection Officer (DPO). The DPO’s role is to navigate the legalities, paperwork and bureaucracy of GDPR, not help with technical controls, encryption codes, storage security or network segregation. That is a job for your chief information security officer (CISO) or Security Manager / Administrator. Both the DPO and CISO will work closely with the business chief operation officer (COO) and the legal and IT departments. Data Protection Officer: Both Controller and Processor shall designated a DPO for activities as in Art 37 GDPR and the DPO shall have at least the following tasks: l

to inform and advise the controller, the processor and the employees

to monitor compliance with this Regulation and other Member States provisions

to cooperate with the Supervisory Authority

to provide advice where requested as regards the data protection impact assessment.

About CyNation CyNation focuses on security and compliance automation. It helps businesses to address lack of visibility of security and compliance posture; defend against growing number of cyber attacks and stay in compliance with new data protection and privacy regulations including the GDPR.

Contact Iryna Chekanava Marketing and Communications Manager CyNation Limited Email: iryna.chekanava@cynation.com www.cynation.com CyNation Limited is a member of the ABCC

ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

The UAE Bankruptcy Law of 2016 The United Arab Emirates’ new Bankruptcy Law, Federal Decree Law No 9 of 2016 (the “Bankruptcy Law”) came into force on 29 December 2016. It applies across all seven emirates comprising the UAE. In this article, Linklaters provide an overview of the main features of the Bankruptcy Law. The Bankruptcy Law in context The Bankruptcy Law was in gestation for a long time and expectations of it are high. The law has come into force amid a global wave of insolvency reform in the wake of the recent financial crisis, as many jurisdictions have sought to modernise their insolvency legislation in order to encourage entrepreneurship and investment, facilitate the efficient management of defaulting loans (thereby increasing banks’ capacity to make new lending available) and encourage the development of a “rescue culture”, in order to reduce the number of unnecessary liquidations of viable companies. Many aspects of the Bankruptcy Law are consistent with international “best practice”, and also the “best practice” set out in the European Commission’s proposal for a Directive on “preventive restructuring frameworks, second chance and measures to increase the efficiency of restructuring, insolvency and discharge procedures” which was published last month. The Bankruptcy Law includes a “debtor in possession” pre-insolvency rescue regime with the possibility of obtaining new financing on a priority basis, provides for a moratorium on enforcement, includes measures allowing the cram down of unsecured claims, imposes clear deadlines and permits certain transactions to be unwound if they are found to be detrimental to creditors. However, it does not allow the claims of secured creditors to be crammed down without their consent. Assuming that the value of the secured assets is sufficient to discharge the debt owed to them, secured creditors will therefore be in a better negotiating position than unsecured creditors albeit the ease of realising that value may be questionable, given existing enforcement mechanisms. Should they

decide to use such mechanisms, the opening of proceedings under the new Bankruptcy Law will not prevent them from enforcing specific security over assets, provided that they obtain court approval before doing so.

A composition plan must be submitted to the court within nine to thirteen weeks. Once approved by the court and creditors, it must be implemented within three years (extendable to six years).

The Bankruptcy Law replaces the previous, rarely-used, bankruptcy regime. The previous regime was generally regarded as being too uncertain, too slow and too likely to result in the company going into insolvent liquidation. As a result, companies experiencing financial difficulty have, to date, tended to pursue lengthy, out-of-court, consensual debt restructurings.

This replaces the previous preventive composition procedure.

Overview of the Bankruptcy Law

Proceedings may also be commenced by:

The Bankruptcy Law is the UAE’s first stand-alone insolvency law. It repealed the existing preventive composition procedure and bankruptcy procedure in Chapter 5 of the Commercial Transactions Law (Federal Law No 18 of 1993) and various provisions of the Penal Code (Federal Law No 3 of 1987), with effect from 29 December 2016. The Bankruptcy Law introduces modernised versions of these procedures.

creditors owed more than AED100,000, where debtor has failed to pay a due debt within 30 business days of request;

the relevant regulator (if the company is regulated) with proof of debtor’s insolvency; or

the public prosecutor, with proof of debtor’s insolvency and if in the public interest

What procedures are available? There are two main procedures: Preventive composition A pre-insolvency, “debtor in possession” rescue regime for debtors facing financial difficulty (but not in payment default for more than 30 business days). It could be characterised as “Chapter 11 lite”, although it also appears to be influenced by the French Sauvegarde procedure. Only the debtor can apply for preventive composition proceedings.

Bankruptcy (a common gateway to either restructuring or liquidation) A regime for insolvent debtors. Debtors who are cash flow insolvent (in payment default for more than 30 business days as a result of financial difficulties) or balance sheet insolvent must apply to commence proceedings.

Leading to restructuring A post-insolvency rescue procedure. A restructuring plan must be submitted to the court within three to six months. Once approved by the court and creditors, it must be implemented within five years (extendable to eight years). This replaces the previous judicial composition in bankruptcy procedure. Leading to liquidation A liquidation regime, for debtors for whom restructuring is not appropriate. The debtor’s business is brought to an

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 49

Trustees

end and assets are divided up among creditors and shareholders, according to the priority of their claims.

The trustee has primary day-to-day responsibility and power to manage the restructuring or liquidation procedures, and charges a fee for doing so. The role is significant: preparing an inventory of assets, assessing creditor claims and co-ordinating discussions with creditors, supervising the management of the debtor, preparing reports on its business, publicity and preparing and overseeing the implementation of a restructuring plan or the distribution of assets. The trustee is appointed by the court on the opening of proceedings, and up to three trustees can be appointed.

This replaces the previous bankruptcy procedure.

Who can use the procedures? The Bankruptcy Law regime is clearer and broader in its scope than the previous regime, which applied only to “traders”, a term which encompasses individuals or companies engaged in commercial activity in the UAE. In addition to “traders”, the Bankruptcy Law expressly applies to: l

Companies: companies subject to the Commercial Companies Law (Federal Law No 2 of 2015); GREs: companies wholly or partly owned by the Federal or an Emirate Government, which are not incorporated under the Commercial Companies Law, if they expressly submit to the Bankruptcy Law in their constitutional documents. This includes companies incorporated by decree of a Ruler of emirate; Free zone companies: free zone companies, if they are not already subject to a separate free zone preventive composition or bankruptcy regime. The law does not apply to companies in the selflegislating financial free zones of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), which have regimes based on English insolvency law. This is a welcome clarification especially for those free zones whose regulations are ambiguous or silent as to the applicable regime (for example, some include winding up provisions but lack comprehensive provisions on bankruptcy and restructuring procedures for distressed companies); and Licensed professional civil companies: companies that carry on activities not classified as “trade” under UAE law (for example, professional services or consultancy).

In our view, branches of foreign companies operating in the UAE could be caught by the provisions of the Bankruptcy Law, although not expressly stated to be within its scope.

The law does not address personal insolvency (unless and to the extent that a trader is an individual). A new personal insolvency law is reportedly being developed.

Who administers the Bankruptcy Law? Structural support for the new insolvency framework is to be provided by the institutions and individuals below.

Courts The UAE courts are to play an active and substantive role throughout the procedures. The court is to review and decide on applications, appoint, instruct and collaborate with trustees and experts, order measures to protect the debtor, review restructuring plans, consider impact on creditors and decide whether to approve new DIP financing or even to suspend the business.

Experts The role of the expert is to support the trustee and the court with technical advice on the debtor’s position, for a fee. One of the primary tasks of the expert is to prepare the initial report on the financial position of the debtor, including giving an opinion about whether the assets of the debtor are sufficient to allow successful restructuring.

Creditor committees The court, in consultation with the trustee, may form creditor committees (one for secured creditors; one for unsecured creditors and one for bond and sukuk holders). The committees act as a conduit between the court/trustee and the wider creditor group. The court retains significant discretion as to how much consultation will take place and it also has absolute discretion to reform a creditor committee, replace or limit the powers of the representative of a committee.

Financial Restructuring Committee

Observers

The Financial Restructuring Committee (the “Committee”) is a new body to be established by the UAE Cabinet. It will perform some consultative and administrative functions, including maintaining a register of insolvency experts, determining criteria for registration of experts and their fees and also maintaining a register of those entities subject to orders made under the Bankruptcy Law. The Committee is discussed in more detail below.

Observers are court-appointed representatives of interested parties – a creditor or group of creditors, or a regulator – whose role is (rather ambiguously) to work with the trustee, in the creditors’ interests and to oversee the implementation of the plan. It is unclear to what extent creditors or regulators will be incentivised to perform this role, in light of the potential liability that may be incurred and lack of remuneration. continued page 50

ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

from page 49

Regulators The regulator of businesses operating in a regulated sector may also have a role in any process undertaken under the new regime, such as the Securities and Commodities Authority for publicly listed companies. There is a new requirement to give the regulator prior notification of any application to commence a procedure and to obtain approval of a composition plan. A regulator may become involved in the court process, appoint an observer and attend creditor meetings.

First impressions Publicity The Bankruptcy Law provides for a relatively high degree of public disclosure about its procedures which is unusual when judged against other UAE court procedures. For example, the trustee is obliged to publish information concerning its appointment within three to five business days of being appointed. This information must be published in two widely- spread newspapers (one in Arabic, one in English) and summarise the decision for the trustee’s appointment as well as invite creditors to file details of their claims. In addition, the trustee must contact known creditors directly. Later on, during a preventive composition or restructuring procedure, other information must also be issued publicly in the same way, such as invitations to creditor meetings and, upon sanction by the court, a summary of the details of the restructuring plan. Details of an approved restructuring must be recorded against the commercial registrations of the debtor and presumably will be recorded in the Committee’s register. The stigma attached to being in financial distress and the inherent publicity in the procedures of the Bankruptcy Law, coupled with the time taken for a process to run its course (and, initially at least, the novelty of these procedures) may deter debtors and creditors from taking early action for fear of hindering the debtor’s ability to win new business or to dispose of assets at the best price. It may be that in the first instance, those companies who opt to rely on these procedures are those in most distress

who are unable to obtain creditor consent to reschedule their obligations and have few other options.

so the fees available to these officials need to be set at a level that attracts experienced practitioners.

Court expertise and capacity

Role of the Financial Restructuring Committee

Many overseas investors and financiers are wary of unfamiliar UAE court processes and often elect for offshore arbitration or courts as the forum for dispute resolution. Notwithstanding the greater detail embedded in the Bankruptcy Law and the role of trustees and experts to assist the court, much discretion remains in the hands of the UAE courts. The uncertainty this represents is a serious impediment – certainly for large scale and complex restructurings – at least until the preventive composition and bankruptcy procedures have been demonstrated to work in a predictable, fair and efficient manner.

There is some ambiguity in the wording of the Bankruptcy Law: it is unclear whether the Committee is intended to have oversight over the financial restructuring “of” licensed financial institutions (i.e. in respect of banks or financial institutions in financial difficulty) or “for” financial institutions (i.e. in respect of restructurings that are being conducted by a bank or financial institution as creditor to its customer). Whilst there is no consensus yet amongst industry commentators, our view is that the latter of the two interpretations is the more likely, both as the translation of the relevant article refers to the Committee’s objective being to “reach a consensual arrangement between the debtor and its creditors” (this wording not being expressly limited to bank debtors) and as the Committee’s duties (such as approving a schedule of experts, determining the table of expert fees and maintaining a register of persons against whom a bankruptcy judgment has been made), are not particular to bank restructuring, being equally (or possibly more) relevant to the wider restructuring of traders/corporations with bank debt.

Availability of insolvency professionals The procedures set out in the new Bankruptcy Law are heavily reliant on the trustee and expert. Experts must have specific expertise in financial re-organisation and bankruptcy matters and comply with the requirements of existing legislation regulating the experts used by the courts (as to character, qualifications, professional experience and insurance). No equivalent detailed requirements are set out for trustees, leaving the law unclear as to whether the trustee needs to have specific corporate recovery expertise, or whether the trustee primarily has a supervisory role, as well as effectively acting as mediator, looking to the expert to provide technical backup. As in other jurisdictions, suitably qualified accountants, financial advisers and lawyers could act as experts – and also therefore trustees. However, there are unlikely to be sufficient professionals in the UAE who are able to perform the functions of trustee and expert and it is possible that such professionals may favour advising the parties, rather than be appointed by the court. The involvement of inexperienced trustees and experts is unlikely to be helpful

Collateral In addition to the prevailing bankruptcy regime, another factor that heavily influences a bank’s approach to distressed debtors is the legal regime for taking and enforcing security (including the availability of “selfhelp” remedies and out-of-court enforcement options). The regime for taking, registering and enforcing security in the UAE has, to date, been less creditor friendly than in many other jurisdictions, which is evidenced by the World Bank’s 2017 “Doing Business” Rankings, where, in connection with “Getting Credit” the UAE was graded 2 out of 12 for its strength of legal rights largely due to the weakness in the UAE security regime. When compared with an average of 6 out of 12 for other OECD high income jurisdictions, this rating is particularly low. Recent reform

in the law of security over moveable assets (including receivables, bank accounts, and commodities) is an important step in modernising the law in this area. From March 2017, creditors are able to take security over a wide range of present and future moveable assets, without the need to evidence possession of the secured asset, to perfect this security by registration in an electronic register and (it is anticipated) to enforce this security via self-help remedies outside of the usual court enforcement process, in contrast to the outgoing regime. There is potential for development of the UAE law of security over other types of assets, when compared to international standards. Until the new regime for taking security over moveable assets is proven to be robust, and until a more effective regime for taking, registering and enforcing security over other types of assets is implemented, secured creditors in the UAE are likely to remain cautious about their security position. This may drive them to continue to favour a negotiated settlement over the uncertainty of the outcome for enforcing security (and potentially triggering bankruptcy as a result).

Provisioning Much of the success of the Bankruptcy Law will depend on how it is perceived by those most likely to become involved in such processes – the banks and financial institutions that extend credit to debtors. Their approach to restructurings is driven not only by the relevant bankruptcy regime, but also by the provisioning rules applicable to them. The provisioning requirements of the UAE Central Bank on local banks have not been changed by virtue of the Bankruptcy Law. Therefore, we may expect the approach of local banks to remain consistent.

Conclusion It is widely acknowledged that an efficient and reliable bankruptcy regime has the capacity to rebuild companies, preserve jobs, encourage investment and facilitate economic growth. For these reasons, much is being made in the media of the impact which the Bankruptcy Law will have on promoting entrepreneurship (boosting non-oil economic growth) and encouraging

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 51

Topics

DB 2017 Rank

DB 2016 Rank

Indicator

UAE

OECD high income

29.0

73.0

Starting a business

Recovery rate (cents on the dollar)

Enforcing contracts

Time (years)

3.2

1.7

Resolving insolvency

104

Cost (% of estate)

20.0

9.1

Source: World Bank

Strength of legal rights 2.0 (0-12)

6.0

foreign investment. Most recent commentary has been positive. Many predict that the Bankruptcy Law will promote bank lending in the UAE, particularly in the SME sector, and help to reduce the number of defaulting debtors who abscond rather than try to restructure their debts and save their businesses.

Contact

The Bankruptcy Law is a step in the right direction towards improving the UAE’s World Bank insolvency rankings, which would be likely to increase confidence in the UAE’s business environment. In the World Bank’s 2017 “Doing Business” rankings, the UAE was ranked highly for ease of starting a business (26 out of 190 economies), but its ranking dips quite dramatically when it comes to ease of resolving insolvency (104 out of 190 economies – a drop of five rankings since the previous report). A UAE average of 3.2 years to resolve insolvencies (at a cost of 20% of the estate) compares unfavourably with an average of 1.7 years for OECD high income jurisdictions (at a cost of 9.1% of the estate). To date, insolvencies in the UAE have generated a recovery rate of 29 cents on the dollar as compared to the recovery rate in OECD high income jurisdictions of 73 cents on the dollar.

Reem Al Sayegh, Managing Associate, Linklaters Dubai

Should you have any questions on issues reported here or on other areas of law, please contact Kieron Zaman, Partner, Linklaters Dubai Tel: +971 4 369 5814 Email: kieron.zaman@linklaters.com

Tel: +971 4 369 5852 Email: reem.alsayegh@linklaters.com Caroline Cheney, Senior Professional Support Lawyer, Linklaters London Tel: +44 7 456 4400 Email: caroline.cheney@linklaters. com Linklaters LLP is a member of the ABCC Disclaimer: The information in this article is for general information purposes only and is not intended to be comprehensive, or to provide legal advice. The content is current as of the date of first publication and does not necessarily reflect the present law.

Focus on the Arabic

‫ما يخص اللغة العربية‬ ‫للقانون‬

It is important to remember that the Arabic text of the Bankruptcy Law is definitive. The various English translations available are not identical in every detail. Difficulty in interpreting the primary legislation is compounded by translation obstacles.

ECONOMIC FOCUS

ISSN 2398-4406

British Economic Survey KEY FINDINGS Q1 2017

BRITISH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE QUARTERLY ECONOMIC SURVEY

Key Findings Q1 2017

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Quarterly Economic Survey – Britain’s largest and most authoritative private sector business survey – based on more than 7,300 responses from firms across the UK in Q1 2017 – shows the manufacturing sector performing strongly in the first quarter of the year, particularly in the exports market. However, rising overheads and raw material costs present a risk to growth in the medium term.

“

In the here and now, many businesses are resilient and experiencing solid growth. Many firms tell us their shortterm expectations are strong, but that the medium-term picture is far from clear. The rise in inflation seen since last year’s EU referendum is the biggest immediate pressure facing most firms. While manufacturers have enjoyed a good quarter, they are facing higher costs at the factory gates, which increasingly translates into companies having to raise their own prices. Our survey, with deep participation all across the UK, demonstrates the fact that there are longstanding structural issues here at home that we need to tackle to sustain success in the future. The competitiveness of firms depends on a bold domestic economic policy - not just a good Brexit deal.

“

Dr Adam Marshall Director General, British Chambers of Commerce

Domestic Sales

AT A GLANCE

Positive balance (+) = growth | Negative balance (-) = contraction

+50%

+20%

+75%

-50%

+50%

+22%

-75%

60%

1.5%

40%

1.0%

20%

0.5%

0.0%

+25%

-25%

-50%

-75%

UK GDP Growth vs. QES Domestic Sales

0% +25%

-25%

+75%

-20%

-0.5%

-40% +100%

-100%

...of manufacturers reported improved domestic sales in Q1 2017, up from +15% in Q4 2016

+100%

-100%

...of service firms reported improved domestic sales in Q1 2017, up from +15% in Q4 2016

QES % -60% Balance 2005 2007 GDP Growth

-1.0%

GDP % Growth (ONS) 2009

2011

Service Sector QES

2013

2015

-1.5%

2017

Manufacturing QES

Balance of firms reporting improved export sales 0%

Employment Growth

Export Sales

-25%

50%

0% +25%

+25%

-25%

40% 30%

-50%

+50%

+26%

-75%

+75%

-50%

+50%

10%

+10%

-75%

20%

+75%

0% -10%

+100%

-100%

...of manufacturers reported improved export sales in Q1 2017, up from +16% in Q4 2016

+100%

-100%

...of service firms reported improved export sales in Q1 2017, up from +8% in Q4 2016

2017

40% +25%

-25%

2013 2015 Service Sector QES

Balance of firms that grew their workforce

0% +25%

-25%

-20% QES % -30% Balance 2005 2007 2009 2011 Manufacturing Sector QES

30% 20%

-50%

+50%

+19%

-75%

+75%

-50%

-75%

+50%

+15%

10% 0% -10%

+75%

-20% -30%

-100%

+100%

...of manufacturers reported an increase in their workforce in Q1 2017, down from +23% in Q4 2016

-100%

+100%

...of service firms reported an increase in their workforce in Q1 2017, down from +16% in Q4 2016

-40% QES % Balance -50% 2005 2007 2009 2011 Manufacturing Sector QES

2013 2015 Service Sector QES

2017

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 53

BRITISH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE QUARTERLY ECONOMIC SURVEY

LOOKING AHEAD

The Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) examines business sentiment on a range of forward looking indicators, including investment intentions, turnover confidence, and prices. In Q1 2017, the forward looking indicators show that while confidence in turnover and profitability is improving, investment intentions remain low. More businesses have increased their employment expectations, although recruitment difficulties remain high.

0% +25%

-25%

Firms facing pressures to raise prices due to the following factors:

-50%

+25%

-25%

+50%

-50%

+50%

80%

Manufacturing Sector

70%

Service Sector

60% 50%

+47%

Prices

-75%

+75%

+32%

-75%

40% +75%

30% 20%

+100%

-100%

...of manufacturers expect their prices to increase, down from +52% in Q4 2016

+100%

-100%

...of service firms expect their prices to increase, up from +30% in Q4 2016

0% -25%

Raw materials Financial costs

Other overheads

50% +25%

-25%

Pay settlements

Balance of firms increasing investment in training

0% +25%

10%

40%

Employment Expectations

Investment

30% -50%

+50%

+13%

-75%

+75%

-50%

+50%

+75%

0% -10%

+100%

-100%

...of manufacturers intend to increase investment in plant & machinery, down from +19% in Q4 2016

-20%

+100%

-100%

...of service firms intend to increase investment in training, up from +14% in Q4 2016

2013 2015 Service Sector QES

2017

50% +25%

-25%

QES %

-30% Balance 2005 2007 2009 2011 Manufacturing Sector QES

Balance of firms expecting to grow their workforce

0% +25%

-25%

40% 30%

-50%

+50%

-50%

+50%

20% 10%

+24%

-75%

+75%

+23%

-75%

0% +75%

-10% -20% -30%

+100%

-100%

...of manufacturers expect to grow their workforce over the next three months, up from +19% in Q4 2016

+100%

-100%

...of service firms expect to grow their workforce over the next three months, up from +18% in Q4 2016

-50%

+50%

+44%

-75%

+25%

-25%

+75%

-50%

-75%

+50%

+39%

-40% QES % Balance -50% 2005 2007 2009 2011 Manufacturing Sector QES

2013 2015 Service Sector QES

2017

UK GDP Growth vs. balance of firms confident 80% turnover will increase

0% +25%

-25%

Confidence

10%

+18%

-75%

20%

2.0%

60%

1.5%

40%

1.0%

20%

0.5%

0.0%

+75%

-20% -40% -100%

+100%

...of manufacturers are confident turnover will increase in the next 12 months, up from +43% in Q4 2016

-100%

+100%

...of service firms are confident turnover will increase in the next 12 months, up from +35% in Q4 2016

-0.5% GDP % Growth (ONS)

QES %

-60% Balance 2005 2007 GDP Growth

2009

2011

Service Sector QES

2013

2015

-1.0% -1.5%

2017

Manufacturing QES

www.britishchambers.org.uk | @britishchambers continued page 54

ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

from page 53 CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE QUARTERLY ECONOMIC SURVEY BRITISH

IN FOCUS RAW MATERIALS The percentage of manufacturers reporting the rising cost of ‘raw materials’ as the biggest factor in price rises stood at its highest level since Q4 2011. This heat map shows the breakdown of this indicator by UK region:

Scotland

41%

North East

86%

Yorks & Humber

North West

73%

67%

Northern Ire

East Midlands

84%

73%

East of England

Wales

82%

79%

London

48%

West Midlands

56%

South West

78%

South East

81%

In the manufacturing sector, the regions which saw the highest percentage of firms reporting the rising cost of ‘raw materials’ as the biggest factor in price rises were the North East at 86%, followed by Northern Ireland at 84%, and Wales at 82%. The regions and nations which saw the lowest percentage of manufacturers reporting raw material as the biggest factor were Scotland at 41%, London at 48%, and the West Midlands at 56%.

This report has been prepared by the British Chambers of Commerce.

www.britishchambers.org.uk | @britishchambers

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 55

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ECONOMIC FOCUS

Sheikha Hussa Al Sabah, President of the Arab Business Women Council (second left) and Howida Simsim (third right)

Howida Hassan Simsim Establishment Economic Focus speaks to Howida Simsim, Chairman and Managing Director, Howida Hassan Simsim Establishment Please introduce your company to our readers and give them some idea about the activities of your company and its aims. The establishment’s head office is in a historic district of Jeddah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Howida Hassan Simsim Establishment's company slogan is, ‘the story of the Kingdom’. Our activities consist of the design and implementation of internal décor;

are sponsored and protected by their King who is the father of the nation and leader of the people. Saudi women are moving ahead in business and the world is eagerly watching the growth in their potential seen in all the steps they are taking.

The design and implementation of promotional gifts for all private and public events.

The first inspiration was my father who taught me how to achieve success with patience, trust and honesty. His career began as the struggle of a simple man who rose to become a businessman involved in the global marketplace, especially in the diamond market and others, and I learned and inherited that challenge to succeed from him.

Saudi women receive family support and

Also without the material and moral

support of my mother I would not be what I am today. I would especially like to thank my sons Abdullah, Hassan, Nora and my sisters Abla, Lamia, and Safenaz. My goal is to represent the Saudi woman working as a scientist, educator, as a participant in growth and development and show her ability as a global presence and competitive in all areas, industry and production coming from Saudi Arabia, made in the kingdom and exported to the competitive global market. Our guiding principle is to show production of the highest quality coming from Saudi industry.

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 57

What are your main activities and your position in the company?

My goal is to represent the Saudi woman working as a scientist, educator, as a participant in growth and development and show her ability as a global presence and competitive in all areas.

I am chairman and Managing Director of the Establishment. I am involved in the design and implementation process of all projects. I am the first Saudi Arabia woman involved in the field of interior design and decoration. I use gold and silver in the implementation of transparent paintings for flooring and murals. We use materials such as multiple ores, porcelain, gold, silver, gemstones, copper and crystals. We combine several ores which we use to implement the painting which is a flooring made up of handmade painting. The company also designs and implements all kinds of promotional gifts for private functions and public events.

Your company offers expertise in the field of interior design and traditional Arabian ornamental designs; where did you get the ideas and how you executed these creations?

Sheikha Hind Al Khalifa;

Moroccan Minister of Industry;

Kuwait Ministry of Labour and Youth;

Korean Minister of Industry.

What major companies have you dealt with? l

Saudi Foreign Ministry;

Design and implementation of Japanese Peace Boat gifts with gifts and a variety of plaques;

Public security in the Western region;

Saudi Arabian Airlines;

Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Wealth;

Secretariat of the Holy City of Mecca;

The Italian Consulate General in Jeddah;

Tell us about your most important achievements with regards to the individuals and general organisations with whom you have worked.

National Bank department of private services;

Saudi Office for Cultural Exchange;

Makkah Hilton Towers Hotel;

The UAE Embassy in Germany;

We have cooperated with government ministries and individual VIPs when working on our distinctive projects.

Saudi Arabia Embassy in Germany;

The Federation of GCC Chambers;

Saudi Council of Chambers;

The Islamic Development Bank;

Design and implement Gifts for GCC Chambers of the Forum of Gulf Business Women;

SMEs Bahraini Association SMES, “the Bahrain Small and Medium Enterprises Society”

Our culture, heritage and civilisation are the source for the knowledge that came from the land and we see it as the beginning of Arab culture, which gave our Islamic world a distinctive culture over the centuries. This has contributed to a different style of product but able to compete with the world which itself contributes towards the integration of different cultures within a world filled with new and distinct cultures.

We have designed and implemented presents for: l

HM King Salman bin Abdul Aziz;

HM King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz;

H H Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Jeddah Region;

Design and implementation of plaque and Jeddah Festival historical cards;

HH Prince Faisal Bin Bandar, Riyadh Region;

H H Prince Mishari Bin Saud, Al Baha;

Design and implementation of an invitation and gifts cards of Women World Conference in Jordan.

Tell us about the letters of thanks and honours that your company has received from satisfied customers.

H H Prince Sultan bin Salman, Head of the General Authority for Tourism;

H H Prince Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, Deputy Foreign Minister;

These include the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin AbdulAziz Al Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and His Royal Highness Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud.

His Royal Highness Ambassador of Saudi Arabia in London;

Can you tell us about any projects for which you have been commissioned by authorities in Saudi Arabia or in any other parts of the Middle East? l

We have developed initiatives that have been submitted to several official authorities in the Kingdom which are under study, including:

H M King of Morocco;

Kuwait Prince;

The company has also been a recipient of honours from:

Crown Prince of Bahrain;

Sheikha Soubika, the King of Bahrain’s wife;

The establishment of a global women’s sports club;

Her Highness Sheikha Sobekah, Wife of the King of Bahrain

Sheikha Mai Al Khalifa, Bahrain Minister of Culture;

The creation of a specialised centre for people with special needs and learning difficulties;

Sheikha Hussa Al Sabah, President of the Arab Business Women Council;

The establishment of artisan production workshops.

Chairman of the National Committee for Combating Drugs

continued page 58

ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

from page 57

Do you see any differences in the requirements of the market between the United Kingdom and markets in Saudi Arabia? The British market and the large global market are open for everyone, accommodate all the diverse products as the United Kingdom is welcoming many people from around the world and there has a lot of residents of multiple cultures, the British market is a global market Accommodates for new and especially premium products as we seek to participate with our Saudi Arabia culture products that compete in world markets.

Would you like to mention any future plans of your company? We aim to participate in the growing cooperation between Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom that is opening up in line with the Saudi Vision 2030. We work for the development and creation of a new market with new investment projects. I have already spoken about the initiatives that are under study and which we seek to implement in accordance with the status of our kingdom to meet local and global requirements. Our Kingdom is characterised by its global position and strategic location for our participation in the global market. We are seeking to establish local production workshops in the Kingdom where traditional products can be produced by our own hands and which will give opportunity to the talents of the old, young and the disabled.

Please tell us about the dignitaries who have made a visit to your museum. We have been fortunate to receive several leading personalities from the Gulf and international area from inside and outside the Kingdom. There have been several visits to our site by consuls from as far afield as Europe and East Asia, including: l

The Consul General of Italy;

Consul General of France cultural attachĂŠ;

Consul General of Korea and Korean delegation;

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister and Howida Simsim

Consul General of Great Britain and a British delegation;

Commercial AttachĂŠ and Consul General of Japan.

How would you define the role of Saudi women? In Saudi Arabia woman is the mother and the teacher and the sister and the educator. By being educated by her hands men participate in construction and growth as part of one family and it is through the contribution of men and women that we are one strong community that cannot be divided. Women are moving ahead to participate in growth and construction in all fields by her independent activities and status based on the traditions and law of our homeland and under the king who

protects and preserves us. Women have a key role to play as important as men; moreover she is the foundation of the community and has an esteemed role in the nation.

Contact Howida Simsim Member World Council of Crafts - Arab-British Chamber of Commerce Arab Businesswomen Council - SMEs Bahraini Association 00 96650 2204488 howidasimsim@hotmail.com

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ADVERTORIAL

IFRS 16 Lease accounting – Are you prepared? By Luqman Jimoh ACCA, MBA, Accounting and Finance Lecturer at the University of Derby Online Learning (UDOL). The accounting industry welcomed the year 2016 with the issuance of IFRS 16 Lease accounting by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). IFRS 16 sets out the framework and principles for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of leases for both the “Lessor” and “Lessee”. IFRS 16 thus replaces IAS 17 (previous lease standard).

Perhaps an immediate good news for businesses is the effective date of 1 January 2019, with a possible early adoption (but only if the entity also applies IFRS 15 Revenue from contracts with customers). Lease accounting for some time has been a contentious area and the IASB hopes that this set of principles will improve financial reporting of leases; I have to agree, if I was the Lessee. One challenge with the previous lease standard, has been the requirement to classify all leases as either operating lease or finance lease. What a task that can be? Think about an entity in the airline industry, perhaps with different shades of asset lease arrangements; the requirement to classify each lease transaction as either operating or finance lease can be a subjective one. The need for change has been a long time coming; under IAS 17, the acquisition of underlying assets which are deemed to be economically similar to the purchase of the underlying asset are classified as “finance leases” and as such are reported on the company’s balance sheet; whilst leases which are not considered to be economically similar to the purchase of the underlying asset are classed as “operating leases” and as such were treated as “off balance sheet leases” (entity only reports a rental expense on the income statement). Concerns have also been raised in various quarters about the lack of transparency of information on lease

obligations, for example under IAS 17, even though a lessee under an operating lease would acquire both the underlying asset and also a liability at the beginning of a lease arrangement but would only need to report rental expense on the income statement without any recognition for the liability on the balance sheet. One does not need to be an expert to realise that this position would be understated and does not present a complete picture to users of financial statements. This was a key driver in the use of “sale-and-lease-back arrangements where entities will sell

owned assets and then lease them back under an operating lease to create a financial advantage. According to the IASB, long-term liabilities of heaviest users of off balance sheet leases (under IAS 17 regime) were understated by 27% in Africa/Middle East, 26% in Europe and 45% in Latin America; these are astounding figures. Hence a key objective of IFRS 16 is an improvement in disclosure, providing greater transparency about assets used in operations. Entities reporting under IFRS 16 will have to use a “single lessee accounting

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 61

LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Luqman Jimoh

model” which provides a more simplified model for the lessee as no distinction is made between an operating lease and finance lease (effectively eliminating operating lease accounting for the lessee). The impact therefore is that nearly all leases will be recognised on the Statement of Financial Position (meaning that the value of Total assets and liabilities will increase). Businesses with material off balance sheet leasing arrangements such as those in retail, airlines, transport, travel and leisure will need to recognise the rights to use the asset and also recognise the obligation to pay rental expenses for using the assets on the Statement of Financial Position. The concessions made by the IASB to the recognition of all leases on the Statement of Financial Position are leases with a short term (less than 12 months) and leases in respect of assets with a low value (less than $5,000). The bad news however, is some of the

impact this might have on key ratios – it is likely that an entity’s Gearing ratio will increase which may flout debt covenants and regulatory requirements; Asset turnover ratio may also decrease negatively impacting on the efficient deployment of assets; Interest cover and Earnings per share could also see a decrease reflecting poorly on performance. Operationally, entities will have to consider implementation issues, the need to centralise lease agreements and the monitoring of specific features of each lease such as the term. It won’t surprise many if lessees prefer to negotiate shorter lease terms, taking advantage of the concession or even seek to purchase assets outright. It is a range of mixed feelings on IFRS 16; unfortunately for the lessor, IFRS 16 does not generate the same amount of emotion (a lessor will continue to classify its leases as either operating lease or finance lease as per the previous

standard IAS 17 with some additional disclosure requirements) but should be prepared for tougher negotiations with lessees. My words of consolation to lessors…. Your time will come. To ensure you or your employees are fully prepared for IFRS 16 book onto our short course which provides an overview of the new IFRS 16 standards and key changes as to how leases are accounted for by lessees and considers the issues faced by businesses. Visit our website for more information www.derby.ac.uk/abcc

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GCSE A LEVEL FOUNDATION UNDERGRADUATE YEAR 1

BELLERBYS COLLEGE BRIGHTON In a city as creative and diverse as Brighton, Principal Simon Mower explains how he captured the essence of this by offering a full range of opportunities.

UNIQUE CONDITIONAL UNIVERSITY OFFERS To further help our students reach their university ambitions, those studying selected Foundation subject pathways will receive offers of conditional progression from up to five prestigious UK universities.

Brighton is the perfect setting for our largest College. It is a city defined by individuality with an entrepreneurial spirit and two respected universities. This unique and exciting city is where we offer the widest choice of programmes and the broadest range of subjects. At the age of 13 and 14 it’s difficult for students to decide what GCSE subjects they want to study. That’s where our GCSE programme is different. By teaching each subject as a mini project in year nine we can give students an insight into all their options. We then guide them towards the best combination depending on their university ambitions. This wealth of choice continues through to A Level and Foundation study. Students can choose subjects ranging from art, media and history to science and engineering, giving them freedom to explore their interests and shape their future.”

BELLERBYS COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE

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Passionate about science and engineering, Principal Nicholas Waite tells us about teaching in a city world-renowned for scientific invention and discovery.

Principal Alison Baines explains why London is the best place to kick-start a future business career, and the ideal location for our specialist business college.

My background is science, so I am delighted to be part of a stimulating and exciting atmosphere as principal of our science and engineering college. Cambridge is famous for research and home to global Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) companies, providing an inspiring setting for your children to see science in action.

Our students are passionate about starting their careers in business and I’m proud to say our College provides the knowledge, qualifications and network they need for future success. Immersed in the business world and surrounded by multinational companies in the UK capital, students are inspired every day.

Bellerbys Cambridge teaches the engineers, doctors and scientists of the future. Lessons are practical and we have modern science laboratories, highly experienced teachers and strong links with universities. I’ve seen for myself that students thrive when they can focus their efforts on courses that are tailored to their strengths and interests. Previous students have visited companies such as Land Rover, Napp Pharmaceuticals and Novalia to explore their career options. A specialist college home to like-minded students, all with the same drive and ambition, is the ideal place to develop.

Focussed on helping students develop skills to impress universities and employers, our A Level, Foundation and Undergraduate Year 1 programmes include enrichment activities that directly complement our courses. Learning how the Bank of England sets interest rates, hearing speakers from HM Treasury, entering national business competitions and gaining professional business qualifications are just some of the opportunities on offer. It’s about more than just top qualifications and the best teaching; it is about letting students take charge of their careers and progress to the top UK universities.

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To find out more, visit bellerbys.com

We have relationships with Durham University, University of Greenwich, Kingston University, London, Lancaster University and University of Westminster. This means students now receive an offer of conditional progression along with their offer to study selected Foundation subject pathways. Conditional progression offers from Durham and Lancaster are available from selected pathways at all our Colleges, while our university partnerships with Greenwich, Kingston and Westminster are unique to Bellerbys London. While studying at Bellerbys London our students can benefit from these partnerships and even explore a real-life financial experience at the University of Westminster’s Bloomberg Financial Markets Suite. We want our students to go on and thrive during their degree so we help them make the best university choice for them. Our relationships with prestigious UK universities and close links to employers help our students achieve success. For terms and conditions visit bellerbys.com

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ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 65

ADVERTORIAL

LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Al-Maktoum College offers dynamic Islamic Economics and Finance Programme The Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education in Dundee is currently preparing and recruiting students for its Professional Diploma in Islamic Economics and Finance programme, now in its third year. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, the College pinpointed an increasing need among scholars of economics and those working in the field to identify and understand what Islamic economics is, and how it can contribute to the western system of finance and multiculturalism. In establishing the programme critical questions arose such as: “What is the difference between the concept of ‘Islamic economics and finance’ and that of pure ‘economics and finance’?” Another was whether “Islamic economics and finance” were capable of contributing to a secular society? The carefully-devised Professional Diploma in Islamic Economics and Finance programme has set compulsory units – Islamic Economics and Finance, Islamic Commercial Law, Applied Islamic Banking and Insurance, Islamic Accounting and Auditing plus Research Methodology in Social Sciences and Islamic Studies. These enable students to apply the core concepts of Islamic finance in an Islamic banking and insurance operation, to review and assess the commercial performance of Islamic financial institutions according to underlying Islamic principles, and critically compare the ideal concepts and practical implementation in Islamic and western banking and insurance. The programme, available on a part-time or full-time basis or offered intensively, is aimed at students seeking a qualification in the field of Islamic economics, finance and banking. It is also designed to help promote students’ career development in

both the private and public sectors. Students learn appropriate skills such as critical analysis of different concepts and approaches in specific subjects, networking and teambuilding, communication skills, problem-solving, negotiation and influencing skills plus written and oral presentation skills. The College, with assistance from Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce, is now looking for placement opportunities in accountancy, banking, finance, insurance and legal services’ businesses for students from the programme, one of six it offers, formalised in partnership with the Scottish Qualifications’ Authority (SQA). Principal and Vice Chancellor of AlMakotum College, Dr Hossein Godazgar, said: “This challenging, contemporary programme is proving successful. “I am pleased overall that the students have studied with great enthusiasm and, as a result, their level of performance is very much comparable to postgraduate students at other UK institutions.

“As an independent centre of excellence for teaching and research in the study of Islam and Muslims we structured our six, full-time programmes in such a way as to appeal to as wide a selection of potential candidates as possible.” The courses currently available, in addition to the Professional Diploma in Islamic Economics and Finance, are: l

Advanced Diploma in Islamic Studies

Advanced Diploma in Arabic Language

Diploma in Arabic Language

Certificates in Arabic Language

Introductory Certificate in Arabic Language

Students who qualify can open up professional career options in the public and private sector at local, national and international levels, plus the voluntary sector, social and charitable organisations, and other multicultural contexts.

ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS

Who is Prestige Tax Refund Ltd? Under the European Union (EU) 8th and 13th Directives, any company that sends employees to an EU member state for business purposes is entitled to recover the VAT paid on such travel expenses. This could include the VAT levied on hotel accommodation, restaurant meals, trade shows, conferences, or exhibitions, and many other services that a business traveller might use. However recent studies have shown that as much as â&#x201A;Ź8 billion worth of VAT remains unclaimed across all the EU member states. The main reason for this is that many business travellers simply do not know that they can recover the VAT on their travel expenses; and those that do know are put off by the difficulties encountered in the VAT refund system. These difficulties arise because each EU member state is free to interpret the EU Directives in their own way, which means that the actual legislation is different in each member state, and expenses which might be claimable in one state are not claimable in another state. This makes the whole system very confusing, especially when trying to navigate through legislation written in a foreign language. Add to this the fact that some states also require the paperwork to be completed in their own language, and

years and experienced first-hand the problems that many non-European business-men were experiencing with trying to recover the VAT on their business travel expenses due to the differences in the legislation between one EU member state and another, and language barriers.

Mr Sofiane Laifa

it is no wonder that many businesses simply do not bother to try to recover their VAT. ABCC Member, Prestige Tax Refund, is one of the UK's market leading VAT Recovery companies. We offer a highly prestigious, professional and cost effective service package to Non-European companies, with the management team having many years of experience dealing both with foreign companies and relevant Tax Authorities. Founder Mr Sofiane Laifa had worked in the VAT Recovery industry for many

Although companies existed to aid business travellers with their VAT recovery claims, these were mainly large corporations that offered a very impersonal service. In 2012, Sofiane decided to form his own company that would offer a more personal and friendly approach to VAT recovery and so Prestige Tax Refund was born. In the years since, the company has gone from strength to strength and now services clients from all over the world, with a large proportion coming from Middle Eastern Countries. Our rates are very competitive, and we operate a strict No Refund = No Fee policy, so we only get paid if our clients get paid.

Contact: Tel: +44 (0) 1753 689 666 Email: info@prestigetaxrefund.co.uk www.prestigetaxrefund.co.uk

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 67

Thames International Founded in 2009, Thames International is a London-based events company passionate about global partnerships to develop key sectors in Africa and the Middle East. We believe in bringing together industry leaders and companies to foster economic growth, grassroot innovation and help unlock the potential of emerging economies. To do this, we offer world-class conferences that focus on current topics, which provides a unique platform for international learning and networking with industry thought leaders and companies. As a company whose mission is to be the leader in corporate and networking events, we focus on three key areas: trade, investment and development. We believe that these three pillars form the foundations of building long-lasting social and economic growth in the African continent. Upcoming event: ‘Ingredients 2 Inspire Africa: Finance & Agribusiness Conference Cairo’ Ingredients 2 Inspire is the flagship annual conference of Thames International that brings together leading academics, industry heads and thought leaders in key sectors to find solutions within emerging economies to promote growth and development. Under the patronage of His Excellency Abdul Moneim El-Banna, the Egyptian Minister of Agriculture, the theme for this year’s I2I Africa is “Finance and Agribusiness” and will bring together the worlds of finance and agribusiness to focus on real solutions that support the economic and social development of the agriculture industry in Africa. Africa has 65% of the uncultivated arable land left in the world to feed 9 billion people by 2050 but farm productivity continues to lag behind. This untapped potential presents opportunities to boost employment, secure economic

This year Thames International will host its third annual Ingredients 2 Inspire conference in Cairo on 22-23 May 2017 at The Four Seasons Nile Plaza.

growth, harness renewable energy and grow investment in infrastructure and technology. Action now will secure food and economic security for the future, in Africa and beyond. This leading conference for financing agribusiness will unite business leaders, government officials, IPA’s, private sector companies and private equity firms to facilitate bilateral agreements that will grant access to funds that have the potential to support innovative agribusiness projects in Africa. Be a part of the future of agribusiness by joining some of most influential and key institutions in Africa and beyond to share, learn and take action to unlock potential of the agribusiness sector in Africa. Participating organisations include: l

African Development Bank (AfDB)

COMESA

Banque Misr

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO)

European Union (EU)

African Export-Import Bank (Afrexim)

General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI)

Ministry of African Affairs, Egypt

'Ingredients 2 Inspire Africa: Finance & Agribusiness Conference' is the leading conference for financing agribusiness in Africa. Register today to join a host of government officials, C-level decision makers, investors and agribusinesses to be a part of the future of agriculture in Africa.

Contact For more information and to get your ticket, visit the official event website: www.i2iafrica.com #I2IAfrica17 For more information on Thames International, visit their official website wwww.thamesinternational.co.uk and follow on social media @thamesintl

ECONOMIC FOCUS

Rayner Essex LLP Laith Al-Hilfi is the Executive Tax Manager for Rayner Essex LLP. Born in London in the mid-seventies, he moved to Abu Dhabi with his parents at the age of 3, where he completed his primary and secondary education at an international school and returned to London to attend Queen Mary College University of London graduating with a Bachelor in Engineering. There are a number of tax changes that have come into effect from 6 April 2017 subject to the enactment of the draft legislation which has been delayed by the announcement of the general election in the UK on 8 June 2017. It is important the ownership of UK residential property is reviewed immediately and consideration is given to the long term intentions of clients.

His career in accountancy started in 1997, initially training and qualifying as a chartered certified accountant and then switching in 2002 to tax with a special interest in private client work, offering creative solutions to client problems.

Expertise Whilst working in the private client team, Laith spotted a gap in the market for Arabic speaking accountants and tax advisors servicing Middle Eastern families investing in the UK. The UK, and in particular London, is hugely popular for Middle Eastern investors for many reasons - no language barrier as English is widely spoken across the region, visiting regularly for business and pleasure, University education and a robust financial system providing protection of their investments. Fifteen years or so ago the tax framework was simpler particularly around UK residential property, as there was little exposure to Inheritance Tax if structured appropriately, this has since changed with the substantial property appreciation, many properties are now within the scope of IHT.

Case Study A good example for me was in 2010, one of my Middle Eastern clients was considering buying a £3 million property in an affluent part of London for use by the family during their holidays, Laith Hilfi writes. My client had spent an increasing amount of time in London although not enough to make them a UK-tax resident. After making some enquires, I discovered that this property was held by a BVI company and once some due diligence had been undertaken, the client decided to purchase the shares in the BVI company. My client paid no SDLT on the purchase of the shares and, going forward,

Increasingly, new and existing clients from the Middle East are considering succession planning in addition to UK IHT planning. The patriarch of the family often wants to create a structure which meets the obligations of Sharia law but also ensures a smooth transition of ownership.

provided the property was not let and the client remained non-UK resident, the ownership of the property would give rise to no UK tax consequences for the client. Since 2012, this common ownership structure has become less popular with the new tax changes. My client, like many others, have been paying the Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings (ATED) charge each year to occupy the property and is also faced with ATED-relate CGT on a future sale of the property as well as potential IHT exposure. I am now assisting my client in transferring (“de-enveloping”) the property to their personal name but this in itself will trigger tax costs. Given the extent of tax changes since 2012, the UK tax treatment of residential property can now be both complex and confusing area to advise on and many clients in the Middle East are not aware of the tax consequences.

The skill I developed when I was young, understanding cultural differences between the Middle East and the UK has assisted me in providing a more comprehensive service, tailoring my advice to my client’s specific requirements. I am passionate about my work, maintaining regular contact with my clients, often visiting them in their home countries, offering customised solutions that meet their requirements and where possible exceed them. I take pride in having achieved a strong loyal client portfolio and one that I will continue to grow as more clients from the Middle East appreciate the benefits of having a trusted adviser who understands and has a close affinity to their culture and requirements.

Contact Laith Al-Hilfi Executive Tax Manager Tel: +44(0)207 388 2641 Email: laith@rayneressex.com www.rayneressex.com

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 69

New members Aeron Branding Limited

22 Upper Ground Southwark London SE1 9PD Tel: +44(0)20-3198 2277 Email: matthew.millardbeer@ aeronbranding.com Website: www.aeronbranding.com Contact Mr Matthew Millard-Beer Managing Director Brand innovation, design and strategy

Afrique Engins SARL

Cooperative Kamiche No 67 Local B N2 Kuba Algeria Tel: +213 5550 50185 Fax: +213 2370 8921 Email: mohamed8-jch@hotmail.fr Contact Mr Mohamed Haireche Managing Director Import and export industrial machinery and accessories

Air Express Travel & Tours (UK) Limited 123 Whitechapel Road Tower Hamlets London E1 1DT Tel: +44(0)20-3540 6385 Email: mizanul@airexpress.co.uk Website: www.airexpress.co.uk Contact Mr Mizanul Haque Director Travel agency

Arabian BEC Limited

1 Ridge Avenue Harpenden Hertfordshire AL5 3LU Tel: +44(0)158-262 2749 Email: david@arabianbec.com Website: www.arabianbec.com Contact Mr David Green Director Economic and business consultancy focused on the Arabian Gulf markets, Provide market and feasibility studies, benchmarking and economic impact assessment for private and government clients

Astyrian Holdings Limited

36 Bovingdon Road London SW6 2AP Tel: +44(0)788-025 7321 Email: jonathan@earthafricaholdings. com Contact Mr Jonathan Martin Director Oil and gas, solar, offshore, mining and other sectors

Blu Corners Ltd T/A London PT College

5 Cullen Way London NW10 6JZ Tel: +44(0)740-4828 980 Email: info@lptcollege.com Website: www.lptcollege.com Contact Mr Feras K Abed Managing Director Business school and training centre offering short accredited courses in accountancy and management

Bodychillz Limited The Beehive City Place Gatwick West Sussex RH6 0PA Tel: +44(0)129-380 4609 Email: jonathan@bodychillz.com Website: www.caervest.com Contact Mr Jonathan Weinberg Commercial Director Manufacturer of Core Body Cooling Certified Medical Devices to prevent death due to heat strokes and other heat related conditions

Carpo Holdings (UK) Limited

869 High Road London N12 8QA Tel: +44(0)20-8370 7280 Email: akyropoulou@carpoworld.com Website: www.carpoworld.com Contact Mrs Angelina Kyropoulou Director High quality coffee, beverages, nuts, chocolates and honey products; branch of Greek family-owned company Carpo Hellas

CIG Business Services 19th floor 48 Burj Gate Tower Sheikh Zayed Road Downtown Dubai Dubai UAE Tel: +971 4 4030 600 Fax: +971 4 4030 777 Email: a.ahmed@cigdubai.ae Website: www.cigdubai.ae Contact Mr Ahmed Ayub CEO Business consultation, company incorporation, serviced offices, PR services, accounting & book keeping, HR & payroll services

CyNation Limited The Rain Cloud 76 Vincent Square Victoria London SW1P 2PD Tel: +44(0)757-891 4815 Email: iryna.chekanava@cynation.com Website: www.cynation.com Contact Ms Iryna Chekanava Marketing, Communications & Research Manager Cyber Security, Compliance, Threat Intelligence, Risk Assessment, Security Monitoring, Secure Communications, Training and Incident Management

Deeval Limited Unit 45 First Avenue Deeside Industrial Park Deeside CH5 2NU Tel: +44(0)1244281333 Fax: +44(0)1244 281 878 Email: wathek@russellipm.com Contact Mr Wathek Zair Manager Pest control and agriculture

continued page 70

ECONOMIC FOCUS

from page 69

Devonshire Healthcare Services Limited 1 Maple Grove Lawrence Road Hounslow Middlesex TW4 6DR Tel: +44(0)20-3327 4180 Email: Rebecca@devonshirehealthcare. com Website: www.devonshirehealthcare. com Contact Ms Rebecca Hills Senior Sales Executive Exporter of pharmaceutical and healthcare products

Doyle Clayton Solicitors Sovereign House Vastern Road Reading Berkshire RG1 8BT Tel: +44(0)118-959 6839 Email: smatharoo@doyleclayton.co.uk Website: www.doyleclayton.co.uk Contact Mr Sukhpal Matheroo Partner and Notary Public Law firm with expertise in employment law, settlement agreements, business immigration, TUPE, restrictive covenants, redundancy, Tribunal and High Court disputes

Fresh Healthcare Limited 96 Woodstock Road Birmingham B13 9VA Tel: +44(0)7791649703 Email: office@fresh-healthcare.com Website: www.fresh-healthcare.com Contact Dr Wleed Haq CEO Natural healthcare supplements to enhance health, vitality and wellness

HealthClic Suite 4.35 Prospect Ergon House Horseferry Road London SW1P 2AL Tel: +44(0)20-3713 4116 Email: info@healthclic.co.uk Website: www.healthclic.co.uk Contact Ms Priyanka Chaturvedi CEO/Managing Director Private medical practitioner, home visits and health coverage

Impact Health Limited

KAPLAN UK Limited

Unit 2 Alder Close Horizon Business Centre Erith Kent DA18 4AJ Tel: +44(0)20-8320 3820 Fax: +44(0)845 833 0839 Email: dipak@impact-healthcare.co.uk Website: www.impact-healthcare.co.uk Contact Mr Dipak Patel Director Global distributer of pharmaceuticals and medicines

179-191 Borough High Street Southwark London SE1 1HR Tel: +44(0)20-3468 0907 Email: businesstraining@kaplan.com Website: www.kaplanleadership.com Contact Mr Martin West Leadership and Professional Development Training, development and business education

Informed Executives (Europe) Limited 944 Warwick Road Solihull West Midlands B91 3HW Tel: +44(0)7831 494939 Email: bijan@sedghi.com Contact Mr Bijan Sedghi Executive Director Business intelligence services

Intelligent Protection International Limited

330 High Holborn London WC1V 7QT Tel: +44(0)20-7456 6740 Email: info@intelligent-protection.co.uk Website: www.intelligent-protection. co.uk Contact Mr Alex Bomberg Group CEO Specialist executive close protection and security services for Ultra High Net Worth individuals to Family Offices and corporations worldwide

International Human and Management Development Centre

Office 3 Halpern House 1 Hampshire Terrace Portsmouth Hampshire PO1 2QF Contact Dr Tahir Radwan Director Tel: +44(0)23-9243 9679 Email: info@ihmdc.com Website: www.ihmdc.com Professional services, consultancy offering services in education, training, management and HR

Marina International Ltd

28 Marbaix Gardens Isleworth Middlesex TW7 4FD Tel: +44(0)778-626 2161 Email: w.ftiss@marina-int-ltd.com Website: www.marina-int-ltd.com Contact Mr Waled Ftiss Director Purchasing agent for oil companies operating in Algeria & Libya

Properties Unique Limited

Gear House Saltmeadow Road Gateshead Tyne & Wear NE8 3AH Tel: +44(0)191-4900789 Email: vivlee@propertiesunique.com Contact Ms Vivien Herrera-Lee Managing Director Luxury serviced apartments for both business and leisure travellers

Prestige Tax Refund Ltd

18 The Mill Horton Road Stanwell Moor Staines Middlesex TW19 6BJ Tel: +44(0)1753 689 666 Email: Sofiane@prestigetaxrefund.co.uk Website: www.prestigetaxrefund.co.uk Contact Mr Sofiane Laifa Managing Director VAT refund services for corporate clients

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 71

Qatar Charity UK

115 Park Street London W1K 7AP Tel: +44 (0) 0207 118 0505 Email: salman@qcharity.org.uk Website: www.qcharity.org.uk Contact Mr Fadi Itani Deputy Director General Charitable activities

Randall Parker Foods Limited Tillydown Appleshaw Andover Hampshire SP11 9BB Tel: +44(0)126-477 3545 Fax: +44(0)126-477 3443 Email: sales.andover@ randallparkerfoods.com Website: www.randallparkerfoods.com Contact Mr James Gaffney Managing Director Meat processing company for beef and lamb, including halal lamb for both the home and international markets

• PIPELINES • BUILDINGS

Sterling Stamp Law Firm 95 Mortimer Street London W1W 7ST Tel: +44(0)770-420 5670 Email: elidrissi.ihsane@sterlingstamp. com Website: www.sterlingstamp.com Contact Ms Ihsane Elidrissi Elhassani Principal Boutique specialist law firm providing tailor-made personal service for clients in English, French and Arabic; experience of the UK, Middle East, North African and the Caribbean markets

Tritip International Limited ICG House Office 112 Station Approach Greenford Middlesex UB6 0AL Tel: +44(0)750-078 2839 Email: waleedattia@outlook.com Contact Mr Waled Shehata CEO Exporter of meat and meat products

• MECHANICAL • ROADS & BRIDGES

TUV Rheinland UK Limited

One Cranmore Drive Shirley Solihull West Midlands B90 4RZ Tel: +44(0)121-796 9400 Email: adriana.gomes@uk.tuv.com Website: www.uk.tuv.com Contact Ms Adriana Gomes Business Development Executive Certification of safety and quality for products, services and management systems

Welbrit Limited Office 304 119 Neasden Lane London NW10 1PH Tel: +44 (0) 0208 4340470 Email: info@welbrit.co.uk Website: www.welbrit.co.uk Contact Mr Jaafar Sadeq Al-Sibahee Director Electrical, mechanical and infrastructural products and construction equipment

• HEAVY CIVIL • WATER TREATMENT

Consolidated Contractors Company www.ccc.gr

Wherever you are goingâ&#x20AC;Ś We can take care of your intellectual property needs. Whether you are looking to invest in foreign business, or you are a company looking to expand abroad, we can guide you through the international IP landscape and ensure maximum protection. Get in touch to find out how we can help.

ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 73

W e lco m e T r a n s l at i o n s Lt d t r a n s l a t i o n

e x p e r t

www.welcometranslations.com

TRANSLATION

TRANSCRIPTION

We provide a wide range of translation services to cater to your specific needs. From legal documents to technical translation, from marketing brochures to medical reports, we work with any type and size of documents. We only rely on a network of qualified and experienced translators who combine their language fluency with excellent writing skills, cultural understanding and the technical expertise required to help you convey your message with accuracy – and timeliness.

We offer transcription services of audio/video files in English as well as foreign languages. We accept a variety of formats – including DVD and USB – that will be converted by our team of experts into consistent text. Over the years we have provided time-coded transcriptions of police interviews, immigration tapes, court hearings, documentaries, just to name a few and comparisons of audio and video materials. Our transcription process is meticulous, fast and certified for use in courts.

INTERPRETING

NOTARISATION

Professional interpreting is a critical component in ensuring the success of any business working across different languages. We have the capacity to guarantee professional, personalised language service for any setting and all venues, including courts and prisons.

We understand that certain translations have to be formally verified for official uses. We can guide you through the process of certifying your documents, and offer notary translation services according to the nature of each document and their uses.

Whether you require to facilitate multilingual communication simultaneously or consecutively, face-to-face or over the phone, our team will assist you in determining how to best meet your needs.

Should you require a sworn certification, an Apostille legalisation or any other notarisation services please do not hesitate to contact us!

Welcome Translations Unit 3 Lincoln House 1-3 Brixton Road London SW9 6DE Tel: 020 7091 0491 Fax: 020 7735 5390

‫‪ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS‬‬

‫الســيد املهنــدس عبــد اللــه عبدالعزيــز الســبيعي –‬ ‫املديــر التنفيــذي لشــبكة الســكك الحديــدة ‪ ،‬دولــة‬ ‫قطر‬ ‫الســيد‪ ،‬إيريــك ششــولز ‪ -‬رئيــس‪ ،‬الطـران املــدين ‪-‬‬ ‫رولس‪-‬رويــس‪ ،‬اململكــة املتحــدة‬ ‫تناولــت هــذه الجلســة نقاشــات حــول “النقــل‬ ‫والبنيــة التحتيــة”‪ ،‬وهــي املشــاريع التــي‬ ‫ســتــقــام فـــــي قــطــــر يف مــجــــال الــنــقــــل‬ ‫ومـــشـــروعـــــات البنية التحتية‪ ،‬حيــث تحــدث‬ ‫معــايل الســيد جاســم بــن ســيف الســلطاين – وزيــر‬ ‫االتصــاالت والنقــل‪ ،‬بــأن دولــة قطــر تبنــي كل مــا‬ ‫تحتاجــه دورة كاس العــامل عــام ‪ ،2022‬وإن قطــر‬ ‫اآلن تبنــي مــا تحتاجــه لرؤيــة ‪ 2030‬مــن مشــاريع‬ ‫عمالقــة‪ .‬وأشــار إىل أن قطــر تتطلــع إىل الراكــة‬ ‫الفعالــة مــا بــن القطــاع العــام والخــاص ومــا بــن‬ ‫الــركات القطريــة واألجنبيــة الســيا الريطانيــة‬ ‫يف مشــاريع النقــل والبنيــة التحتيــة”‪ .‬وأضــاف “أن‬ ‫وزارة النقــل يف قطــر وضعــت إسـراتيجية جديــدة‬ ‫اســمها “ســارت قطــر” والتــي تركــز عــى بنــاء‬ ‫وتطويــر قطــاع النقــل”‪.‬‬ ‫حيــث جــرى الحديث عن املشــاريع العمالقــة التي‬ ‫تشــهدها قطــر الســيا االســتعدادات لــكأس العالك‬ ‫‪ ،2022‬حيــث تحــدث األمــن الـعـام للجنة العليا‬ ‫للمشاريع واإلرث الســيد حسن الــــــذوادي عــــن‬ ‫االنــجــــازات الـتـي تـمـت فــــي اإلنـــشـــــاءات‬ ‫واملــشــروعــــات املــرافــقــــة الستضافة مونديال‬ ‫كأس العامل يف قطر املقرر له أن يقام يف عام ‪،2022‬‬ ‫بينــا تحــدث رئيس هيئة األشـغـال العامة الدكتور‬ ‫سعد أحمد إبراهيم املهندي‪ ،‬عــن خطــط قطــر‬ ‫املســتقبلية يف هــذا املجــال‪.‬‬ ‫ويف مجــال النقــل والبنيــة التحتيــة‪ ،‬فإنــه مــن‬ ‫املتوقــع أن يســاهم زيــادة االنفــاق يف مشــاريع‬ ‫البنيــة التحتيــة يف تريــع وتــرة تنفيــذ هــذه‬ ‫املشــاريع التــي تشــمل إقامــة الطــرق ومحطــات‬ ‫الكهربــاء ومحطــات امليــاه وشــبكة الــرف‬ ‫الصحــي‪ ،‬واســتكال املشــاريع‪ ،‬باإلضافــة إىل زيــادة‬ ‫اإلنفــاق عــى مشــاريع التعليــم وإقامــة مــدارس‬ ‫جديــدة يف جميــع املراحــل التعليميــة‪ ،‬مــع التوســع‬ ‫يف مشــاريع مؤسســة قطــر‪ .‬كــا تتضمــن املوازنــة‬ ‫الجديــدة تنفيــذ عــدد مــن مشــاريع اســتضافة‬ ‫كأس العــامل ‪ ،2022‬مــن مالعــب وفنــادق ومــدن‬ ‫االســتضافة والخدمــات املرافقــة لهــا‪.‬‬

‫الجلسة السادسة‪ :‬مشاريع‬ ‫يف قطاع الصحة والتعليم‬ ‫والسياحة‬

‫ســعادة الدكتــورة حنــان محمــد الكــواري وزيــر‬ ‫الصحــة العامــة‪ ،‬دولــة قطــر‬

‫الســيد أكــر آلباكــر ‪ -‬الرئيــس التنفيــذي ملجموعــة‬ ‫قطــر للطـران‬ ‫معــايل الدكتــور حســن راشــد الدرهــم ‪ -‬رئيــس‬ ‫جامعــة قطــر‬ ‫ الرايــت هــون كاريــن بــراديل النائــب ووزيــر‬‫الدولــة للثقافــة وســائل اإلعــالم والرياضــة‪ ،‬اململكــة‬ ‫املتحــدة‬ ‫الرايــت هــون غريــغ كالرك النائــب ووزيــر الدولــة‬ ‫لشــؤون األعــال والطاقــة واإلسـراتيجية الصناعيــة‬ ‫تناولــت هــذه الجلســة الحديــث عــن املشــاريع‬ ‫الحيويــة يف قطاعــات الصحــة والتعليــم والســياحة‪،‬‬ ‫وســلطت الضــوء عــى قضايــا الخطــط املســتقبلية‬ ‫يف هــذه القطاعــات والتــي ترغــب قطــر يف تنميتهــا‬ ‫واســتدامتها وزيــادة مســاهمتها يف الناتــج املحــي‬ ‫اإلجــايل لقطــر‪.‬‬ ‫ففــي الصحــة‪ ،‬تحدثــت ســعادة الدكتــورة حنــان‬ ‫محمــد الكــواري وزيــر الصحــة العامــة‪ ،‬بــأن قطــر‬ ‫قــد رصــدت أكــرث مــن ‪ 20‬مليــار ريــال لإلنفــاق عى‬ ‫الصحــة يف املوازنــة الحاليــة مــع خطــط لتطويــر‬ ‫القطــاع وتحســن األداء الصحــي بالدولــة‪ .‬ويف قطاع‬ ‫الســياحة‪ ،‬اشــار املتحدثــون إىل أن قطــر تهــدف‬ ‫إىل زيــادة مســاهمة قطــاع الســياحة يف الناتــج‬ ‫املحــي اإلجــايل لتصــل إىل ‪ %5.2‬خــالل الســنوات‬ ‫القادمــة‪ ،‬باإلضافــة إىل توليــد ‪ 98‬ألــف فرصــة عمل‬ ‫وتوفــر أكــرث مــن ‪ 63‬ألــف غرفــة فندقيــة‪.‬‬ ‫أشــار الســيد الباكــر ‪ -‬الرئيــس التنفيــذي لركــة‬ ‫الخطــوط الجويــة القطريــة إن رشكــة الخطــوط‬ ‫الجويــة القطريــة قــد تطلــب ‪ 100‬طائــرة جديــدة‬ ‫قبــل نهايــة العــام الحــايل لدفعهــا إىل العمــل يف‬ ‫خطــوط جديــدة‪ ،‬وتعتــزم الخطــوط أيضـاً اإلعــالن‬ ‫عــن خطــن جديديــن إىل اململكــة املتحــدة‪ .‬وقــال‬ ‫الســيد الباكــر ان رشكــة الخطــوط القطريــة واثقــة‬

‫مــن ان سياســة الطــران الجديــدة التــي وضعهــا‬ ‫رئيــس الــوزراء الهنــدي “نابلنــدرا مــودي” ستســمح‬ ‫مبلكيــة ‪ %100‬مــن الخطــوط الجويــة املحليــة‪.‬‬ ‫وقــال أن “هيئــة قطــر لالســتثار ميكــن أن متــول‬ ‫املــروع‪ ،‬وتــرك الخطــوط الجويــة القطريــة‬ ‫لتشــغيله‪ .‬وتســتهدف الخطــوط الجويــة القطريــة‬ ‫االســتحواذ عــى موطــئ قــدم يف خطــوط جويــة‬ ‫عامليــة بعــد أن اســتحوذت رشكــة ط ـران االتحــاد‬ ‫للطــران يف أبوظبــي‪.‬‬ ‫وقــال إن خطــط توســيع الخطوط الجويــة القطرية‬ ‫يف أماكــن أخــرى تشــمل إضافــة طريقــن جديديــن‬ ‫إىل بريطانيــا‪ .‬وتقــدم الركــة بالفعــل ‪ 72‬خدمــة‬ ‫أســبوعية إىل اململكــة املتحــدة‪ ،‬حيــث تخــدم مركز‬ ‫هيــرثو يف لنــدن‪ ،‬فضــال عــن مانشســر وبرمنغهــام‬ ‫يف إنجل ـرا وإدنــره يف اســكتلندا‪ .‬وقــال الباكــر ان‬ ‫رشكتــه تتوائــم مــع القواعــد الجديــدة التــي تفــرض‬ ‫حظــر حمــل األجهــزة اإللكرونيــة الكبــرة عــى‬ ‫مــن رحــالت جويــة متجهــة إىل الواليــات املتحــدة‬ ‫ومنطلقــة مــن منطقــة الــرق األوســط والــدول‬ ‫االفريقيــة مبــا فيهــا قطــر‪ ،‬وهــو ال يعتقــد أن هــذه‬ ‫االج ـراءات ســتر باالعــال‪.‬‬ ‫أختتمــت أعــال املنتــدى ليومــه األول يف لنــدن‬ ‫بنجــاح منقطــع النظــر‪ ،‬وجــرت يف الجلســة‬ ‫الختاميــة مختــر مناقشــات الجلســات الســتة‬ ‫وبجــو مليــئ بالتفــاؤل‪.‬‬ ‫يف حــن تســتعرض الــركات الريطانيــة يف اليــوم‬ ‫الثــاين للمؤمتــر مبدينــة برمنغهــام مشــاريعها البارزة‬ ‫الجاهــزة لالســتثار يف اليــوم الثــاين للمؤمتــر‪،‬‬ ‫حيــث تكــون الوفــود القطريــة بضيافــة مجلــس‬ ‫مدينــة برمنجهــام‪ ،‬ويتــم اســتعراض أهــم الفــرص‬ ‫االســتثارية يف برمنغهــام‪ ،‬ويسـلّط مجلــس مدينــة‬ ‫برمنغهــام الضــوء عــى املزيــج الفريــد الــذي تتمتع‬ ‫بــه اململكــة املتحــدة مــن تــراث ثقــايف‪ ،‬إضافــة‬ ‫إىل متيزهــا يف القطاعــات الرياضيــة واإلبداعيــة‪،‬‬ ‫مــع عــرض فــرص التجــارة واالســتثار يف مدينــة‬ ‫برمنجهــام‪.‬‬ ‫ومــن املتوقــع أن يســفر عــن املنتــدى مشــاريع‬ ‫اســتثارية تقـ ّدر باملليــارات وعدد مــن االتفاقيات‪.‬‬

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‫‪ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 75‬‬

‫منفتحــة عــى احتضــان االســتثارات القطريــة‬ ‫املقبلــة يف اململكــة املتحــدة‪.‬‬ ‫ومــن جانبــه‪ ،‬أشــار الســيد مارتــن ويتســالر –‬ ‫رئيــس عمليــات الغــاز العامليــة املتكاملــة والطاقــة‬ ‫املتجــددة يف شــل قطــر‪ ،‬إىل انــه قبــل نحو ‪ 15‬ســنة‬ ‫كانــت قطــر قــد دعــت اململكــة املتحــدة لتطويــر‬ ‫قطــاع النفــط والغــاز يف قطــر‪ ،‬وللمملكــة املتحــدة‬ ‫اســتثارات مبــارشة يف هــذا املجــال يف قطــر وإن‬ ‫“اململكــة املتحــدة مــن الالعبــن الكبــار يف قطــر‬ ‫يف مجــال الطاقــة‪ ،‬الســيا رشكــة شــل”‪“ .‬ونحــن‬ ‫نســتثمر يف مشــاريع الطاقــة املتجــددة يف قطــر‬ ‫وهــذا مــن دواعــي فخرنــا واعتزازنــا”‪.‬‬ ‫وتحــدث الســيد ســعد رشيــدة الكعبــي ‪ -‬العضــو‬ ‫املنتــدب والرئيــس التنفيــذي لقطــر للبــرول‪ ،‬عــن‬ ‫مخاوفــه يف بدايــة إنطــالق أعــال املنتــدى اليــوم‬ ‫“كنــت خائفــاً عندمــا ســمعت اليــوم صباحــاً‬ ‫بــأن حقبــة النفــط ســتنتهي!! لكــن ال‪ ،‬هــذا غــر‬ ‫صحيــح‪ .‬فالزالــت قطــر فعالــة يف هــذا املجــال‪،‬‬ ‫وهــي أحــد الالعبــن الكبــار يف مجــال الطاقــة‪،‬‬ ‫وضمــن أكــر مصــدري الطاقــة يف العــامل”‪ .‬وتحــدث‬ ‫الســيد الكعبــي بالتفصيــل عــن قطــاع الطاقــة‬ ‫املزدهــر يف دولــة قطــر وأنــه النــواة الحقيقيــة لــكل‬

‫البنــاء الــذي جــرى ويجــري يف البــالد‪ .‬وأكــد “بــأن‬ ‫قطــاع الطاقــة يف قطــر سيتوســع وسيشــهد تطــورا ً‬ ‫غــر مســبوقاً مــن قبــل‪“ ،‬نحــن لدينــا الكــرث لــرى‬ ‫يف املســتقبل‪ ،‬وســنقدم الدعــم للقطاعــات األخــرى‬ ‫مــن االقتصــاد الســيا قطــاع التعليــم والصحــة‬ ‫والبنــى التحتيــة للبــالد”‪ .‬وأكــد بــأن “قطــاع الطاقة‬ ‫هــو القــوة الدافعــة وراء تنــوع االقتصــاد القطــري‪،‬‬ ‫وعــى قــدرة االقتصــاد عــى التنويــع”‪ .‬وبخصــوص‬ ‫أســعار النفــط العامليــة‪ ،‬أشــار الســيد الكعبــي بــأن‬ ‫باســتطاعة أوبــك موازنــة العــرض والطلــب وكذلــك‬ ‫كميــة الفائــض غــر املقــرر (خــارج نطــاق اإلنتــاج‬ ‫املتفــق عليــه)‪ ،‬حيــث “علينــا ســحب هــذا الفائــض‬ ‫مــن الســوق حتــى نتمكــن مــن املوازنــة بــن‬ ‫العــرض والطلــب العاملــي عــى النفــط”‪ .‬وأضــاف‬ ‫بــأن “بريكزيــت ســوف لــن يؤثــر عــى قطــاع‬ ‫النفــط بشــكل مبــارش ورسيــع ذلــك ألن قطــاع‬ ‫الطاقــة يعتمــد عــى عقــود طويلــة األمــد‪ ،‬ولهــذا‬ ‫فــإن مــدة ســنتن ســوف لــن تكــون مؤثــرة بشــكل‬ ‫ملحــوظ”‪ .‬أمــا بالنســية إىل انخفــاض ســعر رصف‬ ‫الجنيــه اإلسـرليني قــال “صحيــح أن انخفاض ســعر‬ ‫الجنيــه ســيؤثر عــى قيمــة االســتثارات القطريــة‬ ‫يف اململكــة املتحــدة‪ ،‬لكننــا ال ننــوي التخلــص‬ ‫مــن اســتثاراتنا وبيعهــا‪ .‬ولهــذا‪ ،‬فــإن اســتثاراتنا‬ ‫محتفظــة بقيمتهــا عــى املــدى البعيــد وبعــد‬

‫ان يســتقر ســعر رصف الجنيــه اإلســرليني مــرة‬ ‫أخــرى”‪.‬‬ ‫وجــرت يف هــذه الجلســة مناقشــات معمقة بشــأن‬ ‫مروعــات الطاقــة والصناعــة يف كل مــن قطــر‬ ‫واململكــة املتحــدة‪.‬‬

‫الجلسة الخامسة‪ :‬النقل‬ ‫والبنية التحتية‬

‫معــايل الســيد جاســم بــن ســيف الســلطاين – وزيــر‬ ‫االتصــاالت والنقــل‪ ،‬دولــة قطــر‬ ‫معــايل الســيد حســن عبــد اللــه الســيد حســن‬ ‫الــذوادي‪ ،‬األمــن العــام للجنــة العليــا للمشــاريع‬ ‫واإلرث‪ ،‬دولــة قطــر‬

‫معــايل الدكتــور املهنــدس ســعد أحمــد املهنــدي ‪-‬‬ ‫رئيــس أشــغال (‪ ،)Ashgal‬دولــة قطــر‬ ‫ســر جــورج‪ ،‬إكوبيســكو ‪ -‬رئيــس مجموعــة كنــاري‬ ‫وارف‪ ،‬اململكــة املتحــدة‬

‫‪ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS‬‬

‫املركــز هــي مســاعدة الــركات ألنشــاء وتطويــر‬ ‫أعالهــا‪ ،‬واآلن أكــرث مــن ‪ 300‬رشكــة عضــو يف‬ ‫املركــز‪ ،‬وأضــاف “نحــن نســعى إىل زيــادة عــدد‬ ‫الــركات وزيــادة تنوعهــا”‪.‬‬ ‫ومــن جهتــه‪ ،‬قــال الســيد عمــر الفــردان رئيــس‬ ‫مجلــس إدارة مجموعــة الفــردان “نقــدر ونثمــن‬ ‫الخدمــات التــي ميكــن أن تقدمهــا اململكــة املتحدة‬ ‫ونســعى إىل إيجــاد الفــرص املشــركة لتطويــر‬ ‫العالقــات املشــركة”‪ .‬بينــا تحدث الســيد جوزيف‬ ‫إبراهــام الرئيــس التنفيــذي للبنــك التجــاري‪ ،‬عــن‬ ‫الفــرص وأشــار إىل اإلمكانــات الهائلــة التــي ميكــن‬ ‫أن يقدمهــا القطــاع البنــي القطــري للمســتثمرين‪.‬‬ ‫وأشــار الســيد جوزيــف إبراهــام‪ ،‬أنــه بعيــدا ً عــن‬ ‫قطــاع النفــط والغــاز‪ ،‬هنــاك قطاعــات ناشــئة‬ ‫وناجحــة يف قطــر ومنهــا قطــاع املصــارف والبنــوك‪،‬‬ ‫وهــو أحــد القطاعــات املتطــورة وأكرثهــا تأثــرا ً‬ ‫يف منطقــة الــرق األوســط‪ .‬وأضــاف أن قطــاع‬ ‫املصــارف والبنــوك يف قطــر يســتخدم أحــدث‬ ‫التقنيــات واألدوات املرفيــة واملعايــر العامليــة‪،‬‬ ‫ويخضــع للمعايــر الحديثــة يف الصناعــة املرفية”‪.‬‬

‫الجلسة الرابعة‪ :‬مشاريع‬ ‫الطاقة والصناعة يف قطر‬

‫معــايل الدكتــور محمــد صالــح عبداللــه الســادة ‪-‬‬ ‫وزيــر الطاقــة والصناعــة‪ ،‬دولــة قطــر‬ ‫الســيد ســعد رشيــدة الكعبــي ‪ -‬العضــو املنتــدب‬ ‫والرئيــس التنفيــذي لقطــر للبــرول‪ ،‬دولــة قطــر‬

‫جيــي نورمــان ‪ -‬وزيــرة الدولــة للطاقــة الريطانية‪،‬‬ ‫وممثــل عــن واحــة قطــر للعلــوم والتكنولوجيا‬ ‫الســيد مارتــن ويتســالر – رئيــس عمليــات الغــاز‬ ‫العامليــة املتكاملــة والطاقــة املتجــددة يف شــل قطــر‬ ‫الســيد لويــس تايلــور ‪ -‬الرئيــس التنفيــذي متويــل‬ ‫الصــادرات يف اململكــة املتحــدة‬ ‫ركــزت هــذه الجلســة عــى مشــاريع الطاقــة‬ ‫والصناعــة‪ ،‬حيــث أشــار معــايل الدكتــور محمــد‬ ‫صالــح عبداللــه الســادة ‪ -‬وزيــر الطاقــة والصناعــة‪،‬‬ ‫إىل مشــاريع الطاقــة والصناعــة يف قطــر والتي تعتر‬ ‫مــن القضايــا املهمــة التــي ســتأخذ حيـزا ً ليــس عى‬

‫نطــاق املنتــدى بــل عــى نطــاق مســتقبل قطــر‬ ‫والعــامل‪ ،‬خاصــة وان قطــر تعتــر مــن أكــر املوردين‬ ‫للغــاز الطبيعــي املســال يف اململكــة املتحــدة‬ ‫وبلغــت نســبة صــادرات الغــاز الطبيعــي املســال‬ ‫نحــو ‪ %20‬مــن احتياجــات بريطانيــا مــا يشــكل‬ ‫ركيــزة أساســية لتأمــن الطاقــة يف اململكــة املتحدة‪.‬‬ ‫وبجانــب الــركات الريطانيــة التــي تعمــل يف‬ ‫قطــاع الطاقــة بقطر أنشــأت قطــر للبــرول مروع‬ ‫محطــة (ســاوث هــوك) كأحــد أهــم املروعــات‬ ‫الحيويــة بــن قطــر وبريطانيــا يف مجــال الطاقــة يف‬ ‫‪ 2009‬بإجــايل اســتثارات بلــغ نحــو ‪ 1.7‬مليــار‬ ‫دوالر‪ ،‬واملــروع عبــارة عــن رشاكــة بــن قطــر‬ ‫للبــرول التــي متلــك ‪ %70‬ورشكــة (اكســون موبيل)‬ ‫التــي متتلــك ‪ %30‬مــن املحطــة‪.‬‬ ‫وأشــار الســيد جيــي نورمــان ‪ -‬وزيــر الصناعــة‬ ‫والطاقــة يف اململكــة املتحــدة إىل انفتــاح اململكــة‬ ‫املتحــدة لألعــال مــع رشكائهــا الســيا مــع دولــة‬ ‫قطــر‪ ،‬وقــال بأنــه متفائــل جــدا ً بــأن قطــر مقدمــة‬ ‫عــى اســتثارات أكــر يف بريطانيــا الســيا يف‬ ‫مشــاريع البنيــة التحتيــة‪ ،‬وأن الــركات الريطانيــة‬ ‫يف مجــال التكنولوجيــا الحديثــة والطاقــة املتجــددة‬

‫‪ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 77‬‬

‫مــن تدعيــم أنشــطة آالف املروعــات الصغــرة‬ ‫واملتوســطة وتدريــب الكثــر مــن العاملــن يف قطاع‬ ‫األعــال مــن قبــل البنــك‪ ،‬باإلضافــة إىل الدعــم‬ ‫املــادي أيضــاً‪ .‬ودعــا املســتثمرين الريطانيــن إىل‬ ‫االســتفادة مــن القــدرات واالمكانــات الخاصــة‬ ‫بدولــة قطــر والتــي متكنهــا مــن أن تكــون “محــورا‬ ‫إقليمي ـاً”‪.‬‬ ‫وقــال عبــد العزيــز بــن نــارص آل خليفــة إن‬ ‫املؤسســات الصغــرة واملتوســطة يف أي بلــد تعــاين‬ ‫مــن ‪ 5‬تحديــات مهمــة‪ ،‬وهــي الوصــول للمعرفــة‬ ‫والوصــول للتمويــل والوصــول لألســواق والبنيــة‬ ‫التحتيــة والتريــع‪ .‬وقــال “يف قطــر قــد تــم حــل‬ ‫التحديــن الخاصــن بالبنيــة التحتيــة والتريــع‬ ‫حيــث يســاهم البنــك بشــكل كبــر يف حصــول‬ ‫هــذه الــركات عــى املعلومــات حيــث قمنــا‬ ‫بدعــم ‪ 2000‬رشكــة رائــدة خــالل العــام املــايض‬ ‫وســاعدنا أيضـاً عــى مســتوى التدريــب”‪ .‬وأوضــح‬ ‫أن الوصــول للتمويــل ال يــزال مشــكلة ولكــن‬ ‫قطــر متميــزة يف دعــم القطــاع الخــاص والــركات‬ ‫الصغــرة واملتوســطة وقــال “وصلنــا إىل محفظــة‬ ‫قدرهــا ‪ 6.2‬مليــار ريــال قطــري مــن خــالل الراكة‬ ‫مــع بنــك قطــر”‪.‬‬ ‫بــدوره‪ ،‬قــال ســعاد الســيد ليــام فوكــس وزيــر‬ ‫التجــارة الدوليــة الريطــاين‪ ،‬إن عــى بــالده القيــام‬ ‫باملزيــد مــن أجــل تشــجيع صادراتهــا إىل الــدول‬ ‫األخــرى‪ ،‬الفتـاً إىل أنــه ميكــن لدولــة قطــر أن تكــون‬ ‫رشيــكاً يف هــذه املســاعي “خاصــة أن للبلديــن‬ ‫إمكانــات تتوافــر فيهــا بشــكل متكامــل”‪ .‬وأشــاد‬ ‫ســعادته باالقتصــاد القطــري وقدرتــه عــى النمــو‬ ‫والتطــور والدخــول يف رشاكــة مــع بريطانيــا‪ ،‬قائ ـالً‬ ‫إن مثــل هــذه الراكــة “سيســتفيد منهــا الطرفان”‪.‬‬ ‫وأكــد ليــام فوكــس “أن وجهــة نظــر اململكــة ان‬ ‫التنــوع االقتصــادي لــه منافــع طويلــة األجــل‬ ‫ولذلــك تريــد اململكــة تعزيــز صادراتهــا إىل دولــة‬ ‫قطــر خــالل الفــرة املقبلــة‪ .‬وقــال إن ‪ %11‬فقــط‬ ‫مــن الــركات الريطانيــة تبيــع الســلع خــارج البلد‬ ‫و‪ %27‬فقــط هــي اجــايل التصديــر يف الناتــج‬ ‫املحــي باململكــة وهــو مســتوى متــدنٍّ‪ ،‬ولذلــك‬ ‫البــد مــن تحســن كل ذلــك خاصــة وأن اململكــة‬ ‫لديهــا الكثــر مــن القطاعــات التــي ميكــن ان تقــود‬ ‫هــذا التغــر‪ ،‬ونعتمــد عــى قطــر كثــرا ً يف هــذا‬ ‫الجانــب”‪ .‬وشــدد عــى أنــه البــد مــن االســتفادة‬ ‫املشــركة يف قطــاع الخدمــات مــع قطــر‪ ..‬مشــرا ً‬

‫إىل أن الوقــت اآلن نحــو تطويــر هــذه الراكــة‬ ‫مــع قطــر وهــذا املنتــدى يــأيت يف وقتــه املناســب‬ ‫لتحقيــق ذلــك‪.‬‬ ‫وعــن كيفيــة االســتفادة مــن التنــوع االقتصــادي يف‬ ‫قطــر أشــار إىل ان اململكــة لديهــا قطــاع خدمــي‬ ‫مميــز ولذلــك يجــب أن يطــور صادراتــه وهنــاك‬ ‫يف قطــر حاجــة للمهــارات لتنويــع االقتصــاد وهــو‬ ‫مــا يعتــر مبثابــة تكامــل واضــح يف هــذه املعادلــة‪،‬‬ ‫وقــال “هنــاك يف قطــر الكثــر مــن القطاعــات‬ ‫التــي ميكــن ان تدخــل فيهــا اململكــة للمســاهمة‬ ‫يف تنويــع اقتصــاد قطــر منهــا األنفــاق واملــرو‬ ‫والخطــوط الجويــة والبحــث العلمــي والقطــاع‬ ‫الصحــي وقطاعــات أخــرى كثــرة”‪.‬‬

‫ ‬

‫اللورد اندرو بارمي ‪ -‬عمدة حي لندن املايل‪ ،‬اململكة‬ ‫املتحدة‬ ‫تناولــت هــذه الجلسة أوضاع القطاع الخاص يف‬ ‫قطر وفرص الـشـراكـات املمكنة وأديــرت مــن قبــل‬ ‫اإلعالمي الريطاين الشهر “مـارك أوســتن”‪.‬‬ ‫أكــد ســعادة الشــيخ خليفــة بــن جاســم آل ثــاين‬ ‫رئيــس غرفــة تجــارة قطــر أن دولــة قطــر تشــجع‬ ‫جميــع أنــواع االســتثارات وتقــدم إجــراءات‬ ‫واضحــة وســهلة للمســتثمرين‪ ،‬مشــددا ً عــى أن‬ ‫الدولــة تركــز عــى “قطاعــي التعليــم والصحــة”‬ ‫وتشــجع القطــاع الخــاص عــى الدخــول يف هذيــن‬ ‫القطاعــن‪.‬‬

‫وتحــدث أيضــاً عــن تأثــر الخــروج مــن االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب‪ ،‬مؤكــدا ً انــه يجــب عــى اململكــة توســيع‬ ‫محفظتهــا االســتثارية ونحن يف مرحلــة عوملة‪ ،‬وأن‬ ‫هــذا الخــروج يســاهم يف تريــع وتــرة التغيـرات‬ ‫اإليجابيــة لالقتصــاد الريطــاين ولذلــك البــد أن متــر‬ ‫االقتصاديــات األوروبيــة األخــرى بهــذه التغي ـرات‬ ‫مســتقبالً‪.‬‬

‫وأضــاف ســعادته أن سياســة التنــوع االقتصــادي‬ ‫التــي تديرهــا قطــر تطــورت بشــكل كبــر ‪ ،‬مشـرا ً‬ ‫إىل أن الخدمــات املاليــة والتعليميــة واألخــرى‬ ‫التــي تتعلــق مبجــال البنــاء تســاهم بنســبة كبــرة‬ ‫يف الناتــج املحــي‪ .‬وأشــاد مبســاهمة القطــاع غــر‬ ‫النفطــي “والتــي فاقــت تصديــر النفــط يف عــام‬ ‫‪ ،”2014‬موضح ـاً أن ذلــك أكــر دليــل عــى نجــاح‬ ‫سياســة التنــوع االقتصــادي يف الدولــة‪.‬‬

‫الجلسة الثالثة‪ :‬فرص‬ ‫الراكة املحتملة للقطاع‬ ‫الخاص‬

‫مــن جهتــه‪ ،‬قــال ســعادة الشــيخ تريك بــن فيصل آل‬ ‫ثــاين رئيــس مجلــس إدارة رشكة (الســواري”القطرية‬ ‫القابضــة) “إن قطــر تقــدم العديــد مــن املزايــا‬ ‫والفــرص التــي تدفــع املســتثمرين إىل اختيــار هــذا‬ ‫البلــد مــن أجــل تنفيــذ مشــاريعهم”‪.‬‬

‫ســمو الشــيخ خليفــة بــن جاســم آل ثــاين ‪ -‬رئيــس‬ ‫مجلــس إدارة غرفــة تجــارة قطــر‪ ،‬دولــة قطــر‬

‫الرايــت هــون كريــك هانــدس ‪ -‬وزيــر الدولــة‬ ‫للتجــارة واالســتثار‪ ،‬اململكــة املتحــدة‬ ‫الشــيخ تــريك بــن فيصــل آل ثــاين ‪ -‬رئيــس مجلــس‬ ‫إدارة الســواري القابضــة (الفيصل القابضة)‪ ،‬دولــة‬ ‫قطــر‬ ‫الســيد عمــر حســن الفــردان – الرئيــس التنفيــذي‬ ‫ملجموعــة الفــردان يف دولــة قطــر‬ ‫الســيد يوســف محمــد الجيــدة ‪ -‬الرئيــس التنفيذي‬ ‫ملركــز قطــر املــايل‪ ،‬دولــة قطر‬ ‫الســيد جوزيــف إبراهــام – الرئيــس التفيــذي‬ ‫للبنــك التجــاري‪ ،‬دولــة قطــر‬

‫وأضــاف أن “دولــة قطــر تــويل أهميــة كبــرة بقطاع‬ ‫التعليــم وهــو مــا ســاهم يف خلــق جيــل ثــان‬ ‫يحظــى بفرصــة التعليــم عــى أفضــل مســتوى”‪.‬‬ ‫وأشــاد الســيد يوســف محمــد الجيــدة الرئيــس‬ ‫التنفيــذي ملركــز قطــر للــال بأهميــة املنتــدى‬ ‫“مــن أجــل الســعي نحــو تنويــع االقتصــاد القطــري‬ ‫والــذي بــات جــزءا ً أساســياً مــن السياســة الحكومية‬ ‫لدولــة قطــر”‪ .‬وأشــار إىل “أننــا اليــوم نتكلــم عــن‬ ‫تنويــع االقتصــاد‪ ،‬املوضــوع الــذي مل نكــن نتكلــم‬ ‫فيــه ســابقاً الســيا عندمــا كانــت أســعار النفــط‬ ‫تتجــاوز ‪ ،100$‬أمــا اليــوم فنحــن نعمــل بجــد يك‬ ‫نحقــق طفــرة تنويــع االقتصــاد ومــوارد إيراداتنــا‬ ‫خــارج نطــاق النفــط والغــاز”‪.‬‬ ‫وأكــد انــه أحــد أهــم األســس التــي بنــي عليهــا‬

‫‪ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS‬‬

‫العــام املــايض‪ ،‬وقــد وصلنــا تقريبــا إىل مســتوى‬ ‫أصــول يقــدر بـــ ‪ 200‬مليــار دوالر‪ ،‬باإلضافــة إىل‬ ‫عائــدات عــى االســتثار بنســبة ‪.”%19‬‬ ‫وأشــار الســيد الكــواري إىل أن بنــك قطــر‬ ‫شــكل البوابــة املاليــة للقطــاع املــايل يف أفريقيــا‬ ‫والــرق االوســط‪ ،‬عــى مســتوى املعامــالت‬ ‫النقديــة‪ ،‬باإلضافــة إىل االســتثارات والتغطيــة‬ ‫الدوليــة وعمليــات الهندســة املاليــة‪ ،‬وهــو يقــدم‬ ‫خدماتــه بالنوعــن التقليــدي واإلســالمي‪ ،‬وذلــك يف‬ ‫بريطانيــا‪.‬‬ ‫وفيــا يتعلــق بلنــدن أشــار الســيد الكــواري إىل‬ ‫أن البنــك لديــه تاريــخ طويــل‪ ،‬وقــد اســس فــرع‬ ‫البنــك يف لنــدن عــام ‪ ،1976‬واحتفــل بالعيــد الـــ ‪40‬‬ ‫منــذ فــرة قريبــة‪ ،‬وكانــت بنــك قطــر مــن أوائــل‬ ‫اللذيــن اســتثمروا يف لنــدن مــن دولــة قطــر‪ ،‬وحقق‬ ‫منــوا ً بنســبة ‪ %40‬يف الســنوات األخــرة‪ ،‬ووصلــت‬ ‫أرباحــه إىل ‪ 16‬مليــار جنيــه إسـرليني‪ .‬وقــال “نحن‬ ‫نؤمــن كافــة الخدمــات املاليــة ونحــن نديــر الكثــر‬ ‫مــن األصــول القطريــة يف بريطانيــا‪ ،‬كــا ندعــم‬ ‫الــركات القطريــة لتوســيع أعالهــا يف بريطانيــا‪،‬‬ ‫كــا ندعــم الــركات الريطانيــة العاملــة يف قطــر‬ ‫وعــر شــبكة البنــك‪ .‬ورؤيتنــا ان نربــط بــن قطــر‬ ‫واململكــة املتحــدة‪ ،‬وان نصــل إىل مــا أبعــد مــن‬ ‫ذلــك خــارج البلديــن”‪.‬‬ ‫بــدوره‪ ،‬أشــار الســيد عبدالباســط أحمــد الشــيبي‪،‬‬ ‫الرئيــس التنفيــذي لبنــك قطــر الــدويل اإلســالمي‪،‬‬ ‫إىل أن قطــر أصبحــت املركــز الرئيــي للمعامــالت‬ ‫املرفيــة اإلســالمية يف العــامل حيــث أســس يف عــام‬ ‫‪ 1992‬ثــم باتــت قطــر فيــا بعــد البلــد الوحيــد‬ ‫الــذي ميلــك مرفــن متخصصــن يف املعامــالت‬ ‫اإلســالمية‪.‬‬

‫والتحديــات التــي قــد تواجــه القطــاع‪ ،‬مبين ـاً أنــه‬ ‫عــى الرغــم مــن التحديــات العامليــة التــي تواجهها‬ ‫القطاعــات املرفيــة‪ ،‬إال أن القطــاع املــريف‬ ‫القطــري قــادر عــى خلــق فــرص جديــدة للنمــو‬ ‫واالســتثار‪.‬‬

‫الجلسة الثانية‪ :‬التنمية‬ ‫االقتصادية يف قطر‬

‫ســمو الشــيخ أحمــد بــن جاســم آل ثــاين‪ ،‬وزيــر‬ ‫االقتصــاد والتجــارة‪ ،‬دولــة قطــر‬

‫الرايــت هــون الدكتــور ليــام فاكــس‪ ،‬عضــو الرملــان‬ ‫ووزيــر الدولــة لشــؤون التجــارة الدوليــة ‪ -‬اململكــة‬ ‫املتحدة‬ ‫ســعادة الشــيخ فيصــل بــن قاســم آل ثــاين ‪ -‬رئيــس‬ ‫مجلــس إدارة رابطــة رجــال األعــال القطريــن‪،‬‬ ‫دولــة قطــر‬ ‫الســيد عبدالعزيــز بــن نــارص آل خليفــة الرئيــس‬ ‫التنفيــذي لبنــك قطــر للتنميــة‪ ،‬دولــة قطــر‬ ‫أكــد ســعادة الشــيخ أحمــد بــن جاســم بــن محمــد‬ ‫آل ثــاين وزيــر االقتصــاد والتجــارة أن الرؤيــة‬ ‫االقتصاديــة التــي وضعتهــا دولــة قطــر للفــرة مــا‬ ‫بــن عامــي ‪ 2017‬و ‪ 2022‬تركــز عــى تحقيــق‬ ‫التنويــع االقتصــادي دون االعتــاد عــى قطاعــي‬ ‫النفــط والغــاز‪.‬‬

‫قطاعــات “عاليــة اإلنتــاج التــي متكــن دولــة قطــر‬ ‫مــن أن تكــون محــورا ً إقليمي ـاً‪ .‬وتحــدث ســعادته‬ ‫عــن بعــض األمثلــة الهادفــة إىل تحقيــق «التنميــة‬ ‫الكاملــة» القامئــة عــى تقديــم خدمــات متنوعــة يف‬ ‫كل مجــال عــى حــدة‪ ،‬ومــن بينهــا “واحــة األعــال‬ ‫الرياضيــة” والتــي تأمــل دولــة قطــر مــن خاللهــا أن‬ ‫تكــون “محــورا ً إقليميـاً” يف قطــاع األعــال الريايض‬ ‫يف املنطقــة‪.‬‬ ‫ومــن جانبه‪ ،‬أشــاد ســعادة الشــيخ فيصل بن قاســم‬ ‫آل ثــاين رئيــس مجلــس إدارة رابطــة رجــال األعــال‬ ‫القطريــن‪ ،‬باملنتــدى ومنظميــه‪ ،‬متمنيـاً أن يشــكل‬ ‫املنتــدى نافــذة جديــدة لتشــجيع وزيــادة التجــارة‬ ‫واالســتثار بــن البلديــن‪ .‬وقــال ســعادته إن “دولــة‬ ‫قطــر تلتــزم بسياســة اقتصاديــة تعمل عى تشــجيع‬ ‫اإلنتــاج وزيــادة مصــادر اإليـرادات غــر النفطيــة”‪،‬‬ ‫مشــيدا ً يف الوقــت نفســه باألهــداف التــي تــم‬ ‫تحقيقهــا يف هــذا املجــال والتــي أدت إىل “نســبة‬ ‫تضخــم مقبولــة أقــل مــن ‪ %2‬وكذلــك معــدل صفر‬ ‫يف البطالــة‪ ،‬وزيــادة مســاهمة القطــاع غــر النفطي‬ ‫يف حســاب الناتــج املحــي لنحــو ‪ %65‬وذلــك مــع‬ ‫االســتمرار يف تنفيــذ سياســة تنويــع مصــادر الدخــل‬ ‫وتطويــر البنيــة التحتيــة والتريعيــة لالقتصــاد‬ ‫وتنشــيط دور القطــاع الخــاص وإصــدار القوانــن‬ ‫التــي تســهل إجـراءات االســتثار املحــي واألجنبــي‬ ‫وذلــك يف إطــار رؤيــة الدولــة للعــام ‪ 2030‬التــي‬ ‫تســتهدف تحقيــق التنميــة املســتدامةً”‪.‬‬ ‫“وأضــاف أن دولــة قطــر تقــدم منوذجـاً متميـزا ً يف‬ ‫العالقــات التشــاركية بــن القطاعــن العــام والخاص‬ ‫والتــي تقــوم عــى التكامــل‪ ،‬موضحــاً أن “قطــر‬ ‫قامــت مبشــاريع عمالقــة لتنميــة النمــو االقتصادي‪،‬‬ ‫وقامــت الــركات الريطانيــة بــرك بصــات نتطلع‬ ‫إىل املزيــد منهــا يف إطــار رشاكــة حقيقيــة فعالــة‬ ‫واالنتقــال إىل مرحلــة الراكــة االس ـراتيجية”‪.‬‬

‫وأرجــع الشــيبي نجــاح القطــاع املــريف القطــري‪،‬‬ ‫وبخاصــة قطــاع املعامــالت اإلســالمية‪ ،‬إىل االســتقرار‬ ‫الســيايس واالقتصــادي الذي تعيشــه البــالد‪ ،‬موضحاً‬ ‫أنهــا ميثــالن عاملــن مهمــن لنمــو هــذا القطــاع‪،‬‬ ‫فض ـالً عــن البيئــة القانونيــة القويــة املوجــودة يف‬ ‫الدولــة والتــي لعبــت وتلعــب دورا ً كبـرا ً يف جــذب‬ ‫االســتثارات يف القطــاع املــريف‪.‬‬

‫وأضــاف ســعادته‪ ،‬أن الرؤيــة املتعلقــة مبــروع‬ ‫‪ 2030‬تهــدف إىل “الحفــاظ عــى هــذه الخطــط‬ ‫الطموحــة املتعلقــة بتنويــع االقتصــاد”‪ .‬وأوضــح‬ ‫أن دولــة قطــر “تتمتــع ببنيــة تحتيــة متقدمــة‬ ‫مكنتهــا يف املــايض مــن تحويــل خطــط التنميــة‬ ‫إىل واقــع ملمــوس عــى األرض”‪ .‬وأشــار إىل أن‬ ‫املشــاريع املســتقبلية التــي تنفذهــا الحكومــة يف‬ ‫إطــار تحقيــق هــذا الهــدف‪ ،‬تشــمل مطــارا ً ومينــاءا‬ ‫جديــدان وطرق ـاً رسيعــة”‪ ،‬مضيف ـاً “نبحــث عــن‬ ‫مســتثمرين يســتفيدون مــن مناطــق االســتثار‬ ‫التــي يتــم إنشــاؤها يف إطــار رؤيــة البنيــة التحتيــة‬ ‫املتقدمــة التــي توجــد لدينــا”‪.‬‬

‫وشــدد ســعادته عــى ان العالقــة بن قطــر واململكة‬ ‫املتحــدة قدميــة وخاصــة فيــا بــن القطــاع الخــاص‬ ‫مــن الجانبــن ولذلــك فهنــاك فرصــة بــن رجــال‬ ‫األعــال يف البلديــن عــى تحقيــق تعــاون ورشاكات‬ ‫مثمــرة لســد حاجــة قطــر يف مجــاالت كثــرة وأيضــا‬ ‫الســتغالل الفــرص املوجــودة يف بريطانيــا‪.‬‬

‫وأضــاف أن القطــاع املــريف القطــري اســتقدم‬ ‫أفضــل الخــراء املرفيــن يف العــامل لتقديــم‬ ‫الحلــول املبتكــرة والفعالــة يف التعامــل مــع القضايــا‬

‫ولفــت إىل التعــاون بــن القطاعــن الخــاص والعــام‬ ‫يف دولــة قطــر يف إطــار تنفيــذ مشــاريع لهــا أولويــة‬ ‫عــى أجنــدة الحكومــة ومــن بينهــا املشــاريع يف‬

‫مــن جهتــه‪ ،‬أشــاد الســيد عبدالعزيــز بــن نــارص‬ ‫آل خليفــة الرئيــس التنفيــذي لبنــك قطــر للتنميــة‪،‬‬ ‫بالبنيــة التحتيــة يف دولــة قطــر والتــي مكنــت‬

‫‪ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 79‬‬

‫املصــارف مــن األعمــدة األساســية لالقتصــاد‬ ‫القطــري‪ .‬والجميــع يتحــدث اليــوم عــن املصــارف‬ ‫وانخفــاض أســعار النفــط‪“ ،‬ولكــن إذا عدنــا بالزمــن‬ ‫إىل وراء ســنجد ان املصــارف كانــت تدعــم الركات‬ ‫واالســتثارات يف كافــة األســواق ويف كافــة املراحــل‬ ‫التاريخيــة حتــى أصعبهــا‪ ،‬وقــد متكنــت املصــارف‬ ‫مــن تحقيــق الكثــر ورفــع مســتوى األداء يف كافــة‬ ‫املشــاريع يف النفــط والغــاز وغرهــا مــن القطاعــات‬ ‫ايضــاً‪ ،‬ومشــاريع أخــرى نوعيــة لركــة الكهربــاء‬ ‫واملــاء‪ ،‬كــا انهــم مل يدعمــوا املشــاريع الكبــرة‬ ‫والضخمــة فقــط بــل دعمــوا الــركات الصغــرة‬ ‫واملتوســطة أيض ـاً”‪.‬‬ ‫مــن جهتــه‪ ،‬قال ســعادة الشــيخ عبداللــه بن محمد‬ ‫بــن ســعود آل ثــاين‪ ،‬الرئيــس التنفيــذي لجهــاز‬ ‫قطــر لالســتثار إن للجهــاز هدفـاً إسـراتيجياً وهــو‬ ‫تحقيــق منــو مســتدام ملصلحــة األجيــال القادمــة‪،‬‬ ‫مبين ـاً أن الجهــاز يســتثمر ثروتــه يف جميــع أنحــاء‬ ‫العــامل لتحقيــق هــذا الهــدف‪ .‬وأكــد ســعادته أن‬ ‫لجهــاز قطــر فرعـاً يف لنــدن‪ ،‬وينــوي افتتــاح مكتب‬ ‫آخــر يف وادي الســيليكون يف ســان فرانسيســكو‬ ‫إضافــة إىل املقــر الثــاين للهيئــة يف مدينــة نيويــورك‪،‬‬ ‫يف الواليــات املتحــدة بهــدف استكشــاف مزيــد مــن‬ ‫فــرص االســتثار الجديــدة والواعــدة‪ ،‬موضح ـاً أن‬ ‫الجهــاز يعمــل حالي ـاً أيض ـاً عــى تطويــر التعــاون‬ ‫مــع بريطانيــا يف مجــاالت عــدة بهــدف استكشــاف‬ ‫فــرص االســتثار يف املروعــات الكــرى يف اململكــة‬ ‫املتحــدة‪.‬‬ ‫وقــال ان هــذا املنتــدى مــن شــأنه وكــا نأمــل أن‬ ‫يعــزز ويعمــق العالقــات بــن الدولتــن‪ ،‬اململكــة‬ ‫املتحــدة طاملــا كانــت وســتبقى الوجهــة املفضلــة‬ ‫لالســتثارات القطريــة واالســتثار يف املنطقــة‬ ‫بصــورة عامــة‪ ،‬ويف هيئــة قطــر لالســتثار اســتثمرنا‬ ‫أكــرث مــن ‪ 25‬مليــار جنيــه إس ـرليني تنوعــت مــا‬ ‫بــن مطــار هيــرثو‪ ،‬وجلينكــور‪ ،‬إىل بورصــة لنــدن‪،‬‬ ‫وغرهــا مــن االســتثارات الرائدة‪ ،‬وهدفنــا يف جهاز‬ ‫قطــر لالســتثار‪ ،‬ان ننمــي ونحافــظ عــى ثــروة‬ ‫دولــة قطــر لتســتفيد منهــا االجيــال يف املســتقبل‪،‬‬ ‫كــا نقــوم باســتثارات عامليــة ونتمتــع بخــرة‬ ‫وكفــاءات مــن كافــة انحــاء العــامل‪.‬‬ ‫وأشــار إىل أن مبنــى الســفارة األمريكيــة يف بريطانيا‬ ‫ســيكون مــن أفضــل املبــاين يف العــامل وقريبــاً‬ ‫ســيعلن عــن الركــة املشــغلة‪“ ،‬وســيكون هــذا‬ ‫املبنــى الرمــزي الرائــع مــن أرقــى الفنــادق يف العــامل‬

‫ ‬

‫وليــس فقــط يف اوروبــا”‪ ،‬وأضــاف “نحــن نتطلــع‬ ‫إىل لقــاء نظرائنــا مــن اململكــة املتحــدة لتعميــق‬ ‫العالقــة مــع الــركات التــي نعمــل معهــا‪ ،‬والتــي‬ ‫نأمــل العمــل معهــا يف املســتقبل”‪.‬‬

‫مثــل القطــاع العقــاري متمث ـ ًال يف «بــرج الشــارد»‬ ‫يف لنــدن‪ ،‬وقطــاع تجــارة التجزئــة مثــل سلســلة‬ ‫«ســينزبريز»‪ ،‬وقطــاع التســوق متمث ـالً يف سلســلة‬ ‫متاجــر «هــارودز» الشــهرة‪ ،‬وقطــاع البنيــة التحتية‬ ‫واملطــارات متمثــالً يف مطــار «هيــرثو» يف لنــدن‪،‬‬ ‫وغرهــا مــن القطاعــات‪ ،‬مضيف ـاً أن ‪ QNB‬يلعــب‬ ‫دورا ً رئيســياً يف خدمــة االســتثارات القطريــة يف‬ ‫الخــارج وبخاصــة يف بريطانيــا حيــث يخــدم البنــك‬ ‫نحــو ‪ 7‬ماليــن عميــل حــول العــامل مــن خــالل ‪27‬‬ ‫ألــف موظــف لــدى البنك‪.‬كــا اســتعرض الكــواري‬ ‫الوجــود املتنامــي لـــ ‪ QNB‬والــذي ميلــك فروعـاً يف‬ ‫‪ 30‬دولــة‪ ،‬وميلــك أصــوالً بنحــو ‪ 198‬مليــار دوالر‪،‬‬ ‫قائــ ًال يف هــذا الســياق‪“ ،‬إن بنــك قطــر الوطنــي‬ ‫بــات بوابــة املعامــالت املرفيــة األكــر يف إفريقيــا‬ ‫والــرق األوســط‪ ،‬وأكــرث العالمــات التجاريــة ذات‬ ‫قيمــة يف هــذه املنطقــة”‪.‬‬

‫وقــال الســيد زافــر روليــت إن البنــوك القطريــة‬ ‫متــول املشــاريع الكــرى يف أكــرث مناطــق العــامل منــوا ً‬ ‫يف آســيا وأفريقيــا والــرق األوســط‪ .‬وأشــار إىل أن‬ ‫دولــة قطر تشــجع املؤسســات الصغرة واملتوســطة‬ ‫يف جميــع القطاعــات االقتصاديــة‪ ،‬حيــث نجحت يف‬ ‫جــذب عــدد كبــر مــن هــذا النــوع مــن الــركات‬ ‫الريطانيــة‪ .‬كــا أكــد عــى أن لدولة قطــر واململكة‬ ‫املتحــدة فرصـاً واعــدة للتعــاون خاصــة وأن القطاع‬ ‫املــريف القطــري وصناديــق الــرثوة الســيادية قادرة‬ ‫عــى تقديــم القــروض ورؤوس األمــوال للمشــاريع‬ ‫الكــرى فضــال عــن قــدرة القطــاع املــايل عــى توفــر‬ ‫الخــرة املاليــة‪.‬‬

‫ان رؤيــة قطــر الوطنيــة ‪ 2030‬هــي لالنتقــال مــن‬ ‫اقتصاد مســتند إىل النفط والغاز إىل اقتصاد مســتند‬ ‫إىل املعرفــة‪ ،‬وقــد بــدأت قطــر يف هــذا التطــور يف‬ ‫الســنوات الخمــس األخــرة‪ ،‬كــا انعكــس ذلــك يف‬ ‫االســتثارات التــي تقــوم بهــا قطــر يف الســنوات‬ ‫الخمــس املنرمــة‪ ،‬فقــد منــت هــذه االســتثارات‬ ‫بنســبة ‪ ،%6.6‬عــى الرغــم مــن انخفــاض أســعار‬ ‫النفــط‪ ،‬كــا أن هنــاك ازديــادا يف عــدد الســكان‬ ‫ومنــو بنســبة ‪ %8.7‬خــالل الســنوات الخمــس‬ ‫األخــرة ايضـاً‪ ،‬وبالنســبة لقطــاع املصــارف القطــري‬ ‫فهــو أيضــاً يحقــق أدا ًء جيــدا ً وربحيــة جيــدة‬ ‫عــى املســتويات املختلفــة‪ ،‬وهنــاك منــو بنســبة‬ ‫‪ %20.5‬يف األصــول‪ ،‬وبنســبة ‪ %15.8‬يف القــروض‪،‬‬ ‫ومنــو أيضــاً يف االيداعــات‪ ،‬وهــذا يخلــق واقعــاً‬ ‫إيجابيــاً جــدا ً للقطــاع املــريف يف دولــة قطــر‪.‬‬

‫أشــاد الســيد كزافييــه روليــت ‪ -‬الرئيــس التنفيــذي‬ ‫لبورصــة لنــدن بالجهــود املبــذول عــى تنظيــم‬ ‫املنتــدى وقــال “بأننــا نحتفــل بوجــود قطــر‬ ‫كمســاهمة يف بورصــة لنــدن‪ ،‬وإن قطــر مشــاركة‬ ‫يف النمــو ويف دعــم البورصــة وتطويرهــا للوصــول‬ ‫إىل مســتقبل أفضــل”‪ .‬وأضــاف بــان “لدينــا الكثــر‬ ‫لنحتفــل بــه وبوجودنــا كــركاء ليس فقــط يف رأس‬ ‫املــال بــل أيضـاً يف الخـرات واملشــاركة يف املشــاريع‬ ‫الخــراء الســيا قطاعــات الصناعــات ودعــم‬ ‫الــركات الصغــرة واملتوســطة‪ ،‬وهــي رشاكــة‬ ‫طمــوح مشــرك”‪.‬‬

‫كــا شــدد عــى أن دولــة قطــر وبريطانيــا لديهــا‬ ‫فــرص واعــدة للتعــاون خاصــة يف ظل قــدرة القطاع‬ ‫املــريف القطــري وصناديــق الــرثوة الســيادية‬ ‫عــى توفــر القــروض ورؤوس األمــوال الالزمــة‬ ‫للمروعــات الكــرى‪ ،‬إىل جانــب قــدرة القطــاع‬ ‫املــايل الريطــاين عــى توفــر الخــرات املاليــة‪.‬‬ ‫مــن ناحيتــه‪ ،‬أكــد الســيد عــي أحمــد الكــواري‬ ‫الرئيــس التنفيــذي ملجموعــة بنــك ‪ QNB‬أن‬ ‫رؤيــة قطــر ‪ 2030‬تهــدف إىل التحــول مــن‬ ‫االقتصــاد القائــم عــى الوقــود الغــاز والنفــط‬ ‫إىل اقتصــاد مســتدام قــادر عــى النمــو مبعــدالت‬ ‫كبــرة يف املســتقبل‪ ،‬مشــددا ً عــى نجــاح القطــاع‬ ‫املــريف القطــري يف تحقيــق منــو كبــر خــالل‬ ‫الســنوات األخــرة‪ .‬ولفــت إىل أن اســتثارات‬ ‫قطــر يف لنــدن تركــز يف عــدة قطاعــات حيويــة‬

‫فيــا يتعلــق بالعالقــات التجاريــة بــن قطــر‬ ‫واململكــة املتحــدة‪ ،‬شــهدت منــوا ً كبـرا ً ولــدى قطــر‬ ‫اســتثارات ناشــطة جــدا ً يف كافــة القطاعــات يف‬ ‫بريطانيــا‪ ،‬الســيا يف العقــارات والقطــاع املــايل‪،‬‬ ‫واســتثارات يف تجــارة التجزئــة‪ ،‬وقطــر تؤمــن‬ ‫ثلــث الغــاز لريطانيــا‪ .‬ولفــت الكــواري إىل ان‬ ‫اســتثارات قطــر يف بريطانيــا تجاوزت الـــ ‪ 35‬مليار‬ ‫جنيــه إسـرليني‪ ،‬وأن جــزءا ً كبـرا ً منهــا جــرت عــر‬ ‫بنــك ‪ ،QNB‬لــذا فالبنــك يلعــب دورا ً اساســياً يف‬ ‫االســتثارات القطريــة يف بريطانيــا‪ ،‬والبنــك يعــد‬ ‫أوســع مجموعــة مرفيــة يف الــرق األوســط‬ ‫وشــال أفريقيــا‪“ .‬هــذا باســتثناء عملنــا مــن خــالل‬ ‫ايكــو بنــك يف أفريقيــا‪ ،‬وقــد حققنــا ارقامـاً مذهلــة‬

‫‪ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS‬‬

‫جديــدا ً مــن تاريخهــا مــع أصدقائهــا ورشكائهــا‪،‬‬ ‫منحاهــا زيــادة الفــرص واإلميــان بالنجــاح‬ ‫واملســتقبل األفضــل‪“ .‬قطــر غاليــة عــى بريطانيــا‪،‬‬ ‫وبريطانيــا تســعى إىل تحقيــق النجــاح وتحقيــق‬ ‫الــرثاء يف كل بيــت يف بريطانيــا‪ .‬وإن رؤيــة قطــر‬ ‫‪ 2030‬طموحــة وجبــارة ‪ ،‬وبريطانيا تســعى إىل أخذ‬ ‫دورهــا يف هــذه الرؤيــة كجــزء مــن إس ـراتيجيتها‬ ‫الخاصــة بتحقيــق النجــاح”‪ .‬وأضــاف “أننــا الميكننــا‬ ‫أن نحقــق كل هــذا الطمــوح لوحدنــا‪ ،‬والبــد مــن‬ ‫الـراكات وإسـراتيجيات ناجحــة مــع رشكائنــا مــن‬ ‫أجــل دعــم االقتصــاد واالســتثار والوصــول للهــدف‬ ‫املنشــود”‪ .‬والــراكات تشــمل كل القطاعــات‬ ‫انطالق ـاً مــن الدبلوماســية واالقتصــاد ووصــوالً إىل‬ ‫مجــاالت األمــن والدفــاع املشــرك‪.‬‬ ‫وأشــار إىل اســتثارات قطــر الكبــرة يف اململكــة‬ ‫املتحــدة والتــي تشــمل األبنيــة األثريــة املشــهورة‬ ‫وقطــاع الســكن الفاخــر‪ ،‬واملستشــفيات‪،‬‬ ‫والهوتيــالت‪ ،‬واألســواق وغرهــا‪ ،‬بحيــث “أصبحــت‬ ‫قطــر جــزءا ً مــن النســيج االجتاعــي للمجتمــع‬ ‫الريطــاين‪ ،‬واســتثاراتها يف كل مــكان مــن‬ ‫بريطانيــا”‪ .‬ويف املقابــل‪ ،‬تســتثمر اململكــة املتحــدة‬ ‫يف قطــر أيضـاً ومثــال عــى هــذا اســتثارات رشكــة‬ ‫“شــل” يف قطــاع الطاقــة‪ ،‬إىل جانــب العــرات‬ ‫مــن الــركات الريطانيــة النــي تتــوىل بنــاء البنيــة‬ ‫التحتيــة التحضريــة لــدورة كأس العــامل ‪2020‬‬ ‫التــي ســتقام يف قطــر‪ ،‬والعالقــات تتحــرك مــن‬ ‫موقــع قــوة إىل قــوة أكــرث‪ ،‬كــا وتشــارك الــركات‬ ‫الريطانيــة يف مجــال البنــاء والصحــة والهندســة‬ ‫والتخطيــط‪ .‬وهــذا مــا تتطلــع لــه عــدد كبـرا ً مــن‬ ‫الــركات الريطانيــة يف شــطر املنتــدى الثــاين يف‬ ‫مدينــة برمنغهــام‪ .‬وبريطانيــا تعــرض مشــاريع بنــاء‬ ‫طموحــة بقيمــة ‪ 50‬مليــار جنيــه‪ ،‬يف قطاعــات‬ ‫الصحــة والطاقــة “وهــذا هــو الوقت األفضــل لقطر‬ ‫لســتثمر يف محطــة الطاقــة النوويــة املتجــددة التي‬ ‫تقــوم بريطانيــا بأنشــائها يف وطــرح اســتثاراتها”‪.‬‬ ‫“نحــن نعــرض هــذه الفرصــة‪ ،‬وعائداتهــا الضخمــة‬ ‫ســتكون لتشــمل كل األطــراف‪ ،‬يف إقليــم شــال‬ ‫إنجل ـرا والــركاء‪ .‬وهنــاك فــرص هائلــة يف قطــاع‬ ‫النقــل ويف مجــاالت االخــراع واإلبــداع‪ .‬بريطانيــا‬ ‫تريــد أن تكــون قطــر رشيكتهــا يف هــذه الرحلــة‪،‬‬ ‫وبريطانيــا تســعى إىل تجديــد العالقــة مــع كل‬ ‫دول الخليــج العربيــة وتقويتهــا‪ ،‬ويف كل املجــاالت‪،‬‬ ‫ونحــن نســتخدم هــذا املنتــدى لالســتفادة مــن كل‬ ‫الخــرات مــن أجــل تحقيــق الراكــة القويــة”‪.‬‬

‫الجلسة األوىل‪ :‬قوة قطر‬ ‫املالية‬

‫عــادة الســيد رشيــف العــادي – وزيــر املاليــة يف‬ ‫دولــة قطــر‬ ‫ســمو الشــيخ عبــد اللــه بــن محمــد بــن ســعود آل‬ ‫ثــاين‪ ،‬الرئيــس التنفيــذي لهيئــة قطــر لالســتثار‬ ‫كزافييه روليت ‪ -‬الرئيس التنفيذي لبورصة لندن‬

‫الســيد عــي أحمــد الكــواري – الرئيــس التنفيــذي‬ ‫لبنــك قطــر الوطنــي‬ ‫الســيد عبــد الباســط أحمــد الشــيبي – الرئيــس‬ ‫التنفيــذي لبنــك قطــر اإلســالمي‬ ‫تناولــت الجلســة االوىل‪ ،‬القــوة املاليــة لدولــة‬ ‫قطــر»‪ ،‬حيــث أكــد ســعادة الســيد عــي رشيــف‬ ‫العــادي‪ ،‬وزيــر املاليــة‪ ،‬أن دولــة قطــر تســعى‬ ‫لبنــاء اقتصــاد قائــم عــى املعرفــة لتحقيــق رؤيتهــا‬ ‫لعــام ‪ 2030‬عــن طريــق تشــجيع القطــاع الخــاص‬ ‫واملروعــات الصغــرة واملتوســطة لتحقيــق النمــو‬ ‫املطلــوب القتصادهــا‪ ،‬مشــيدا ً يف الوقــت نفســه‬ ‫بالــدور الــذي تضطلــع بــه الــركات الريطانيــة‬ ‫العاملــة يف قطــر‪ .‬وأشــار ســعادته إىل أن دولــة‬ ‫قطــر تهــدف إىل بنــاء اقتصــاد مســتدام قــادر عــى‬ ‫تحقيــق معــدالت منــو عاليــة يف املســتقبل مــن‬ ‫خــالل االســتثار األمثــل للصناديــق الســيادية‪،‬‬ ‫مبينــاً أن إســراتيجية قطــر قامئــة عــى تنويــع‬ ‫مصــادر الدخــل القومــي مــن خــالل االســتثار يف‬ ‫القطاعــات املختلفــة غــر قطاعــي النفــط والغــاز‪.‬‬ ‫وأشــار ســعادته إىل أن القطــاع اســتثمر نحــو ‪7‬‬ ‫مليــارات دوالر يف صفقــات اســتحوذ خاللهــا‪،‬‬ ‫عــى مصــارف خــارج قطــر لتحقيــق التوســع عــى‬ ‫مســتوى العــامل‪.‬‬ ‫وأشــار إىل ان اختيــار لنــدن مل يــأت مصادفــة‪،‬‬ ‫فهــي “الوجهــة األوىل الســتثاراتنا ‪ ،‬ولنــدن أيض ـاً‬ ‫الوجهــة األوىل للســياحة القطريــة‪ ،‬وبحســب‬ ‫األرقــام واملعطيــات يــزور بريطانيــا ســنوياً نحــو‬ ‫‪ 80‬ألــف قطــري يأتــون إىل لنــدن‪ .‬وهــي الوجهــة‬ ‫األوىل لطالبنــا حيــث لدينــا اكــرث مــن ‪ 3000‬طالــب‬ ‫بــدوام كامــل‪ ،‬كذلــك الوجهــة األوىل لقطــاع الرعاية‬ ‫الصحيــة يف دولــة قطــر‪ ،‬للراغبــن يف العــالج‬ ‫بالخــارج‪ ،‬كذلــك الوجهــة املفضلــة للخطــوط‬

‫الجويــة القطريــة‪ ،‬وتتجــه نحــو أكــرث مــن ‪ 4‬مــدن‬ ‫داخــل اململكــة املتحــدة”‪.‬‬ ‫وأكــد بــأن هــذا املنتــدى سيشــكل أفضــل فرصــة‬ ‫بالنســبة إىل رجــال األعــال وكذلــك املســؤولن‪،‬‬ ‫للحديــث عــن فــرص االســتثار املحتملــة‪ ،‬ليــس‬ ‫فقــط يف اململكــة املتحــدة‪ ،‬ولكــن أيض ـاً يف قطــر‪.‬‬ ‫وتحــدث عــن فــرص االســتثار داخــل دولــة قطــر‪،‬‬ ‫وقــال “لقــد اســتعرض العــرض التقدميــي مــن‬ ‫خــالل فيلــم قصــر ملــدة ‪ 4‬دقائــق فقــط‪ ،‬وكان‬ ‫جميـالً‪ ،‬ومــا مييــز دولــة قطــر هــو ان مانـراه اليــوم‬ ‫ومــا وصلنــا إليــه‪ ،‬حــدث كلــه يف جيــل واحــد‪ ،‬مــن‬ ‫الزمــن‪ ،‬النــاس تعتقــد ان هــذا عمــره ‪ 60-70‬عامـاً‪،‬‬ ‫فهــذا النمــو االقتصــادي قــد تحقــق يف أقــل مــن ‪20‬‬ ‫ســنة‪ ،‬بــدءا ً مــن العــام ‪ 1995‬وليــس قبــل ذلــك‪،‬‬ ‫وانــا كنــت يف ذلــك الحــن يف بنــك قطــر الوطنــي‪،‬‬ ‫وكان أفضــل ناتــج محــي أقــل مــن ‪ 10‬مليــارات‬ ‫دوالر‪ ،‬وكنــا نواجــه الكثــر مــن التحديــات‪ ،‬يف بنــاء‬ ‫وإنشــاء البنــى التحتيــة‪ ،‬واالســتفادة مــن املــوارد‬ ‫الطبيعيــة والســيا الغــاز الطبيعــي املســال‪ ،‬أمــا‬ ‫اليــوم فنحــن نتحــدث عــن إجــايل ناتــج محــي‬ ‫يصــل إىل ‪ 200‬مليــار دوالر‪ ،‬وقــد حققنــا منــوا ً يصــل‬ ‫‪ 20‬ضعفــاً خــالل ‪ 20‬ســنة‪ ،‬وعــدد الســكان مــن‬ ‫قبــل كان أقــل مــن نصــف مليــون نســمة‪ ،‬واآلن‬ ‫تجــاوز عــدد الســكان الـــ ‪ 2.5‬مليون نســمة‪ .‬واليوم‬ ‫نحــن منلــك قطــاع مــايل قــوي‪ ،‬وهنــاك أكــرث مــن‬ ‫‪ 4‬بنــوك قطريــة تعمــل يف االقتصــاد الريطــاين‪،‬‬ ‫ونقــدم الخدمــات إىل ‪ 7‬ماليــن مســتهلك محــي‪،‬‬ ‫كذلــك الخطــوط الجويــة األوىل يف املنطقــة‪ ،‬كذلــك‬ ‫أفضــل القطاعــات املاليــة يف املنطقــة‪ ،‬لــذا فــإن‬ ‫قصــص النجــاح كثــرة بــن الدولتــن‪ ،‬وانــا متأكــد‬ ‫مــن ان منصــة هــذا املنتــدى ســتقدم املزيــد مــن‬ ‫فــرص االســثارات القطريــة والريطانيــة عــى حــد‬ ‫ســواء”‪.‬‬ ‫وأضــاف “نحــن نثمــن ونقــدر مــدى مشــاركة‬ ‫وتفاعــل الــركات الريطانيــة يف االقتصــاد القطري‪،‬‬ ‫فهنــاك رشكات بريطانيــة كثــرة أمضــت أكــرث مــن‬ ‫‪ 5‬عقــود مــن العمــل يف دولــة قطــر‪ ،‬ووجودهــا يف‬ ‫قطــر يف تلــك الفــرة تحدي ـاً فعلي ـاً‪ ،‬واليــوم بــدأت‬ ‫تجنــي مثــار عملهــا”‪.‬‬ ‫كــا تنــاول وزيــر املاليــة دور القطــاع املــريف‬ ‫يف رؤيــة قطــر الوطنيــة ‪ ،2030‬واملنتجــات التــي‬ ‫اطلقتهــا هــذه املصــارف كانــت مبتكــرة وشــاركت‬ ‫يف كل مشــاريع قطــر يف الســنوات األخــرة‪ ،‬وكانــت‬

‫‪ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 81‬‬

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‫ال�لمان وزير الدولة لشؤون التجارة الدولية‬ ‫الدكتور ليام فوكس‪ ،‬عضو ب‬

‫وأشــار بــأن دولــة قطــر ستســتثمر أكــرث مــن ‪5‬‬ ‫مليــارات جنيــه إســرليني يف االقتصــاد الريطــاين‬ ‫خــالل الثــالث إىل الخمــس ســنوات املقبلــة مــن‬ ‫خــالل صناديــق االســتثار وغرهــا مــن الكيانــات‬ ‫يف قطــر لتمثــل إضافــة جديــدة للعديــد مــن‬ ‫االســتثارات الناجحــة يف اململكــة املتحــدة‪ ،‬مؤكــدا ً‬ ‫أن املنتــدى سيشــهد العديــد مــن اللقــاءات بــن‬ ‫املســؤولن ورجــال األعــال لــدى البلديــن يف مدينة‬ ‫برمنغهــام حيــث ســتقوم الــركات الريطانيــة‬ ‫املشــاركة بعــرض أفضــل مشــاريعها الجاهــزة‬ ‫لالســتثار الفــوري عــى نظراتهــا يف قطــر‪ .‬وأكــد أن‬ ‫االســتثارات ســتركز يف قطاعــات الطاقــة‪ ،‬والبنيــة‬ ‫التحتيــة‪ ،‬والقطــاع العقــاري باإلضافــة إىل العديــد‬ ‫مــن القطاعــات األخــرى‪ ،‬مشـرا ً إىل أن دولــة قطــر‬ ‫تعــد مــن أهــم املســتثمرين يف اململكــة املتحــدة‬ ‫حيــث قامــت باســتثار أكــرث مــن ‪ 40‬مليــار جنيــه‬ ‫إس ـرليني يف أنحــاء اململكــة‪.‬‬ ‫وأكــد معاليــه ثقتــه يف أن عالقــات الصداقــة‬ ‫والتحالــف بــن دولــة قطــر واململكــة املتحــدة‬ ‫لســنوات طويلــة ستســاهم يف توفــر بيئــة مناســبة‬ ‫للتعــاون يف شــتى املجــاالت مبــا يحقــق أهدافنــا‬ ‫وطموحاتنــا املشــركة يف املرحلــة القادمــة‪ ،‬وقــال‬ ‫“نحــن يف قطــر لدينــا ثقــة كبــرة يف اململكــة‬ ‫املتحــدة‪ ،‬وهــذه الثقــة ســتظهر يف اســتثاراتنا‬

‫اإلضافيــة خــالل العقــد املقبــل”‪ .‬كــا أكــد معــايل‬ ‫‪ ،‬يف ختــام كلمتــه‪ ،‬أن الجلســات واملناقشــات خــالل‬ ‫اليومــن املقبلــن ستســاعد يف وضــع رؤيــة مشــركة‬ ‫لتعزيــز التعــاون بــن البلديــن خــالل املرحلــة‬ ‫املقبلــة‪ ،‬معربــاً عــن أملــه يف أن يحقــق هــذا‬ ‫املنتــدى األهــداف املنشــودة منــه‪.‬‬ ‫ونــوه معــايل رئيــس مجلــس الــوزراء ووزيــر‬ ‫الداخليــة‪ ،‬يف كلمتــه‪ ،‬إىل أن اململكــة املتحــدة‬ ‫كانــت والتــزال الوجهــة املفضلــة لالســتثارات‬ ‫القطريــة يف مختلــف املجــاالت وخاصــة قطــاع‬ ‫العقــارات‪ ،‬باإلضافــة إىل أن العاصمــة الريطانيــة‬ ‫لنــدن هــي الوجهــة املفضلــة للســياحة القادمــة‬ ‫مــن دولــة قطــر‪ ،‬كــا أن دولــة قطــر تعتــر مــن‬ ‫أهــم املورديــن للغــاز الطبيعــي املســال للمملكــة‬ ‫املتحــدة‪ ،‬مــا يدعــم أمــن وتنــوع مصــادر الطاقــة‪.‬‬ ‫ومــن جانبــه‪ ،‬أشــاد الدكتــور ليــام فاكــس ‪ -‬عضــو‬ ‫الرملــان ووزيــر الدولــة لشــؤون التجــارة الدوليــة‪،‬‬ ‫اململكــة املتحــدة‪ ،‬باملنتــدى والجهــود التــي نظمتــه‬ ‫وانتجتــه‪ ،‬وقــال أنــه يــأيت يف وقــت مهــم جــدا ً لــكال‬ ‫البلديــن‪“ ،‬اليــوم يعقــد يف لنــدن وغــدا ً يف مدينــة‬ ‫برمنغهــام”‪ ،‬وأشــاد بالعالقــات الثنائيــة التــي تربــط‬ ‫قطــر باململكــة املتحــدة‪ ،‬وقــال عنها بأنهــا “عالقات‬ ‫تاريخيــة‪ ،‬طويلــة األمــد‪ ،‬وصادقــة‪ ،‬وطموحــة”‪.‬‬

‫وأضــاف بــأن الــركات التــي تربــط اململكــة‬ ‫املتحــدة مــع دولــة قطــر التقتــر عــى مجــاالت‬ ‫الطاقــة واألمــن وإمنــا تشــمل قطاعــات عديــدة‬ ‫مــن شــأنها أن تبنــي االقتصــاد املســتدام مــا خلــف‬ ‫حقبــة النفــط والغــاز‪ ،‬وقــال “نحــن اليــوم نتطلــع‬ ‫إىل املســتقبل مســتندين عــى عالقــات وثيقــة مــن‬ ‫الــرثوة والثقــة”‪ ،‬وأضــاف‪“ :‬نحــن نطمــح وهــذا‬ ‫الطمــوح صحيــح وواقعــي”‪ .‬وأشــار إىل أن قطــر‬ ‫تبتعــث أكــرث مــن ‪ 6000‬طالــب ســنوياً يدرســون‬ ‫يف مختلــف الجامعــات الريطانيــة‪ ،‬وإن عــددا ً مــن‬ ‫األرسة املالكــة هــم أيضـاً مــن خريجــي األكادمييــات‬ ‫العســكرية الريطانيــة‪ .‬وأشــاد بالعالقــات القطريــة‬ ‫الريطانيــة حيــث زار الدكتــور فوكــس قطــر ملرتــن‬ ‫يف العــام ‪ 2016‬ومنــذ أن اســتلمت الحكومــة‬ ‫الحاليــة زمــام األمــور يف بريطانية‪”.‬ونحــن نســعى‬ ‫إىل تعميــق العالقــات االقتصاديــة والعســكرية يف‬ ‫املســتقبل‪ ،‬ونحــن واثقــن مــن أنهــا عالقات ســتنتج‬ ‫رشاكات اســتثارية مربحــة وقويــة”‪.‬‬ ‫وقــال الدكتــور فوكــس‪ ،‬بــأن الحكومــة الريطانيــة‬ ‫كنظرتهــا القطريــة تعمــل اليــوم عــى رســم‬ ‫إس ـراتيجية جديــدة لحقبــة مــا بعــد بريكســت‪،‬‬ ‫وهــي إســراتيجية لبنــاء أقــوى القتصاديــات‬ ‫اململكــة ووضــع إســراتيجيات بعيــدة املــدى‪.‬‬ ‫وتســعى اململكــة املتحــدة اليــوم إىل خــط فص ـالً‬

‫‪ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS‬‬

‫منتدى قطر والملكة التحدة‬ ‫للعمال والستثمار‬ ‫‪Qatar – UK Business & Investment Forum‬‬ ‫غروسفينور هاوس هوتيل – لندن – ‪ 27‬مارس‬ ‫شــاركت غرفــة التجــارة العربيــة الريطانيــة يف‬ ‫تنطيــم منتــدى قطــر واململكــة املتحــدة لألعــال‬ ‫واالســتثار والــذي ُعقــد شــطره األول يف فنــدق‬ ‫كروســفنور هــاوس يف قلــب لنــدن يف ‪ 27‬مــن‬ ‫شــهر مــارس‪ ،‬واســتكمل أعالــه يف شــطره الثــاين يف‬ ‫مدينــة برمنغهــام‪ ،‬يف ‪ 28‬مــارس حيــث اســتعرضت‬ ‫الــركات الريطانيــة مشــاريع اســتثارية كبــرة‬ ‫ويف قطاعــات مختلفــة‪ ،‬حيــث احتضنــت مدينــة‬ ‫برمنغهــام فــرص لعــروض اســتثارية غــر مســتغلة‬ ‫حتــى اللحظــة يف املنطقــة الشــالية ومنطقــة‬ ‫ميدالنــدز املفعمــة بالطاقــة والنفــوذ‪.‬‬ ‫أفتتــح املؤمتــر الصحفــي واإلعالمــي الريطــاين‬ ‫املعــروف‪ ،‬ريــس خــان‪ ،‬حيــث قــدم نبــذة عــن قطر‬ ‫وعــن املؤمتــر وعــرض فيلــم تعريفــي قصــر عــن‬ ‫تاريــخ وحــارض قطــر ‪ ،‬ســلط الضــوء عــى النقلــة‬ ‫النوعيــة التــي شــهدتها قطــر قبــل مــا يقــارب عــى‬ ‫‪ 20‬ســنة املاضيــة‪ .‬وحــر املنتــدى أكــرث مــن ‪700‬‬ ‫شــخصية مــن ممثــي الــركات‪.‬‬

‫الجلسة األفتتاحية‪:‬‬

‫ ســمو الشــيخ عبــد اللــه بــن نــارص آل ثــاين ‪-‬‬‫رئيــس الــوزراء القطــري وزيــر الداخليــة‪ ،‬دولــة‬ ‫قطــر‬ ‫ الرايــت هــون الدكتــور ليــام فاكــس ‪ -‬عضــو‬‫الرملــان ووزيــر الدولــة لشــؤون التجــارة الدوليــة‪،‬‬ ‫اململكــة املتحــدة‬ ‫تصــدر معــايل الشــيخ عبداللــه بــن نــارص بــن‬ ‫خليفــة آل ثــاين‪ ،‬رئيــس مجلــس الــوزراء ووزيــر‬

‫الداخليــة الجلســة االفتتاحيــة ملنتــدى قطــر‬ ‫واململكــة املتحــدة لألعــال واالســتثار‪ ،‬حيــث‬ ‫قــال معاليــه “إن انعقــاد هــذا املنتــدى يــأيت ليؤكــد‬ ‫عــى عمــق العالقــات التاريخيــة الوثيقــة بــن‬ ‫دولــة قطــر واململكــة املتحــدة يف كافــة املجــاالت‬ ‫وعــى مختلــف املســتويات ســواء الرســمية أو عــى‬ ‫مســتوى األعــال واألفــراد”‪.‬‬ ‫ونقــل معاليــه تعــازي حــرة صاحــب الســمو‬ ‫الشــيخ متيــم بــن حمــد آل ثــاين ‪ -‬أمــر دولــة قطــر‪،‬‬ ‫يف ضحايــا الحــادث اإلرهــايب الــذي وقــع مؤخــرا ً‬ ‫يف اململكــة املتحــدة‪ ،‬وتأكيــد ســموه عــى وقــوف‬ ‫وتضامــن دولــة قطــر بجانــب اململكــة املتحــدة‬ ‫الصديقــة يف كافــة اإلجــراءات والتدابــر التــي‬ ‫تتخذهــا ملواجهــة األعــال اإلرهابيــة لحفــظ أمــن‬ ‫واســتقرار اململكــة املتحــدة‪.‬‬ ‫وأشــار معاليــه إىل أن العالقــات بــن دولــة قطــر‬ ‫واململكــة املتحــدة لهــا تاريــخ طويــل ميتــد إىل‬ ‫بدايــات مرحلــة استكشــاف النفــط والغــاز يف‬ ‫منطقــة الخليــج العــريب‪ ،‬حيــث ســاهمت الــركات‬ ‫الريطانيــة بــدور أســايس ومحــوري يف تطويــر‬ ‫صناعــة النفــط والغــاز يف دول املنطقــة ومنهــا دولة‬ ‫قطــر‪ ،‬كــا تتميــز الــركات الريطانيــة بحضــور‬ ‫قــوي يف مختلــف األنشــطة االقتصاديــة‪ ،‬مبــا يف ذلك‬ ‫قطاعــات الصناعــة والتجــارة والســياحة والخدمــات‬ ‫املاليــة‪.‬‬ ‫وأكــد ســموه أن هــذا املنتــدى يــأيت يف توقيــت مهم‬ ‫للغايــة‪ ،‬يف ظــل مــا يشــهده البلــدان مــن مرحلــة‬ ‫جديــدة مــن عمليــة التطــور املســتمر والتــي توفــر‬ ‫فرصــة مهمــة لتوثيــق العالقــات املتميــزة بــن‬

‫دولــة قطــر واململكــة املتحــدة مــن خــالل فتــح‬ ‫آفــاق أرحــب لالســتثارات املتبادلــة عــى املســتوى‬ ‫الحكومــي أو القطــاع الخــاص‪.‬‬ ‫وقــال الشــيخ عبداللــه بــن نــارص بــن خليفــة آل‬ ‫ثــاين‪“ :‬يف الوقــت الــذي تخــرج اململكــة املتحــدة‬ ‫مــن االتحــاد األورويب وهــي تســعى إىل تنميــة‬ ‫عالقاتهــا اإلســراتيجية وتعزيــز تعاونهــا يف كافــة‬ ‫املجــاالت مــع رشكائهــا الدوليــن‪ ،‬نحــن يف دولــة‬ ‫قطــر‪ ،‬ندخــل يف مرحلــة مهمــة مــن تنفيــذ‬ ‫اإلسـراتيجيات والرامــج واملشــاريع وفقــاص لرؤيــة‬ ‫قطــر ‪ ،2030‬حيــث انتهينــا مــن تنفيــذ املرحلــة‬ ‫األوىل مــن إســراتيجية التنميــة الوطنيــة ‪2011-‬‬ ‫‪ 2016‬ونحــن بصــدد تطبيــق املرحلــة الثانيــة‬ ‫التــي متتــد مــن عــام ‪ 2017‬إىل عــام ‪ 2022‬وهــو‬ ‫مــا ســيؤدي إىل بنــاء مســتقبل جديــد لدولــة قطــر‬ ‫يركــز بعيــدا ً عــن املصــادر الطبيعيــة لتحقيــق‬ ‫اقتصــاد متنــوع يعتمــد عــى املعرفــة”‪ .‬ويف معــرض‬ ‫حديثــه عــن إسـراتيجية قطــر قــال ســموه “هدفنــا‬ ‫تحويــل قطــر ملركــز عاملــي للصناعــات القامئــة عى‬ ‫املعرفــة واالبتــكار”‪.‬‬ ‫وأوضــح معاليــه أن مــن أهــم أهــداف دولــة قطــر‬ ‫يف الوقــت الحــايل تحويــل دولــة قطــر إىل مركــز‬ ‫عاملــي للصناعــات القامئــة عــى املعرفــة واالبتــكار‪،‬‬ ‫وكذلــك نســعى لتوســيع رشاكتنــا يف مجــاالت‬ ‫التعليــم والصحــة والرياضــة واألمــن‪ ،‬وهــي‬ ‫مجــاالت تعتــر اململكــة املتحــدة رائــدة عامليــة‬ ‫فيهــا ونتطلــع للتعــاون مــع اململكــة املتحــدة‬ ‫والــركات الريطانيــة لتحقيــق أهدافنــا يف تعزيــز‬ ‫وتنويــع االقتصــاد القطــري‪.‬‬

‫ ‬

‫‪ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 83‬‬

‫الداري لمعهد جينيسيس والسيد ت‬ ‫ال�يطانية‬ ‫السيد بينود شانكار‪ ،‬المدير إ‬ ‫بي� هويلون‪ ،‬الرئيس التنفيذي شل�كة كابالن ب‬

‫مليــار درهــم إمــارايت (‪ 13.3‬مليــار دوالر أمريــي)‪،‬‬ ‫حيــث ســيكون هنــاك تركيـزا ً خاصـاً عــى العمليــة‬ ‫التعليميــة‪ .‬وتــم تخصيــص ‪ 20.5%‬مــن ميزانيــة‬ ‫عــام ‪ ،2017‬أي مــا يعــادل ‪ 10.2‬مليــار درهــم‬ ‫إمــارايت (‪ 2.7‬مليــار دوالر أمريــي) لقطــاع التعليــم‬ ‫وحــده‪ .‬ومــع األخــذ بعــن االعتبــار النمــو الدائــم‬ ‫لدولــة االمــارات ورؤيــة الحكومــة يف تشــجيع‬ ‫االبتــكار يف التعليــم كمحــرك للمســتقبل‪ ،‬فــإن هــذا‬ ‫االتفــاق يقــدم فرص ـاً جديــدا ً يف مجــاالت وبرامــج‬ ‫مختلفــة‪ .‬وتتــاىش أعــال “كابــالن جينيســيس”‬ ‫مــع رؤيــة دولــة اإلمــارات يف تعزيــز شــمولية‬ ‫التدريــب والتطويــر بــن العاملــن يف القطاعــن‬ ‫العــام والخــاص عــى حــد ســواء‪.‬‬ ‫عن “جينيسيس”‪:‬‬ ‫تــم تأســيس “جينيســيس” منــذ ‪ 10‬ســنوات‬ ‫لتتصــدر قطــاع اإلختبــارات الـــ ‪ CFA‬يف االمــارات‬ ‫العربيــة املتحــدة‪ .‬كــا أنهــا تعتــر املــزود الرئيــي‬

‫لرامــج التدريــب املــايل يف املنطقــة‪ .‬وقــد تــم اعداد‬ ‫برامــج الركــة عــر مجموعــة مــن أفضــل الخـراء‬ ‫وأصحــاب االختصاصــات العاليــة يف مجــاالت‬ ‫التعليــم املــايل املتقــدم‪.‬‬ ‫وبرامــج “جينيســيس” املبتكــرة مصممــة لتحقــق‬ ‫التــوازن بــن حــاالت الدراســة العمليــة وبــن‬ ‫حقائــق األعــال‪ ،‬األمــر الــذي يوســع مــن مهــارات‬ ‫ومعــارف املشــاركن يف هــذه الرامــج‪ .‬ويقــوم‬ ‫“جينيســيس” بتقديــم مجموعــة واســعة مــن‬ ‫العــروض للعاملــن يف املواقــع املاليــة وغــر املاليــة‬ ‫وملختلــف املســتويات الوظيفيــة الدنيــا واملتوســطة‬ ‫والعليــا‪.‬‬ ‫ملزيد من املعلومات عن “كابان جينيسيس”‪:‬‬ ‫يف الواليات املتحدة – “ديريك بوركيت”‪ ،‬نائب رئيس‬ ‫ادارة االنتاج يف “كابالن”‬ ‫‪+1 )608( 7795599 ext. 2616 )office(,‬‬ ‫(‪+1)817( 889 5821 )mobile‬‬ ‫‪Derek.burkett@kaplan.com‬‬

‫يف اململكة املتحدة – “اندرو بركينز”‪ ،‬مدير قسم‬ ‫القيادة والتعليم املهني يف “كابالن”‬ ‫‪+44 )0( 7768 876 255‬‬ ‫‪Andrew.perkins@kaplan.com‬‬ ‫يف دول الخليج – “بينود شانكار” – املدير االداري يف‬ ‫“كابالن جينيسيس”‬ ‫‪+971 52 777 5611‬‬ ‫‪Binod.shankar@kaplangenesis.com‬‬

‫‪ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS‬‬

‫كابلن جينيسيس‬ ‫القيادة والتدريب وبرامج التطوير‬ ‫الهني في الشرق الوسط‬ ‫‪Kaplan Genesis‬‬ ‫‪Leadership, Training and Professional Development‬‬ ‫‪Programmes in the Middle East‬‬ ‫‪ABCC Member in Focus‬‬

‫رشكــة “كابــالن” مــزودا ً عاملي ـاً لخدمــات التعليــم‬ ‫والتدريــب يف أكــرث مــن ‪ 30‬دولــة‪ ،‬حيــث تعمــل‬ ‫مــع أكــرث مــن ‪ 2600‬رشكــة ومؤسســة‪ .‬أن التوســع‬ ‫الكبــر واالرث الكبــر لكابــالن يعــود لخــرة تقــارب‬ ‫عــى ‪ 80‬عام ـاً‪ ،‬األمــر الــذي جعــل منهــا متفوقــة‬ ‫عــى منافســيها بشــكل كبــر‪.‬‬ ‫ويف اململكــة املتحــدة تقــدم “كابــالن” حلــوالً‬ ‫تدريبيــة يف برامــج األعــال والتأهيــل املهنــي‪.‬‬ ‫وتقــوم الركــة بتدريــب أكــرث مــن ‪ 45000‬مــن‬ ‫العاملــن يف األعــال والحكومــات إضافــة للطــالب‬ ‫بشــكل ســنوي‪ .‬كــا تقــدم “كابــالن” برامج حســب‬ ‫الطلــب ملكاتــب الــركات والحكومــات‪.‬‬ ‫ويف ‪ 12‬فرايــر ‪ ،2017‬اســتحوذت مؤسســة “كابالن”‬ ‫التعليميــة العامليــة عــى رشكــة “جينيســيس”‬ ‫وذلــك يف صفقــة إس ـراتيجية ضخمــة‪ .‬ويســتهدف‬ ‫االســتحواذ الجديــد “كابــالن جينيســيس” قطــاع‬ ‫املؤسســات واألف ـراد برامــج تطويــر مهنــي عامليــة‬ ‫املســتوى‪.‬‬ ‫ومتــت صفقــة اســتحواذ كابــالن عــى جينيســيس‬ ‫اإلســراتيجية يف مدينــة ديب ‪ -‬اإلمــارات العربيــة‬ ‫املتحــدة‪ ،‬وتــم التوقيــع عــى اتفاقيــة االســتحواذ‬ ‫يف مقــر “جينيســيس” يف ديب بحضــور الرئيــس‬ ‫التنفيــذي لركــة “كابــالن” يف اململكــة املتحــدة‬

‫“بيــر هويلــون”‪ ،‬و”بينــود شــانكار”‪ ،‬املديــر العام لـ‬ ‫“جينيســيس” الــرق األوســط‪ ،‬دون اإلفصــاح عــن‬ ‫قيمــة هــذه الصفقــة‪.‬‬

‫يف الواليــات املتحــدة واململكــة املتحــدة املتواجدين‬ ‫يف املنطقــة ســوف يســتفيدون مــن خرتنا املشــركة‬ ‫وشــبكتنا العامليــة”‪.‬‬

‫وتعتــر هــذه الصفقــة األكــر منــذ بدايــة هــذا‬ ‫العــام يف قطــاع التدريــب املؤسســايت يف الــرق‬ ‫األوســط‪.‬‬

‫مــن جهتــه‪ ،‬قــال “أنــدرو بركينــز”‪ ،‬املديــر العاملــي‬ ‫ملجــاالت القيــادة والتطويــر املهنــي يف “كابــالن”‪:‬‬ ‫“لدينــا يف “كابــالن” منظــور مختلــف للعمليــة‬ ‫التعليميــة والتطويريــة‪ ،‬حيــث أننــا ندمــج بــن‬ ‫التطــور يف الكفــاءة املهنيــة مــع الثقــة الســلوكية‪،‬‬ ‫مــا يعطــي األفــراد واملجموعــات واملؤسســات‬ ‫امكانيــات أفضــل التخــاذ القــرارات الرشــيدة يف‬ ‫مؤسســاتهم‪ .‬وحاليـاً نحــن يف صــدد تجهيــز الرامــج‬ ‫املناســبة لدعــم وتطويــر الكفــاءات املحليــة يف‬ ‫املنطقــة لعمالئنــا مــن دول الخليــج واململكــة‬ ‫املتحــدة والواليــات املتحــدة األمريكيــة”‪.‬‬

‫هــذا ومــن املقــرر أن يتابــع فريــق “جينيســيس”‬ ‫العمــل تحــت اســم “كابــالن جينيســيس” عــى أن‬ ‫يبقــى مقر الركة يف ديب وتســتمر مبارســة أعالها‬ ‫يف دول الخليــج‪ .‬ومبوجــب االتفــاق الجديــد‪ ،‬ســيتم‬ ‫دمــج مؤهــالت التقييــم املرحليــة الخاصــة بـــ‬ ‫“كابــالن شــوير” العامليــة مــع تلــك التــي توفرهــا‬ ‫“جينيســيس”‪ .‬كــا وســتقدم املؤسســة الجديــدة‬ ‫حلــوالً اداريــة ومؤهــالت تدريبيــة واســعة النطــاق‬ ‫يف املجــاالت املاليــة والتجاريــة‪ ،‬اضافــة لرامــج‬ ‫القيــادة والتطويــر املهنــي الخاصــة بالــركات‪.‬‬ ‫ويف معــرض حديثــه عــن الصفقــة الجديــدة‪ ،‬قــال‬ ‫“بيــر هويلــون”‪“ :‬إن هــذا اإلســتحواذ يجمــع‬ ‫بــن االرث العريــق واملتميــز لـــ “كابــالن” وخـرات‬ ‫“جينيســيس” الكبــرة يف الــرق األوســط‪ ،‬حيــث‬ ‫أننــا نطمــح اىل تقديــم فرصــة حقيقيــة وحلــول‬ ‫عاليــة التنافســية مــن خــالل هــذه الصفقــة‬ ‫الكبــرة‪ .‬كــا أن عــدد كبــر مــن عمــالء “كابــالن”‬

‫بــدوره‪ ،‬قــال “بينــود شــانكار”‪“ :‬تواجدنــا كجزء من‬ ‫“كابــالن” ســيمنحنا مزيــدا ً مــن املــوارد واالمكانــات‬ ‫التــي ســتعزز مــن تجربــة النمــوذج الفريــد الــذي‬ ‫عملنــا جاهديــن لتطويــره يف “جينيســيس”‪ ،‬وهــو‬ ‫األمــر الــذي سيشــكل خــرا ً ســارا ً لعمالئنــا يف‬ ‫املنطقــة مــن املؤسســات واألف ـراد”‪.‬‬ ‫ووفقــاً للمجلــس الوطنــي االتحــادي يف دولــة‬ ‫االمــارات العربيــة املتحــدة‪ ،‬فــإن ميزانيــة عــام‬ ‫‪ 2017‬املخصصــة مــن قبــل الحكومــة تبلــغ ‪48.7‬‬

‫ ‬

‫‪ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 85‬‬

‫أنظمــة إطفــاء الحرائــق للمطابــخ بكافــه أنواعهــا‪،‬‬ ‫وملختلــف القطاعــات‪.‬‬ ‫مــا هــو تقييمكــم لصناعــة النقــل البحري مؤخـراً؟‬ ‫مــا هــي أبــرز التحديــات؟‬ ‫تعتــر صناعــة النقــل البحــري واحــدة مــن أقــوى‬ ‫الصناعــات يف مــر‪ ،‬ال ســيا أن مــر تتمتــع‬ ‫بخليــج الســويس وقنــاه الســويس والبحــر األحمــر‬ ‫والبحــر املتوســط‪ .‬أمــا عــن أبــرز التحديــات يف هذه‬ ‫الصناعــة‪ ،‬فهــي اســتمرار العمــل وســط األزمــات‬ ‫املاليــة وبعــض االضطرابــات يف الــدول العربيــة‪.‬‬ ‫تضعــون معايــر الســامة يف ســلم أولوياتكــم‪ .‬مــا‬ ‫أهميــة هــذا املعيــار يف صناعــة النقــل البحــري؟‬ ‫وكيــف يتعامــل مــاك الســفن مــع معايــر‬ ‫الســامة؟‬ ‫ال شــك أنــه إذا حافظــت عــى ســالمة الوســيلة‬ ‫الخاصــة باإلنقــاذ‪ ،‬ســتضمن وصولــك إىل بــر األمــان‪.‬‬ ‫والتزامنــا بسياســة الجــودة ال يقتــر عــى االمتثــال‬ ‫للقوانــن واألنظمــة فحســب‪ ،‬إمنــا الثبات مســؤولية‬ ‫الجــودة وإرضــاء العمــالء‪.‬‬ ‫مــا هــي مســاحة انتشــاركم محليــاً وإقليميــاً‬ ‫وعامليــاً؟ ومــا طبيعــة العاقــة التــي تربطكــم‬ ‫بعمائكــم؟‬ ‫مــن خــالل فريــق العمــل لدينــا قمنــا مبهــام‬ ‫لســفن العديــد مــن عمالئنــا يف مــر والســودان‬ ‫وليبيــا واألردن والســعودية‪ .‬فنحــن نعمــل يف كل‬ ‫أرجــاء الجمهوريــة مــن خــالل فــروع محطاتنــا‬ ‫العمالقــة‪ .‬كــا أننــا نشــطون عــر كافــة وســائل‬ ‫التواصــل اإلجتاعــي‪ ،‬وعالقتنــا بالعمــالء ليســت‬ ‫مجــرد خدمــه نقدمهــا ســواء قبــل أو بعــد انقضــاء‬ ‫املــروع‪ ،‬بــل أن تواصلنــا معهــم الينقطــع أبــدا ً‪.‬‬ ‫ففــي ظــل األزمــات نتواصــل معهــم ويتواصلــون‬ ‫معنــا‪ ،‬وتربطنــا بالعمــالء عالقــة متميــزة للغايــة‪.‬‬ ‫كيــف تعاملتــم مــع األزمــة املاليــة العامليــة‬ ‫وتدهــور أســعار النفــط؟ مــا هــي الخطــة األهــم‬ ‫ملواجهــة مثــل هــذه األزمــات وآخرهــا أزمــة‬ ‫الجنيــه املــري والــدوالر؟‬ ‫بالنســبه لألزمــة العامليــة كانــت والزالــت كارثيــة‬ ‫ال ســيا أن عملنــا ال يقتــر عــى قطــاع النقــل‬ ‫البحــري فقــط‪ ،‬بــل يشــمل كافــة القطاعــات‪ .‬كــا‬ ‫أن أســعارنا ومعامالتنــا بالــدوالر األمريي‪ ،‬ومشــكلة‬ ‫تدهــور أســعار النفــط أثــرت عــى الــدوالر‪ ،‬حيــث‬ ‫قامــت جميــع رشكات البــرول بطلــب ســداد‬

‫مســتحقاتنا بالعملــة املحليــة ملــر وذلــك لعــدم‬ ‫توفــر الــدوالر‪ .‬مــع العلــم أنــه إذا مــا قمنــا برفــض‬ ‫هــذا األمــر‪ ،‬فســوف ننتظــر الجــل غــر معلــوم قــد‬ ‫يطــول لســنوات‪.‬‬ ‫وأود اإلشــارة كذلــك إىل انخفــاض اإليـرادات بشــكل‬ ‫ملحــوظ‪ ،‬والــذي قابلــه زيــادة يف املروفــات‪ .‬ومن‬ ‫هنــا‪ ،‬قضــت خطتنــا بتقليــل وخفــض وتقليــص‬ ‫األعبــاء قــدر املســتطاع وزيــادة بعــض األســعار‬ ‫للمنتجــات‪ ،‬والحمــد للــه تغلبنــا عــى األزمــة‪،‬‬ ‫لتعــود اإليـرادات ضعــف املروفــات بشــكل جيد‪.‬‬ ‫مــا رؤيتكــم للمرحلــة املقبلــة؟ هــل تخططــون‬ ‫ملشــاريع توســعية ألعالكــم وخدماتكــم؟‬ ‫ال شــك أن املرحلــه املقبلــة‪ ،‬تحتــاج منــي ومــن‬ ‫فريــق العمــل‪ ،‬جهــدا ً أقــوى وأكــر لضان مســتوى‬ ‫الخدمــة وللحفــاظ عــى مســرتنا الطويلــة‪ .‬وقــد‬ ‫حصلــت عــى عــدة عضويــات لعــدة غــرف تجارية‬ ‫أجنبيــة وعربيــة داخــل وخــارج مــر‪ ،‬يك نصــل‬ ‫لــكل مــكان وال نتوقــف عنــد مرحلــه معينــة‪.‬‬ ‫ومؤخــرا ً تعاقــدت مــع ماســر أكادميــي للتنميــة‬ ‫البريــة‪ ،‬لتدريــس املــادة العلميــة الخاصــة‬ ‫باإلســعافات األوليــة‪ ،‬ومنــح شــهادة باســم رشف‬ ‫جــروب وماســر أكادميــي‪ .‬كــا سيشــمل ذلــك‬ ‫زيــاره خاصــة ملحطتنــا‪ ،‬للتعريــف مبنهــج حيــاة‬ ‫الســالمة واإلنقــاذ البحــري‪ ،‬بهــدف اإلرتقــاء بعملنــا‬ ‫بوجــه عــام وبركتنــا بوجــه خــاص‪.‬‬ ‫هــل مــن نيــة لتوســيع انتشــاركم يف منطقــة‬ ‫الــرق األوســط عــرب افتتــاح فــرع جديــد يف‬ ‫إحــدى الــدول باملنطقــة؟‬ ‫ال شــك أننــا نتمنــى ونعتــزم دامئ ـاً التوســع يف كل‬ ‫أنحــاء العــامل‪ ،‬وقــد تلقينــا دعــوات مــن عــدة دول‬ ‫عربيــة شــقيقة إلنشــاء محطــات (فــروع) لنــا‪،‬‬ ‫إال أن األزمــات العربيــة االقتصايــة والسياســية‬ ‫تجعــل هــذا األمــر صعبـاً‪ ،‬وأمتنــى أن يعـ ّم الســالم‬ ‫واالزدهــار العــامل أجمــع‪.‬‬ ‫كيــف تنظــرون اىل القوانــني والتريعــات التــي‬ ‫تصدرهــا املنظمــة البحريــة الدوليــة ســنوياً‪ ،‬والتــي‬ ‫تنظــم النقــل البحــري وترتبــط مبعايــر الســامة؟‬ ‫ال شــك أنــه كلــا كانــت القوانــن والتريعــات‬ ‫قويــة وصارمــة كلــا كانــت عنارصتحقيــق الســالمة‬ ‫أفضــل‪ ،‬وهــذا األمــر ســوف يجعلنــا نعمــل ليــل‬ ‫نهــار مــن ناحيــة‪ ،‬ويعــزز التــزام الجانــب اآلخــر‬ ‫بهذه املعاير من ناحية أخرى‪.‬‬

‫كيــف تنظــرون إىل مــروع محــور قناة الســويس؟‬ ‫هــل مــن خدمــات ســتوفرونها يف طبيعــة األعــال‬ ‫التــي تنفــذ يف هــذا املــروع الضخــم؟‬ ‫لقــد كان لنــا دور كبــر يف مــروع قنــاه الســويس‪،‬‬ ‫مــن حيــث توفــر معــدات وقطــع غيــار‪ ،‬ووســائل‬ ‫إنقــاذ وأخــرى إطفــاء‪ ،‬وذلــك مــن خــالل هيئــه‬ ‫قنــاه الســويس‪.‬‬ ‫الحظنــا أنكــم نشــطون يف إصــدار كتــب للتوعيــة‬ ‫حــول مجــال أعالكــم‪ ،‬إىل جانــب نشــاطكم‬ ‫املتميــز يف البحــر‬ ‫مــع ازدهــار عملنــا بالركــة ككل‪ ،‬قــام والــدي‬ ‫املهنــدس عبــد الوهــاب رشف بعمــل كتــاب عــن‬ ‫اإلســعافات األوليــة‪ ،‬وهــذا الكتــاب يعتــر كمرجــع‬ ‫ميكــن اللجــوء إليــه يف شــتى املعلومــات بــرح‬ ‫إجـراءات اإلســعافات األوليــة‪ ،‬وموضوعــات الكتاب‬ ‫هــي (إنقــاذ املصابــن يف حــوادث الســيارات‪،‬‬ ‫التنفــس الصناعــي وتنشــيط القلــب‪ ،‬وحــاالت‬ ‫النزيــف وكيفيــة إيقافــه‪ ،‬والحــروق ودرجاتهــا‪،‬‬ ‫والتســمم بأنواعــه‪ ،‬ولــدغ الحــرات‪ ،‬إضافــة إىل‬ ‫صيدليــة املنــزل)‪ .‬كــا أصــدر كتابــاً آخــرا ً خاصــاً‬ ‫باالنقــاذ البحــري والجــوي والنهــري‪.‬‬ ‫‪Saif sharaf / Director‬‬ ‫‪.GM. Eamw co‬‬ ‫‪El-Baharia-Street 78‬‬ ‫‪PO BOX 519, Alexandria‬‬ ‫‪Egypt‬‬ ‫‪Fax: +2062-3190151‬‬ ‫‪Mobile: +2012-10504924‬‬ ‫‪Email: saif@eamw.net, eamw@usa.com‬‬ ‫‪Website: www.eamw.net‬‬

‫‪ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS‬‬

‫مــاذا عــن أبــرز الخدمــات التــي توفرونهــا للعمــاء‬ ‫يف منطقــة الــرق األوســط وشــال أفريقيــا؟‬ ‫ومــاذا مييــز خدماتكــم عــن باقــي الــركات‬ ‫املنافســة؟‬ ‫أعتقــد أن أبــرز مــا مييزنــا عــن غرنــا مــن‬ ‫الــركات املنافســة يف مجــاالت الســالمة واإلنقــاذ‬ ‫البحــري‪ ،‬هــو صناعــة رمــاث نجــاة بســعات أفـراد‬ ‫مختلفــة بــدءا ً مــن ‪ 6‬أفـراد حتــى ‪ 50‬فــردا ً‪ ،‬ســواء‬ ‫كمنتــج محــي أو كمنتــج رشف صينــي وصيانتهــا‬ ‫وتقديــم خدمــة مــا بعــد البيــع‪ ،‬إضافــة إىل خــط‬ ‫إنتــاج لقــوارب النجــاة‪ ،‬ووجــود محطــة خدمــة‬ ‫وتوريــدات وخدمــات مــا بعــد البيــع لــكل مــن‬ ‫‪ ANSUL‬و‪ .AMEREX‬مــع اإلشــارة إىل أن هــذا‬ ‫املجــال ال يقتــر عــى قطــاع النقــل البحــري فقط‪.‬‬ ‫ولدينــا أيضـاً معمــل تحليــل خــاص برغــوة الحرائق‬ ‫حاصــل عــى شــهادات معتمــدة‪.‬‬

‫أجنبيــة‪ ،‬ومــن ثــم إضافــة قســم صناعــي حســب‬ ‫الطلــب وقســم صيانــة لكافــة قــوارب النجــاة‪.‬‬ ‫وخــالل أعــوام قليلــة انضــم لفريــق العمــل صديــق‬ ‫العائلــة املهنــدس وليــد رشكــس عقــب عودتــه مــن‬ ‫كنــدا‪ ،‬ليقــوم بــدوره وبخرتــه الواســعة يف مجــال‬ ‫صناعــه اليخــوت والقــوارب والــزوارق الريعــة‬ ‫بإضافــة رصيــد أكــر للركــة‪ ،‬وحصلــوا بدورهــم‬ ‫عــى شــهادات الجــودة وشــهادات اعتــاد بحــري‪.‬‬ ‫ومــن ثــم قــام املهنــدس محمــود رشف بالحصــول‬ ‫عــى أقــوى وأفضــل وســيلة إطفــاء للحرائــق يف‬ ‫أمريــكا والعــامل‪ ،‬ماركــة ‪ ،ANSUL‬حيــث اختــار‬ ‫فــرع األســكندرية ليكــون محطــه خدمــة ل‬ ‫‪ ANSUL‬وفرعهــا الوحيــد يف مــر‪ .‬أمــا نحــن‬ ‫فقــد اخرنــا فــرع الســويس ليقــوم بتوريــد قطــع‬ ‫الغيــار الخاصــة مبنتجــات ‪ ،ANSUL‬والتعاقــد مــع‬

‫الــركات والســفن واليخــوت واملصانــع عــى وضــع‬ ‫أنظمــة كاملــة ملكافحــة وإطفــاء الحرائــق ملاركــة‬ ‫‪.ANSUL‬‬ ‫وبعــد عــدة ســنوات قمنــا بفــرع الســويس بإضافــة‬ ‫ماركــة جديــدة وهــي ثــاين أقــوى وســيلة إطفــاء‬ ‫أمريكيــة ‪ ،AMEREX‬عــى أن تكــون محطــه‬ ‫الســويس هــي محطــة خدمــة ومــوزع معتمــد‪.‬‬ ‫واليــوم أتــوىل أنــا شــخصياً إدارة فــرع الركــة بعــد‬ ‫تقاعــد والــدي عــن العمــل‪ ،‬وبعــد أن شــغلت‬ ‫منصب مديــر إدارة العالقات العامة واللوجســتيات‬ ‫للركــة‪ .‬فيــا اســتكمل ابــن عمــي األســتاذ أمــن‬ ‫رشف إدارة فــرع األســكندرية‪ ،‬ونجتهــد جميعــا‬ ‫الســتكال مســرة اآلبــاء‪ .‬وقــد تــ ّم تغيــر نظــام‬ ‫الركــة لتصبــح مؤسســة رضيبيــة وأخــرى غــر‬ ‫رضيبيــة‪.‬‬

‫أنتــم تــزودون منــذ مــا يقــارب الثاثــني عامــاً‬ ‫معــدات الســامة الخاصــة بقــوارب النجــاة‬ ‫واإلكسســوارات املتعلقــة بهــا‪ .‬أيــن أنتــم اليــوم‬ ‫مــن هــذه القطــاع؟‬ ‫نظـرا ً لقلــة الطلــب وإقبال مــالك الســفن الضعيف‬ ‫حاليــا عــى قــوارب النجــاة الجديــدة‪ ،‬فــإن خدماتنا‬ ‫مقتــرة عــى الصيانــة بشــكل عــام‪ .‬كــا أن‬ ‫دورنــا ينصــب عــى التصنيــع‪ ،‬وباقــي اإلضافــات‬ ‫مثــل نوعيــة املحــرك أو التجهي ـزات الخاصــة بهــا‬ ‫حســب طلــب العميــل عنــد التعاقــد‪ .‬لكــن بشــكل‬ ‫خــاص يعمــل املصنــع بقــوة لتصميــم وتنفيــذ‬ ‫طلبــات عمــل مــن القــوات البحريــة املريــة‬ ‫وخفــر الســواحل والدفــاع املــدين البحــري‪ ،‬وكذلــك‬ ‫عــدد كبــر مــن قطــاع البــرول ومالــي اليخــوت‬ ‫واملنتجعــات الســياحية‪ .‬ومنــذ ســنوات قليلــة‬ ‫أضــاف املهنــدس محمــود رشف خدمــات الكشــف‬ ‫واالختبــار عــى الرافعــات الخاصــة بالقــوارب‬ ‫واألونــاش عــى الســفن‪.‬‬ ‫يف عــام ‪ ،2000‬بدأتــم يف تصميــم وتركيــب أنظمــة‬ ‫مكافحــة الحرائــق‪ .‬حدثنــا عــن هــذا الجانــب‬ ‫يف عــام ‪ 2000‬قمنــا بتطويــر قطــاع إطفــاء‬ ‫ومكافحــة الحريــق مــن حيــث الشــهادات‬ ‫واالعتــادات األجنبيــة ثــم املريــة‪ .‬وقــام األســتاذ‬ ‫أمــن رشف باالســتعانة بصديــق عمــره وصديــق‬ ‫العائلــه األســتاذ إيهــاب ســعد‪ ،‬يف إنشــاء معمــل‬ ‫خــاص لتحليــل عينــة الرغــوة للســفن‪ ،‬بفضــل مــا‬ ‫ميتلكــه مــن خــرة يف مجــال الكياويــات وتوفــر‬

‫ ‬

‫‪ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 87‬‬

‫رائدون في صناعة أدوات‬ ‫ومعدات النجاة شرف جروب‬ ‫‪Sharaf Group‬‬ ‫‪Leading Manufacturers of Life Saving‬‬ ‫‪Services & Equipment‬‬ ‫‪ABCC Member in Focus‬‬

‫السيد سيف رشف ‪ -‬مدير مؤسسة التوكيات األوروبية والصناعات واألعال البحرية‬

‫‪Seif Sharaf - ABCC member, Director Sharaf Group‬‬ ‫مؤسســة التوكيــالت األوروبيــة والصناعــات‬ ‫واألعــال البحريــة ‪ -‬رشف جــروب‪ ،‬مؤسســة‬ ‫عريقــة ولهــا تاريــخ طويــل يف هــذا املجــال منــذ‬ ‫نشــأتها يف عقــد الســبعينيات مــن القــرن املــايض‬ ‫وحتــى يومنــا هــذا‪ ،‬وهــي خــر مثــال للمؤسســات‬ ‫التــي تتشــارك يف نهضتهــا العائلــة الواحــدة‪ ،‬حتــى‬ ‫باتــت اليــوم رشف جــروب‪ ،‬اس ـاً المع ـاً يف فضــاء‬ ‫األعــال واملشــاريع ســواء البحريــة أم غرهــا مــن‬ ‫القطاعــات املختلفــة‪.‬‬ ‫وتتميــز رشف جــروب يف مجــال صناعــة رماثــات‬ ‫نجــاة بســعات أفـراد مختلفــة ســواء كمنتــج محي‬ ‫أو كمنتــج رشف صينــي‪ ،‬ناهيــك عــن خدمــات‬ ‫الصيانــة بعــد البيــع‪ ،‬وصــوالً إىل اســتقدام أفضــل‬ ‫مــاركات وســائل إطفــاء الحرائــق ‪ ANSUL‬و‬ ‫‪.AMEREX‬‬ ‫وهــذه مقابلــة مــع الســيد ســيف رشف ‪ -‬مديــر‬ ‫مؤسســة التوكيــالت األوروبيــة والصناعــات‬ ‫واألعــال البحريــة‪ ،‬نلقــي فيهــا الضــوء عــى‬ ‫هــذه املؤسســة ونشــاطاتها ومجــاالت تخصصهــا‪.‬‬ ‫وســنتطرق يف هــذه املقابلــة إىل الحديــث عــن‬ ‫مرحلــة التأســيس‪ ،‬والخدمــات التــي تقدمهــا رشف‬ ‫جــروب‪ ،‬وأبرزالتطلعــات املســتقبلية‪.‬‬ ‫حدثنــا بدايــة عــن مؤسســة التوكيــات األوروبيــة‬ ‫والصناعــات واألعــال البحريــة ‪ -‬رشف جــروب ‪-‬‬

‫منــذ التأســيس عــام ‪ 1975‬وحتــى اليــوم‪ .‬مــا هــي‬ ‫أبــرز املحطــات واإلنجــازات يف مســرة الركــة؟‬ ‫الركــة أسســها الربــان الراحــل عمي محمــد رشف‪،‬‬ ‫وكانــت عبــارة عــن محطــات (فــروع) صغــرة‬ ‫يف كل مدينــة‪ ،‬يف مينــاء الســويس‪ ،‬وبورســعيد‪،‬‬ ‫واإلســكندرية‪ .‬وتــوىل كل األشــقاء يف العائلــة إدارة‬ ‫أحــد الفــروع للركــة‪ .‬فقــد أدار املهنــدس ورجــل‬ ‫األعــال والــدي عبد الوهــاب رشف فرع الســويس‪،‬‬ ‫وقــام عمــي املهنــدس حمــدي رشف بــإدارة فــرع‬ ‫بورســعيد‪ .‬وتــوىل كل فــرع مهــام الكشــف عــى‬ ‫طفايــات الحريــق ورماثــات النجــاة الخاصــة‬ ‫بالقطــاع البحــري‪ .‬ويف هــذا اإلطــار‪ ،‬قــام كل منهــم‬ ‫بالســفر للحصــول عــى االعتــادات الدوليــة‬ ‫لنتمكــن مــن معاينــة مختلــف أنــواع رماثــات‬ ‫النجــاة وطفايــات الحريــق‪.‬‬ ‫فيــا قــام عمــي الراحــل رحمــه اللــه عليــه‪،‬‬ ‫بتســجيل الركــة يف املنظمــة البحريــة الدوليــة‬ ‫‪ .IMO‬وبعــد مــرور عــدة ســنوات منــذ التأســيس‪،‬‬ ‫تطــورت األعــال‪ ،‬وزاد عــدد املوظفــن يف كل‬ ‫محطــة‪ ،‬وزادت متطلبــات الســالمة واإلنقــاذ‬ ‫البحــري‪ ،‬وبالتــايل بــدأ كل فــرع يف بنــاء رصح أكــر‬ ‫لتكــون محطــه خدمــة متطابقــة مــع كافــة معايــر‬ ‫وإجــراءات الســالمة البحريــة‪.‬‬ ‫وبالنســبة لفــرع الســويس اتخذنــا مروعـاً تحــت‬ ‫قبــه الهيئــة العامــة لالســتثار واملناطــق الحــرة‪،‬‬

‫فيــا قــام فــرع بورســعيد بإنشــاء محطــة إضافيــه‬ ‫لــه يف دميــاط‪ .‬وأقــام الربــان محمــد رشف رحمــه‬ ‫اللــه مصنعــاً باألســكندرية يحتــوي عــى محطــة‬ ‫خدمــة لرماثــات النجــاة وطفايــات الحريــق‪،‬‬ ‫إضافــة إىل قســم صناعــي يقــوم بصناعــة رماثــات‬ ‫النجــاة ماركــة ‪ /‬رشف ‪ ،SHARAF‬وقــام بتســجيلها‬ ‫ك ـراءة اخ ـراع لــدى الجهــات املختصــة‪ .‬وحصــل‬ ‫أيض ـاً عــى شــهاده معتمــدة مــن هيئــة تحديــث‬ ‫الصناعــة وشــهادة الجــودة‪ .‬وتــم اعتادنــا مــن‬ ‫وزارة النقــل البحــري – هيئــة التفتيــش البحــري‬ ‫املــري مســتخدما خامــات أجنبيــة‪ ،‬وصــار لنــا‬ ‫خــط إنتــاج يف االســكندرية مســتمر بالخدمــة حتى‬ ‫يومنــا هــذا‪.‬‬ ‫هــل شــمل هــذا التوســع واإلنفتــاح عــى أســواق‬ ‫أخــرى مثــل الصــني وأمريــكا؟‬ ‫عقــب األزمــة املاليــة العامليــة التــي أطاحــت‬ ‫باقتصــاد العــامل ‪ ،2007‬أنشــأ والــدي خــط إنتــاج‬ ‫ملاركتنــا ‪ SHARAF‬يف الصــن‪ ،‬وذلــك حتــى ال‬ ‫يتوقــف اســم رشف عنــد رمــاث نجــاة وال يتوقــف‬ ‫القطــاع الصناعــي بشــكل عــام‪ ،‬خصوص ـاً انــه كان‬ ‫لــه أثــر ودور كبــر يف ازدهــار الركة ككل وبشــكل‬ ‫عــام‪.‬‬ ‫وبعدهــا بعــدة ســنوات قــام ابــن عمــي املهنــدس‬ ‫محمــود رشف بإضافــة نشــاط صناعــي جديــد‪،‬‬ ‫وخــط إنتــاج قــوارب النجــاة‪ ،‬مســتخدماً خامــات‬

‫‪ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS‬‬

‫ماذا تعني الادة‪ 50‬من معاهدة‬ ‫لشبونة؟‬ ‫‪Effects of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty‬‬ ‫عــى االتفــاق الــذي تــم التوصــل إليــه‪ .‬يف آذار‬ ‫(مــارس) ‪ ،2019‬بريطانيــا ســتخرج رســمياً مــن‬ ‫االتحــاد األورويب‪.‬‬

‫قــررت الحكومــة الريطانيــة‪ ،‬يف ‪ 29‬آذار (مــارس)‬ ‫عــى تفع ّيــل املــادة ‪ 50‬مــن اتفاقيــة لشــبونة‬ ‫لالتحــاد األورويب‪ ،‬والتــي تطلــق املفاوضــات‬ ‫الخاصــة بخــروج بريطانيــا مــن االتحــاد‪ ،‬وذلــك يف‬ ‫تقديــم ملوعدهــا الــذي كان مــن املقــرر إجرائــه يف‬ ‫شــهر نيســان (أبريــل) ‪.2017‬‬ ‫واملــادة ‪ 50‬متثــل الســبيل ألي دولــة تــروم الخــروج‬ ‫مــن االتحــاد األورويب‪ .‬وضمنــت هــذه املــادة يف‬ ‫معاهــدة لشــبونة التــي وقعــت عليهــا كل الــدول‬ ‫األعضــاء يف االتحــاد األورويب والتــي اكتســبت صفــة‬ ‫القانــون يف عــام ‪ .2009‬ومل تكــن هنــاك قبــل تلــك‬ ‫املعاهــدة أي آليــة لخــروج أي دولــة مــن عضويــة‬ ‫االتحــاد االورويب‪.‬‬ ‫وتنــص املــادة ‪ 50‬التــي ال تتجــاوز ‪ 5‬فقـرات‪ ،‬عــى‬ ‫أن عــى أي دولــة عضــو يف االتحــاد األورويب راغبــة‬ ‫يف الخــروج مــن االتحــاد أن تحيط املجلــس األورويب‬ ‫علــاً بذلــك وأن تتفــاوض عــى ذلــك عــى أن ال‬ ‫تتجــاوز مــدة املفاوضــات ســنتن إال يف حالــة‬ ‫موافقــة جميــع الــدول األعضــاء األخــرى عــى‬ ‫متديــد هــذه الفــرة‪ .‬وتنــص املــادة أيض ـاً عــى أن‬ ‫الدولــة التــي تريــد الخــروج مــن االتحــاد األورويب‬ ‫ال يحــق لهــا املشــاركة يف املشــاورات داخــل االتحاد‬ ‫األورويب حــول هــذا املوضــوع‪.‬‬ ‫وتنــص املــادة ‪ 50‬أيضـاً عــى إن أي اتفــاق لخــروج‬ ‫أي دولــة مــن عضويــة االتحــاد يجــب أن يحظــى‬ ‫“بأغلبيــة مروطــة”‪ ،‬أي نحــو ‪ 72%‬مــن الــدول‬ ‫األعضــاء الـــ ‪ 27‬املتبقــن يف االتحــاد األورويب مــا‬ ‫ميثــل ‪ 65%‬مــن ســكان دول االتحــاد‪ ،‬وكذلــك‬ ‫بتأييــد نــواب الرملــان األورويب‪.‬‬ ‫وتتطــرق الفقــرة الخامســة مــن املــادة ‪ 50‬إىل‬ ‫امكانيــة عــودة الدولــة التــي قــررت الخــروج مــن‬ ‫االتحــاد األورويب إىل عضويــة االتحــاد‪.‬‬

‫هــل ميكــن أن تغــر بريطانيــا رأيهــا وتعــدل عــن‬ ‫ق ـرار الخــروج مــن االتحــاد األورويب؟‬

‫ال�يطانية ‪ -‬السيدة يت�يزا ماي‬ ‫رئيسة الوزراء ب‬

‫ما الذي سيحصل اآلن؟‬ ‫مــن املتوقــع أن يدعــو رئيــس املجلــس األورويب‬ ‫دونالــد توســك اىل انعقــاد قمــة أوروبيــة يحرهــا‬ ‫قــادة الــدول الـــ ‪( 27‬باســتثناء بريطانيــا) مــن أجــل‬ ‫االتفــاق عــى منــح املفوضيــة التفويــض الــروري‬ ‫للتفــاوض مــع الريطانيــن‪.‬‬ ‫مــا بعــد القمــة ‪ -‬املفوضيــة األوروبيــة تنــر‬ ‫مبــادئ التفــاوض بنــاء عــى التفويــض املمنــوح‬ ‫لهــا مــن قبــل القــادة األوروبيــن‪ .‬وقــد يعلــن‬ ‫االتحــاد االورويب عــن مفاوضــات متوازيــة حــول‬ ‫اتفــاق تجــاري مســتقبي محتمــل بــن االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب وبريطانيــا‪ .‬يف خريــف ‪ ،2017‬مــن املتوقــع‬ ‫ان تطــرح الحكومــة الريطانيــة مــروع قانــون‬ ‫يتضمــن الخــروج مــن االتحــاد األورويب وتحويل كل‬ ‫القوانــن األوروبيــة الســارية إىل القانــون الريطــاين‪.‬‬ ‫ويف تريــن األول (أكتوبــر) ‪ ،2018‬يجــب أن تنتهي‬ ‫املفاوضــات (ميكــن للعمليــة التفاوضيــة أن تتمــدد‪،‬‬ ‫ولكــن ذلــك يتطلــب موافقــة كل الــدول األعضــاء‬ ‫الـــ ‪ .)27‬ومــا بــن تريــن األول (أكتوبــر) ‪2018‬‬ ‫وآذار (مــارس) ‪ ،2019‬ســيصوت كل مــن الرملــان‬ ‫الريطــاين واملجلــس األورويب والرملــان األوروبيــة‬

‫مبــا ان املــادة ‪ 50‬مل تختــر أو تســتخدم ســابقاً‪ ،‬فإنــه‬ ‫مــن الصعــب الجــزم بذلــك ألن موضــوع الراجــع‬ ‫غــر مذكــور يف منطــوق املــادة‪ .‬ولكــن الشــخص‬ ‫الــذي صــاغ املــادة‪ ،‬اللــورد كــر‪ ،‬يعتقــد ان ذلــك‬ ‫ممكــن‪.‬‬ ‫ويقــول اللــورد كــر لبــي يب يس “إن املوضــوع ليــس‬ ‫نهائيـاً‪ ،‬إذ ميكــن الراجــع عنــه أثنــاء رسيــان عمليــة‬ ‫االنســحاب‪ .‬ففــي تلــك الفــرة‪ .‬إذا قــررت دولــة مــا‬ ‫أنهــا ال تريــد املــي قدم ـاً‪ ،‬فيمكنهــا ذلــك ولكــن‬ ‫اآلخريــن سيشــعرون بالغضــب وقــد يقــررون‬ ‫تقــايض مثنــاً سياســياً مقابــل موافقتهــم‪ .‬ولكــن‬ ‫ليــس لــدى الــدول األخــرى الحــق القانــوين مبطالبــة‬ ‫دولــة مــا بالخــروج مــن االتحــاد ضــد إرادتهــا”‪.‬‬ ‫وتواجــه رئيســة الــوزراء تحديــات مــن معســكر‬ ‫رافــي االنفصــال عــن االتحــاد األورويب‪ ،‬مــن‬ ‫ضمنهــم رشيحــة واســعة مــن االســكتلندين الذيــن‬ ‫صــوت برملانهــم اإلقليمــي باألغلبيــة عــى اق ـراح‬ ‫قدمتــه رئيســة الحكومــة االســكتلندية نيكــوال‬ ‫ســتورجن‪ ،‬إلجــراء اســتفتاء ثــان لالســتقالل عــن‬ ‫اململكــة املتحــدة‪.‬‬ ‫وتعــارض تريــزا مــاي يف الوقــت الحــايل “أي‬ ‫حديــث عــن االســتفتاء” مؤكــدة أن الركيــز يجــب‬ ‫أن ينصــب عــى “تحقيــق أفضــل صفقــة” مــع‬ ‫االتحــاد‪.‬‬

‫ ‬

‫‪ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 89‬‬

‫* التوصــل مــع القــادة األوروبيــني عــى “‪4‬‬ ‫حريــات” حريــة حركــة الســلع‪ ،‬وحريــة ورؤوس‬ ‫األمــوال‪ ،‬وحريــة الخدمــات وحريــة املواطنــن‪ .‬وأن‬ ‫يكــون كل هــذا خــارج نطــاق الســوق األوروبيــة‬ ‫املوحــدة‪ ،‬بــل مــن خــالل اتفاقيــة جديــدة للتجــارة‬ ‫الحــرة تكــون حــي مــا وصفتــه مــاي “شــاملة‬ ‫وجريئــة وطموحــة”‪ ،‬وممكــن أن تتضمــن بعــض‬ ‫عنــارص الرتيبــات الحاليــة املعمــول بهــا يف الســوق‬ ‫املوحــدة يف مجــاالت معينــة (تصديــر الســيارات‬ ‫والشــاحنات‪ ،‬أو حريــة تقديــم خدمــات ماليــة‬ ‫عــر الحــدود الوطنيــة) حيــث حســب مــا وصفتــه‬ ‫مــاي “مــن غــر املنطقــي البــدء مــن الصفــر بعــد‬ ‫ســنوات طويلــة مــن العمــل بقواعــد االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب املشــركة”‪.‬‬ ‫* اتفاقيــات تجاريــة جديــدة مــع الــدول األخــرى‪:‬‬ ‫تســعى بريطانيــا لعقــد اتفايقــات تجاريــة أخــرى‬ ‫خــارج نطــاق االتحــاد األورويب فقــط‪ .‬وقالــت مــاي‬ ‫“نريــد االنطــالق إىل العــامل األوســع‪ ،‬وأن نتاجــر‬ ‫ونقيــم عالقــات عمــل يف كافــة أنحــاء العــامل‪.‬‬ ‫وهنــاك دول مثــل الصــن والرازيــل ودول الخليــج”‬ ‫وأعربــت عــن اهتامهــا بالتوصــل التفاقيــات‬ ‫تجاريــة مــع هــذه البلــدان وغرهــا مثــل أس ـراليا‬ ‫ونيوزيلنــدا والهنــد إضافــة إىل الســعي إىل اتفــاق‬ ‫تجــاري مــع الواليــات املتحــدة‪.‬‬ ‫* البقــاء يف االتحــاد الجمــريك‪ :‬تســعى بريطانيــا إىل‬ ‫للبقــاء عضــوا ً يف االتحــاد الجمــريك لالتحــاد األورويب‬ ‫مــن خــالل التفــاوض عــى اتفاقيــة خاصــة بهــذا‬ ‫الشــأن‪ ،‬وأن تكــون التجــارة عــر الحــدود فيــا‬ ‫بينهــا والــدول األوروبيــة دون تعرفــة جمركيــة‪.‬‬ ‫‪ 8‬مبــدأ بريطانيــا مقـراً للعلــوم واالبتــكار‪ :‬تتطلــع‬ ‫بريطانيــا يف املســتقبل أن تكــون واحــدة مــن أفضل‬ ‫األماكــن يف العــامل بالنســبة للعلــوم واالبتــكار‪ .‬ويف‬ ‫هــذا الشــأن قالــت مــاي “أن من نقــاط قوتنــا كبلد‬ ‫اتســاع وعمــق مجتمعاتنــا األكادمييــة والعلميــة‪،‬‬ ‫التــي يدعمهــا بعــض مــن أفضــل جامعــات العــامل‪،‬‬ ‫ولدينــا تاريــخ نفتخــر بــه يف قيــادة ودعــم األبحــاث‬ ‫واالبتــكارات املتطــورة”‪ .‬وتســعى بريطانيــا إىل‬ ‫مواصلــة التعــاون مــع األوروبيــن يف املبــادرات‬ ‫العلميــة والبحثيــة والتكنولوجيــة الكبــرة‪ ،‬ويف‬ ‫مجــاالت استكشــاف الفضــاء والطاقــة النظيفــة‬ ‫والتقنيــات الطبيــة”‪.‬‬ ‫‪ 9‬مبــدأ التعــاون مبجــال مكافحــة الجرميــة‬ ‫واإلرهــاب‪ :‬وتســعى بريطانيــا إىل التواصــل‬ ‫والتعــاون مــع األوروبيــن يف مجــاالت مكافحــة‬

‫تدريجيــة تحقــق خروجــا سلســاً ومنتظــاً مــن‬ ‫االتحــاد األورويب‪ .‬هــذا هــو إطــار االتفــاق الــذي‬ ‫ســيكون انطالقــاً لراكــة جديــدة بــن اململكــة‬ ‫املتحــدة واالتحــاد األورويب‪.‬‬ ‫وهــو مبثابــة خطــة شــاملة ويجــب أن تخضــع‬ ‫لدراســة شــاملة ودقيقــة ألجــل تحقيقيهــا‪.‬‬

‫ال�يطانية ‪ -‬السيدة يت�يزا ماي‬ ‫رئيسة الوزراء ب‬

‫الجرميــة واإلرهــاب‪ ،‬وكذلــك مبجــال الشــؤون‬ ‫الخارجيــة والدفاعيــة‪ ،‬وأن تشــمل ترتيبــات‬ ‫عمليــة حــول مســائل تطبيــق القانــون ومشــاركة‬ ‫املعلومــات االســتخباراتية مــع االتحــاد األورويب‪.‬‬ ‫‪ 10‬مبــدأ الخــروج الســلس املنظــم مــن االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب‪ :‬تســعى بريطانيــا إىل االحتفــاظ بعالقاتهــا‬ ‫القويــة مــع األوروبيــن دون املســاس بحالــة‬ ‫االســتقرار يف املرحلــة اإلنتقاليــة‪ ،‬التــي ترغــب ان‬ ‫تكــون رسيعــة‪ ،‬وذلــك بحلــول إنتهــاء فــرة العامــن‬ ‫التــي هــي فــرة العمليــة الالزمة منــذ إطــالق املادة‬ ‫‪ .50‬وهــي الفــرة التي ســتمنح للــركات للتخطيط‬ ‫واإلعــداد للرتيبــات الجديــدة‪ ،‬وكذلــك الرتيبــات‬ ‫املتعلقــة بضوابــط الهجــرة واألنظمــة الجمركيــة‪،‬‬ ‫أو التعــاون يف املســائل الجنائيــة‪ ،‬والتعــاون مــع‬ ‫مســتقبل األطــر القانونيــة والتنظيميــة املتعلقــة‬ ‫بالخدمــات املاليــة‪ ،‬وغرهــا مــن أمــور كثــرة‪.‬‬

‫خاصة االتفاق املناسب‬ ‫لربيطانيا‬

‫أكــدت رئيســة وزراء بريطانيــا أن مــا يناســب‬ ‫بريطانيــا هــو ضانتهــا لحريــة التحكــم بقوانينهــا‬ ‫الخاصــة‪ ،‬وبنائهــا كقــوة “عامليــة”‪ ،‬واإلبقــاء عــى‬ ‫منطقــة حريــة الســفر املشــركة مــع أيرلنــدا‪،‬‬ ‫وضبــط الهجــرة‪ ،‬وحايــة حقــوق مواطنــي‬ ‫االتحــاد األورويب يف بريطانيــا وحقــوق الريطانيــن‬ ‫يف االتحــاد األورويب‪ ،‬وتحســن حقــوق العاملــن‪،‬‬ ‫وحريــة التجــارة مــع األســواق األوروبيــة‪ ،‬واتفاقيات‬ ‫تجاريــة جديــدة مــع دول أخــرى‪ ،‬ودور رائــد يف‬ ‫مجــال العلــوم واالبتــكار‪ ،‬والتعــاون يف مســائل‬ ‫الجرميــة واإلرهــاب والشــؤون الخارجيــة‪ ،‬ومقاربــة‬

‫بينــا أكــدت مــاي أيض ـاً أن بريطانيــا تســعى إىل‬ ‫رشاكــة جديــدة بينهــا وبــن أوروبــا وبنــاء عالقــات‬ ‫متينــة مــع االتحــاد األورويب بعــد خروجهــا منــه‪.‬‬ ‫وتطمــح بريطانيــا أن يكــون باســتطاعتها املتاجــرة‬ ‫مــع أوروبــا‪ ،‬وإبــرام اتفاقيــات تجاريــة يف أنحــاء‬ ‫العــامل‪ ،‬وأن يكــون لهــا حريــة عــرض نســبة‬ ‫رضيبيــة تنافســية واعتــاد سياســات تســتقطب‬ ‫إىل بريطانيــا أفضــل الــركات وأكــر املســتثمرين‪.‬‬ ‫وتطمــح أن يتعامــل االتحــاد األورويب باملثــل دون‬ ‫الحاجــة لوضــع عقبــات أمــام التجــارة مــع واحــدة‬ ‫مــن أكــر اقتصــادات العــامل والتــي مــن شــأنها أن‬ ‫ر باســتثارات الــركات األوروبيــة يف بريطانيــا‬ ‫تـ ّ‬ ‫التــي تفــوق الرليــون جنيــه إس ـرليني‪ ،‬مــا يعنــي‬ ‫عــدم اســتطاعة الــركات األوروبيــة مــن االســتفادة‬ ‫مــن الخدمــات املاليــة يف حــي املــال يف لنــدن‬ ‫وســيلحق الــرر بالصــادرات مــن االتحــاد األورويب‬ ‫إىل بريطانيــا البالغــة ‪ 290‬مليــار جنيــه إس ـرليني‬ ‫ســنوياً‪ ،‬وســيعرقل أيضـاً سلســلة اإلمــداد املتطــورة‬ ‫واملتكاملــة التــي تعتمــد عليهــا رشكات االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب‪.‬‬ ‫يبقــى لنــا أن ننتظــر لــرى كيــف ســيتمكن‬ ‫األط ـراف مــن الوصــول ملــا يرضيهــم دون الحاجــة‬ ‫إىل التضحيــة مبصالــح طــرف عــى حســاب اآلخــر‪.‬‬ ‫وكيــف ســتتمكن بريطانيــا مــن الحصــول عــى‬ ‫كل هــذه االمتيــازات التــي ذكرتهــا تريــزا مــاي‬ ‫يف خطابهــا الســالف الذكــر وهــي خــارج االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب؟‬ ‫أخذ بترف من املصادر‪:‬‬ ‫كلمة رئيسة الوزراء أمام الجمعية العامة لألمم املتحدة‬ ‫‪https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/‬‬ ‫‪theresa-mays-speech-to-the-un-general‬‬‫‪assembly.ar‬‬ ‫بريطانيا العاملية‪ :‬غايات الحكومة الريطانية يف تفاوضها‬ ‫بشأن الخروج من االتحاد األورويب‬ ‫‪https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/‬‬ ‫‪the-governments-negotiating-objectives-for‬‬‫‪exiting-the-eu-pm-speech.ar‬‬

‫‪ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS‬‬

‫‪ 3‬مبــدأ ضــان إزالــة العقبــات‪ :‬لــدى اســتعادة‬ ‫الصالحيــات الوطنيــة ثانيــة مــن بروكســل إىل‬ ‫ويستمنســر وتحويــل الصالحيــات املناســبة إىل‬ ‫الحكومــات املفوضــة يف إســكتلندا وويلــز وأيرلنــدا‬ ‫الشــالية‪ ،‬اعتــادا ً عــى مبــدأ ضــان عــدم خلــق‬ ‫أي عقبــات لــدى خــروج بريطانيــا مــن االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب‪.‬‬

‫ال�يطانية ‪ -‬السيدة يت�يزا ماي‬ ‫رئيسة الوزراء ب‬

‫‪ 4‬مبــدأ الحفــاظ عــى حريــة الســفر املشــركة‬ ‫مــع أيرلنــدا‪ :‬ســتبقى الحــدود املشــركة بــن‬ ‫بريطانيــا وجرانهــا بعــد خروجهــا مــن االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب الســيا جمهوريــة أيرلنــدا‪ ،‬التــي تعتــر‬ ‫أولويــة بالنســبة للمملكــة املتحــدة يف املفاوضــات‪.‬‬ ‫وستســتمر العالقــات والروابــط املتينــة التــي تربــط‬ ‫البلديــن‪.‬‬

‫ولهــذا الســبب سنســعى إىل عامليــة مســتقلة‬ ‫وتحكــم شــؤونها بنفســها وأصدقائهــا وحلفائهــا‬ ‫يف االتحــاد األورويب”‪ ،‬وأكــدت عــى عــدم ســعي‬ ‫بريطانيــا إىل بقائهــا يف عضويــة جزئيــة يف االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب‪ ،‬أو حتــى عضويــة منتســبة‪ ،‬أو أي شــكل‬ ‫مــن الرتيبــات األخــرى‪.‬‬ ‫رغبة بريطانيا ألن تكون أكرث قوة‪:‬‬ ‫وذلــك مــن خــالل ضبــط قوانينهــا بنفســها حيــث‬ ‫ستســتعيد التحكــم بقوانينهــا ونهايــة لواليــة‬ ‫محكمــة العــدل األوروبيــة عــى بريطانيــا‪.‬‬ ‫رغبة بريطانيا يف تعزيز االتحاد الربيطاين‪:‬‬ ‫ان بريطانيــا القويــة ســتتمكن مــن تعزيــز االتحــاد‬ ‫مــا بــن األجــزاء األربعــة التــي تشــكل اململكــة‬ ‫املتحــدة‪ ،‬وكشــعب واحــد واهتــام واحــد ســتكون‬ ‫بريطانيــا بلــدا ً تجاري ـاً ناجح ـاً ومنفتح ـاً‪.‬‬ ‫الغايات والطموحات‬ ‫واســتعرضت مــاي املبــادئ التــي ســتنتهجها‬ ‫بريطانيــا بشــأن املفاوضــات التــي ســتجريها مــع‬ ‫االتحــاد األورويب مــن أجــل الوصــول إىل رشاكــة‬ ‫جديــدة إيجابيــة وبنائــة‪ ،‬وهــي كاآليت‪:‬‬ ‫‪ 1‬مبــدأ ضبــط الهجــرة‪ :‬مــن خــالل ضبــط حركــة‬ ‫املهاجريــن القادمــن إىل بريطانيــا مــن أوروبــا‬ ‫بينــا أكــدت مــاي عــى أن بريطانيــا ســتواصل‬

‫الجهــود الســتقطاب النخــب مــن النــاس للعمــل‬ ‫أو الدراســة يف بريطانيــا‪ ،‬خدمــة ملصالــح بريطانيــا‬ ‫الوطنيــة‪ .‬وقالــت مــاي “إن مــا تطمــح بــه بريطانيا‬ ‫مــن خــالل ضبــط الهجــرة القادمــة إليهــا هــو أن‬ ‫تحقــق منافــع مــن قبيــل ســد النقــص يف املهــارات‪،‬‬ ‫وتقديــم الخدمــات العامــة‪ ،‬وجعــل الــركات‬ ‫الريطانيــة متفوقــة عامليـاً”‪ ،‬وحيــث االعتقــاد بــأن‬ ‫ارتفــاع أعــداد املهاجريــن يتســبب يف تراجــع التأييد‬ ‫الشــعبي لنظــام الهجــرة‪.‬‬ ‫أن مســألة وقــف الهجــرة كانــت أولويــة يف حملــة‬ ‫االســتفتاء للخــروج مــن االتحــاد األورويب ومــا يعني‬ ‫يف ضبــط عــدد القادمــن إىل بريطانيــا مــن أوروبــا‪.‬‬ ‫‪ 2‬مبــدأ البســياطة والوضــوح والتــي توفر قــدر أكر‬ ‫مــن اليقــن والوضــوح يف كل مرحلــة مــن املراحــل‪.‬‬ ‫أن انتهــاج اليقــن والوضــوح مــن خــالل توفــر‬ ‫املعلومــات للــركات وللقطــاع العــام وللجميــع‬ ‫حــول مســرة التفــاوض‪ .‬وتوضيــح املســائل املتعلقة‬ ‫بالدفعــات املقدمــة للمزارعــن ومتويــل الجامعــات‬ ‫بعــد إلغــاء العمــل بقانــون املجتمعــات األوروبيــة‪.‬‬ ‫وســيكون للرملــان الريطــاين القــرار بشــأن أي‬ ‫تغيــرات تدخــل عــى أي قانــون معــدل بهــذا‬ ‫الخصــوص بعــد خضوعهــا لبحــث شــامل ونقــاش‬ ‫برملــاين مناســب‪ .‬وســوف يطــرح االتفــاق النهــايئ‬ ‫الــذي تتوصــل إليــه اململكــة املتحــدة مــع االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب للتصويــت عليــه يف كال الرملانــن قبــل‬ ‫دخولــه حيــز النفــاذ‪.‬‬

‫‪ 5‬مبــدأ اإلنصــاف‪ :‬مــن خــالل توفــر فــرص منصفة‬ ‫لــكل مــن يعيــش ويعمــل يف بريطانيــا‪ ،‬وكذلــك‬ ‫مــن خــالل ضــان أن يؤثــر الوضــع الجديــد عــى‬ ‫حقــوق مواطنــي االتحــاد األورويب يف بريطانيــا وال‬ ‫عــى حقــوق الريطانيــن يف االتحــاد األورويب‪.‬‬ ‫‪ 6‬حايــة حقــوق العاملــني‪ :‬مبــا يف ذلــك حايــة‬ ‫وتعزيــز حقــوق مــن يعملــون يف بريطانيــا مــن‬ ‫مواطنــي دول أخــرى‪ ،‬مبــا يف ذلــك تريعــات‬ ‫جديــدة‪ .‬كــا ســتعمل بريطانيــا عــى العمــل‬ ‫ســوية مــع باقــي الــدول األوروبيــة عــى تريعــات‬ ‫أوروبيــة لحايــة حقــوق املواطنــن الريطانيــن‬ ‫العاملــن يف الــدول األوروبيــة‪.‬‬ ‫‪ 7‬مبــدأ بريطانيــا العامليــة‪ :‬وهي الغايــة األكر التي‬ ‫تســعى لهــا بريطانيــا‪ ،‬مــن خــالل مــا وصفتــه مــاي‬ ‫“اســتغالل هــذه اللحظــة لبنــاء بريطانيــا عامليــة‬ ‫حقـاً‪ .‬بلــد ميــد يــده ألصدقــاء قدمــاء وحلفــاء جدد‬ ‫عــى حــد ســواء‪“ .‬أن تصبــح بريطانيــا بلــدا ً تجاريـاً‬ ‫عامليـاً حقـاً‪ .‬وتصبــح بلــدا ً مــن أشــد املدافعــن عــن‬ ‫التجــارة الحــرة يف أي مــكان بالعــامل”‪ .‬وذلــك مــن‬ ‫خــالل‪:‬‬ ‫* تجــارة حــرة مــع األســواق األوروبيــة‪ :‬تســعى‬ ‫بريطانيــة إىل التوصــل التفاقيــة جريئــة وطموحــة‬ ‫بشــأن التجــارة الحــرة مــع االتحــاد األورويب‪.‬‬ ‫مــن شــأن هــذه االتفاقيــة أن تتيــح أكــر قــدر‬ ‫مــن الحريــة يف تجــارة الســلع والخدمــات بــن‬ ‫بريطانيــا والــدول األعضــاء يف االتحــاد األورويب‪،‬‬ ‫وتتيــح للــركات الريطانيــة قــدرا أكــر مــن‬ ‫الحريــة للمتاجــرة والعمــل ضمــن االتحــاد األورويب‬ ‫والســاح للــركات األوروبيــة بحريــة املتاجــرة‬ ‫والعمــل يف بريطانيــا‪.‬‬

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‫‪ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 91‬‬

‫بريكزت‪ :‬وقفة مع خطاب رئيسة‬ ‫وزراء بريطانيا‬ ‫‪Brexit: An Insight into the Speech of British PM‬‬ ‫ويف خطــاب رئيســة وزراء بريطانيــا‪ ،‬تريــزا مــاي‪،‬‬ ‫يف كلمتهــا يف النكســر هــاوس يف ‪ 17‬كانــون الثــاين‬ ‫(ينايــر) ‪ ،2017‬بشــأن خطــة بريطانيــا املؤلفــة مــن‬ ‫‪ 12‬أولويــة حيــث تتطلــع الحكومــة الريطانيــة إىل‬ ‫االســتناد إليهــا يف التفــاوض للخــروج مــن االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب‪.‬‬ ‫وقالــت مــاي بــأن الشــعب الريطــاين صــوت‬ ‫بالخــروج مــن االتحــاد األورويب أمــالً يف رســم‬ ‫مســتقبالً أكــرث إرشاق ـاً لريطانيــا‪ ،‬ولالنفتــاح أكــرث‬ ‫عــى العــامل‪ ،‬وأشــارت إىل أن نتيجــة االســتفتاء “مل‬ ‫تكــن قـرار باإلنطــواء واالنســحاب مــن العــامل‪ ،‬بــل‬ ‫انفتاح ـاً أكــر عــى العــامل والتســامح واإلنصــاف”‪.‬‬ ‫وأكــدت مــاي عــى رضورة التفــاوض مــع االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب عــى عالقــات جديــدة تتجــاوز الفــرص‬ ‫التقليديــة لتصــل إىل بنــاء عالقــات جديــدة جيــدة‪،‬‬ ‫وانتهــاز الفرصــة التــي يتيحهــا التغيــر الوطنــي‪،‬‬ ‫وأشــارت إىل أن بريطانيــا ســتخرج بانفتاحــاً أكــر‬ ‫عــى العــامل واقتصــادا ً مزدهــرا ً ومتســامحاً‪ ،‬مــن‬ ‫شــأنه اســتقطاب املهــارات الدوليــة لتكــون موطنـاً‬ ‫تقطــب الــرواد واملبتكريــن الذيــن يعملــون عــى‬ ‫تشــكيل العــامل‪.‬‬

‫خطة بريطانيا‬

‫وتطرقــت مــاي إىل خطــة بريطانيــا التــي تتضمــن‬ ‫التوصــل التفــاق مناســب يف الخــارج‪ ،‬وضــان‬ ‫توفــر اتفــاق أفضــل للمواطنــن العاديــن العاملــن‬ ‫يف بريطانيــا‪ ،‬ووصفتهــا بأنهــا “خطــة كيفيــة‬ ‫اســتغالل لحظــة التغيــر هــذه لبنــاء اقتصــاد أكــرث‬ ‫قــوة ومجتمعــاً أكــرث إنصافــاً عــن طريــق تبنــي‬ ‫إصــالح اقتصــادي واجتاعــي حقيقــي”‪.‬‬

‫وأشــارت إىل أن الحكومــة الريطانيــة تعمــل عــى‬ ‫تطويــر إســراتيجية صناعيــة حديثــة لضــان أن‬ ‫يتمكــن كل مــن أجـزاء اململكــة املتحــدة ومناطقها‬ ‫مــن االســتفادة ألقــى حــد مــن الفــرص‪ ،‬حيــث‬ ‫ســتبذل الحكومــة مزيــدا ً مــن الجهــد إلصــالح‬ ‫املــدارس وضــان التعليــم املناســب واملهــارات‬ ‫التــي يحتاجونهــا الطلبــة للنجــاح يف بريطانيــا بعــد‬ ‫خروجهــا مــن االتحــاد األورويب”‪ .‬وأضافــت مــاي إىل‬ ‫أن الحكومــة الريطانيــة ستســعى بجهــد لخفــض‬ ‫عجــز امليزانيــة‪ ،‬واســتثار أكــر يف البنيــة التحتيــة‬ ‫االقتصاديــة وتحســن مســتوى معيشــة كل الذيــن‬ ‫يعيشــون يف بريطانيــا‪.‬‬ ‫وأوجــزت رئيــس وزراء بريطانيــا بكلمتهــا رســالة‬ ‫مــن بريطانيــا إىل ســائر أوروبــا مفادهــا‪“ ،‬أن نتيجة‬ ‫االســتفتاء الــذي جــرى يف ‪ 23‬مــن شــهر حزي ـران‬ ‫(يونيــو) ‪ 2016‬مل يكــن ذلــك اليــوم الــذي اختــارت‬ ‫فيــه بريطانيــا التقهقــر مــن العــامل واإلنطــواء عــى‬ ‫نفســها‪ ،‬بــل كان يومــاً اختــارت فيــه بريطانيــا‬ ‫أن تكــون أكــرث عامليــة”‪ .‬وأكــدت عــى رضورة‬ ‫عــدم الخشــية مــن أن خــروج بريطانيــا ســيفتت‬ ‫االتحــاد األورويب‪ .‬وأكــدت بــأن مصلحــة بريطانيــا‬ ‫يف أن يظــل نجــاح االتحــاد األورويب يشــكل مصلحة‬ ‫وطنيــة كبــرة لريطانيــا‪.‬‬ ‫ومخاطبــة شــعوب أوروبــا مبــارشة‪ ،‬اســتعرضت‬ ‫مــاي أســباب ق ـرار خــروج بريطانيــا مــن االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب مبــا يــي‪:‬‬ ‫تطلع بريطانيا إىل دور عاملي‪:‬‬ ‫مل يكــن قـرار خــروج بريطانيا مــن االتحــاد األورويب‬ ‫بســبب الطبيعــة الدوليــة لتاريخهــا وثقافتهــا‪ ،‬إال‬ ‫أن كثــر مــن الريطانيــن شــعروا دامئــا بــأن مــكان‬ ‫اململكــة املتحــدة يف االتحــاد األورويب كان عــى‬

‫حســاب روابطهــا العامليــة‪ ،‬وعــى حســاب تأســيس‬ ‫تجــارة حــرة أكــرث جــرأة مــع العــامل األوســع‪.‬‬ ‫اختــاف تقاليــد بريطانيــا السياســية عــن باقــي‬ ‫أوروبــا‪:‬‬ ‫خالفــا ملــا هــو الحــال يف دول أوروبيــة أخــرى‪،‬‬ ‫ليــس لــدى بريطانيــا دســتور مكتــوب‪ ،‬بــل إن‬ ‫مبــدأ الســيادة الرملانيــة لــدى بريطانيــا يقــوم عــى‬ ‫أســاس تســوية دســتورية غــر مكتوبــة‪ .‬ويتوقــع‬ ‫مــن الشــعب الريطــاين مســاءلة حكوماتــه مبارشة‪،‬‬ ‫وبالنتيجــة فــإن املؤسســات فــوق الوطنيــة القويــة‬ ‫كالتــي أسســها االتحــاد األورويب تجــد نفســها غــر‬ ‫مرتاحــة متامــاً لهــذا التاريــخ الســيايس وطريقــة‬ ‫تطبيقاتــه‪.‬‬ ‫خصائص بريطانيا والتعامل معها‪:‬‬ ‫رمبــا كان ينظــر إىل بريطانيــا أحيانـاً عــى أنهــا دولة‬ ‫عضــو عســرة‪ ،‬وجــد االتحــاد األورويب صعوبــة يف‬ ‫التعامــل مــع تنــوع واهتامــات دول أعضائــه‪.‬‬ ‫حيــث مييــل االتحــاد إىل االتســاق وليــس املرونــة‪.‬‬ ‫رغبة بريطانيا يف استعادة دميقراطيتها الربملانية‪:‬‬ ‫أن تصويــت بريطانيــا للخــروج من االتحــاد األورويب‬ ‫مل يكــن رفضــاً للقيــم املشــركة‪ ،‬ومل يكــن هــذا‬ ‫القـرار محاولــة إليــذاء االتحــاد األورويب بحــد ذاتــه‬ ‫أو أي مــن دولــه األعضــاء األخــرى‪ .‬بــل كان ق ـرارا ً‪،‬‬ ‫كــا وصفتــه مــاي بأنــه “اســتعادة لدميوقراطيتنــا‬ ‫الرملانيــة‪ ،‬وتقريــر مصرنــا وطنيــاً‪ ،‬ولــي نصبــح‬ ‫أكــرث عامليــة ودوليــة بالفعــل والــروح”‪.‬‬ ‫رغبة بريطانيا يف عقد رشاكات عاملية‪:‬‬ ‫تقــول رئيســة وزراء بريطانيــا بــأن “بريطانيــا‬ ‫ســتخرج مــن االتحــاد األورويب وليــس مــن أوروبــا‪.‬‬

‫‪ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS‬‬

‫هــو اإلنطبــاع األكــرث حقيقــة والــذي يرســخ لــدى‬ ‫الكثريــن مــن املراقبــن واملحللــن‪.‬‬ ‫ويــزداد تأكيــد تري ـزا مــاي إىل جنــب مــن خــاض‬ ‫حملــة خــروج بريطانيــا مــن أوروبــا – بريكزيــت‬ ‫ مــن املحافظــن يومـاً بعــد آخــر وادعاءهــم دون‬‫تــردد بأنهــم يعملــون إلقامــة بريطانيــا متجــددة‬ ‫ومنفتحــة تؤمــن بالتجــارة الحــرة مــن دون قيــود‬ ‫ومــن دون أن تكــون عضــوا ً يف االتحــاد‪.‬‬ ‫فيــا هــو ليــس واضح ـاً لح ـ ّد هــذه اللحظــة هــو‬ ‫كيــف ميكــن تحقيــق ذلــك لبلــد يقــرب تدريجي ـاً‬ ‫مــن لحظــة التوقيــع الرســمي عــى انفصالــه عــن‬ ‫ذاك االتحــاد الــذي يتاجــر معــه بحريــة ودون أيــة‬ ‫قيــود أو تكلفــة جمركيــة لعقــود متعــددة مــن‬ ‫الزمــن‪ .‬وكيــف ســيكون وقــع اللحظــة الحاســمة‬ ‫بانطــواء بريطانيــا نحــو الداخــل!!‬ ‫ووعــدت تريــزا مــاي برؤيتهــا ملســتقبل بلدهــا‬ ‫يف مؤمتــر حزبهــا الســنوي األخــر‪ ،‬وأعلنــت أنهــا‬ ‫س ـتُف ِّعل عمليــة الخــروج مــن االتحــاد األورويب يف‬ ‫نيســان (أبريــل) ‪ ،2017‬وأكــدت عــى أن تكــون‬ ‫لريطانيــا الســيطرة التامــة عــى قوانينها‪ ،‬وســتكون‬ ‫األولويــة ملصالحهــا “الوطنيــة” يف مفاوضــات‬ ‫«بريكزيــت» مــع االتحــاد‪.‬‬ ‫فــاذا عــن رغبــة بريطانيــا يف بقــاء التجــارة حــرة‬ ‫مــع أوروبــا؟ وكيــف لهــا أن تتمتــع بعضوية ســوق‬ ‫أقيمــت أساســاً ألعضائــه؟ أليــس هــذا تناقضــاً‬ ‫واضح ـاً؟‬ ‫أن دول االتحــاد األورويب تتمســك بحــق حريــة‬ ‫الحركــة يف مــا بينهــا كركــن أســاس للســوق املشــركة‬ ‫الواحــدة‪ ،‬دون رســوم جمركيــة وشــهادات منشــأ‬ ‫ورســوم واردات أو أيــة تأثـرات مــن قوانــن جديــدة‪.‬‬ ‫أن إجــراء تطبيــق «بريكزيــت» بإقامــة الحــدود‬ ‫أمــام حركــة األفــراد والتبــادل التجــاري يعنــي‬ ‫بالــرورة وضــع رســوم جديــدة للتبــادل التجــاري‬ ‫وفقــاً لقوانيــن جديــدة‪ ،‬التــي ســتفصل أســواق‬ ‫بريطانيــا عــن أســواق االتحــاد‪ .‬هــذا مــا ســيلحق‬ ‫تأثراتــه بنصــف إجــايل تجــارة بريطانيــا تقريب ـاً‪،‬‬ ‫وفقــاً لتوقعــات غــرف تجاريــة بريطانيــة عــدة‪.‬‬ ‫ويــرى بعــض املراقبــن بــأن تريــزا مــاي‬ ‫واقعــة تحــت ضغــط ميــن املحافظــن وأعضــاء‬

‫«بريكزيــت» النافذيــن يف حكومتهــا‪ ،‬كوزيــر‬ ‫الخارجيــة بوريــس جونســون‪ ،‬وليــس لهــا إال تبنــي‬ ‫سياســات هــذا اليمــن بالنســبة اىل أوروبــا والتــي‬ ‫قوامهــا املزيــد مــن إج ـراءات االقتصــاد التدخليــة‬ ‫واالعتــزاز الوطنــي والفوبيــا الثقافيــة‪.‬‬ ‫وبهــذا‪ ،‬فمهمــة مــاي اآلن أن تنهــي تقليــدا ً طويـالً‬ ‫مــن االنفتــاح الليـرايل الريطــاين عــى باقــي أوروبــا‬ ‫والــذي يعــود تاريخيــه إىل انضــام بريطانيــا‬ ‫لالتحــاد األورويب يف عــام ‪.1974‬‬ ‫وباتــت تري ـزا مــاي‪ ،‬وهــي تجهــد لتعــزز مركزهــا‬ ‫القيــادي كزعيمــة جديــدة لحــزب املحافظــن‪،‬‬ ‫تكشــف وبراحــة عــن تأثرهــا بشــعبوية‬ ‫االنفصاليــن داخــل حزبهــا وخارجــه وبــدأت تنتقــد‬ ‫«النخــب الدولية» مــن الريطانيــن ذوي التطلعات‬ ‫الكوزموبوليتيــة‪ .‬ففــي خطابهــا أمــام املؤمتــر العــام‬ ‫للمحافظــن كشــفت مــن دون لبــس عــن هــذه‬ ‫امليــول بقولهــا‪“ :‬انتبهــوا لطريقــة خطــاب الكثريــن‬ ‫مــن السياســين واملعلقــن عندمــا يتحدثــون أمــام‬ ‫الــرأي العــام‪ .‬فهم يــرون يف حاســتكم للوطــن أمرا ً‬ ‫مقيتـاً‪ ،‬وقلقكــم تجــاه الهجــرة ســخيفاً‪ ،‬ومخاوفكــم‬ ‫مــن الجرميــة مســألة غــر ليراليــة”‪.‬‬ ‫وتضيــف تريــزا مــاي “إذا كان أحدكــم يعتقــد‬ ‫أنــه مجــرد مواطــن عاملــي‪ ،‬فأنــت مواطــن غــر‬ ‫منتــمٍ لوطــن‪ ،‬إذ أنــك ال تعــي مــا هــو معنــى‬ ‫كلمــة مواطــن”‪ ،‬وكأنهــا تقــول إن الحديــث عــن‬ ‫االنتــاء إىل إطــار أوســع (أي أوروبــا) مســألة غــر‬ ‫بريطانيــة متام ـاً‪ .‬تبــدو مــاي وهــي تقــول هــذه‬ ‫الكلــات شــبيه وصــدى متطرفــن أوروبيــن مثــل‬ ‫لوبــن ورئيــس وزراء هنغاريــا فيكتــور أوربــان‬ ‫اللذيــن يضعــان املســألة الوطنيــة الضيقــة يف‬ ‫الصــف األول‪.‬‬ ‫كــا طالبــت يف خطابهــا مــن كريــات الــركات‬ ‫الريطانيــة العاملــة يف بريطانيــا النظــر نحــو‬ ‫العالــة الريطانيــة «بــروح املواطنــة»‪ ،‬وهــو تعبــر‬ ‫مياثــل مــا تــردده لوبــن وهــي تخاطــب الــركات‬ ‫الفرنســية حــول رضورة «تفضيــل الخيــار الوطنــي»‬ ‫عندمــا تقــرر توظيــف العــال‪.‬‬ ‫وتســتخدم تريـزا مــاي قضيــة األوروبيــن العاملــن‬ ‫يف بريطانيــا كأحــد األســلحة املهمــة يف تفاوضهــا‬ ‫حــول «بريكزيــت»‪ .‬وهــي التــي تســعى أن تُبقــي‬ ‫الراغبــن يف الهجــرة مــن االتحــاد إىل بريطانيــا يف‬

‫املســتقبل بعيــدا ً مــن بالدهــا بحجــة أنهــم يأخذون‬ ‫فــرص العالــة الريطانيــة ويُخ ِفضــون األجور‪.‬‬ ‫تريــزا مــاي التــي ترغــب يف أن تصبــح بالدهــا‬ ‫«مكتفيــة ذاتيــاً» يف الرعايــة الصحيــة مثــالً قبــل‬ ‫نهايــة ‪ .2025‬ولكــن كيــف ميكــن أن يتــم ذلــك‬ ‫مــع وجــود طبيــب مهاجــر بــن كل ثالثــة أطبــاء‬ ‫يف بريطانيــا؟‬ ‫ال أحــد ينكــر بــأن رئيســة الــوزراء الريطانيــة‬ ‫تريــزا مــاي وحكومتهــا يف وضــع صعــب للغايــة‪،‬‬ ‫وهــي التــي تعلــن أنهــا تعمــل مــن أجــل انفصــال‬ ‫“منضبــط” عــن االتحــاد األورويب لكنــه “شــاق”‪،‬‬ ‫وذلــك يف معــرض لخططهــا لـــ ـ”بريكســت” التــي‬ ‫تبــدأ باالنســحاب مــن الســوق املوحــدة ومــن‬ ‫االتحــاد الجمــريك األورويب ومــن محكمــة العــدل‬ ‫األوروبيــة‪ ،‬وال تنتهــي إال يف اســتعادة الســيطرة‬ ‫عــى الهجــرة‪.‬‬ ‫أننــا عــى ثقــة بأنــه ســيكون حق ـاً انســحاباً شــاقاً‬ ‫لكننــا لســنا عــى ثقــة تامــة مــن أنــه ســيكون‬ ‫منضبطــاً‪.‬‬ ‫أخذ بترف من املصادر‪:‬‬ ‫كلمة رئيسة الوزراء أمام الجمعية العامة لألمم املتحدة‬ ‫‪/https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches‬‬ ‫‪theresa-mays-speech-to-the-un-general-assembly.ar‬‬ ‫بريطانيا العاملية‪ :‬غايات الحكومة الريطانية يف تفاوضها‬ ‫بشأن الخروج من االتحاد األورويب‬ ‫‪https://www.gov.uk/government/speech‬‬‫‪es/the-governments-negotiating-objec‬‬‫‪tives-for-exiting-the-eu-pm-speech.ar‬‬ ‫جدعون راخمن‬ ‫“بريكزيت” تُفاقم الشقاق األورويب‬ ‫‪/http://www.alhayat.com/Opinion/Writers‬‬ ‫إسكندر الديك‬ ‫أملانيا متخوفة من انعكاس «بريكزيت» عى اقتصادها‬ ‫‪/http://www.alhayat.com/Articles‬‬ ‫مصطفى كركويت‬ ‫أزمة االتحاد األورويب بعد‪« ...‬بريكزيت»‬ ‫‪/http://www.alarabiya.net/ar/politics‬‬ ‫مصطفى كركويت‬ ‫تريزا ماي ورصاع املحافظن حول “بريكزيت”‬ ‫‪http://www.alhayat.com/m/opinion/18355324‬‬

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‫‪ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 93‬‬

‫إلحــاق أعبــاء ماليــة غــر قليلــة باالتحــاد األورويب‬ ‫وبأملانيــا تحديــدا ً‪ ،‬خصوصـاً بســبب الحجــم الكبــر‬ ‫للمنتجــات األملانيــة املصــ ّدرة ســنوياً إىل اململكــة‬ ‫املتحــدة‪ ،‬واملعفيــة يف الوقــت الحــايل مــن الرائب‬ ‫الجمركيــة باســتثناء مــا يُدفــع يف إطــار االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب‪.‬‬

‫ملواجهة هذا الواقع‬

‫وملواجهــة الواقــع املرتقــب ملوقــع بريطانيــا‬ ‫االقتصــادي واملــايل‪ ،‬أعلنــت رئيســة الحكومــة تريزا‬ ‫مــاي عــن نيتهــا خفــض رضيبــة رؤوس أمــوال‬ ‫الــركات األجنبيــة يف البــالد البالغة حاليـاً ‪ %20‬إىل‬ ‫‪ %15‬تقريبـاً‪ ،‬بهــدف تشــجيعها عــى البقــاء وعــدم‬ ‫االنتقــال إىل بلــد آخــر‪ ،‬إىل جانــب تشــجيع رشكات‬ ‫أخــرى عــى القــدوم‪.‬‬ ‫وعــى الفــور أنتقــد وزيــر املــال األملــاين فولفغانــغ‬ ‫شــويبله الخطــوة الريطانيــة‪ ،‬مذكّـرا ً بــأن لنــدن “ال‬ ‫يحــق لهــا اتخــاذ مثــل هــذا الق ـرار طاملــا ال ت ـزال‬ ‫عضــوا ً يف االتحــاد األورويب‪ ،‬وعليهــا بالتــايل الت ـزام‬ ‫قوانــن االتحــاد”‪ .‬وقــال شــويبله “حتــى بعــد‬ ‫الخــروج مــن االتحــاد عــى لنــدن احـرام توقيعهــا‬ ‫بيــان قمــة أنطاليــا األخــر للــدول الصناعيــة‬ ‫العريــن يف العــامل‪ ،‬التــي اتفقــت عــى االمتنــاع‬ ‫عــن خفــض رضيبــة الــركات لتفــادي املنافســة‬ ‫يف مــا بينهــا عــى جذبهــا”‪ .‬والحــظ أن بريطانيــا‬ ‫تفــرض حاليــاً ‪ ،%20‬فيــا تبلــغ يف أملانيــا ‪.%30‬‬ ‫ويف مــا يتعلــق بــدول الخليــج العــريب‪ ،‬يقــدر خـراء‬ ‫اســتثاراتها اإلجاليــة يف بريطانيــا اململوكــة مــن‬ ‫أف ـراد وصناديــق ســيادية بنحــو ‪ 250‬مليــار دوالر‪.‬‬ ‫وتوقعــوا حصــول خســائر يف أرباحهــا بنســب‬ ‫تــراوح بــن ‪ %10‬و ‪ .%15‬ورجــح خــراء أن‬ ‫تراجــع االســتثارات الخليجيــة يف بريطانيا بســبب‬ ‫«بريكزيــت» بنحــو الثلــث‪ ،‬خصوصــاً أن غالبيــة‬ ‫مؤسســات التقويــم العامليــة مثــل مؤسســة «إس‪.‬‬ ‫آنــد‪ .‬يب» ومؤسســة «موديــز» ومؤسســة «فيتــش»‪،‬‬ ‫بــدأت بخفــض تقوميهــا املــايل واالقتصــادي‬ ‫لريطانيــا‪ ،‬التــي ســتخر أيض ـاً جــزءا ً مه ـاً مــن‬ ‫موقعهــا املــايل الدويل ملصلحــة بورصــة فرانكفورت‪،‬‬ ‫ووفــق توقعــات ‪ %72‬مــن مجمــوع ‪ 555‬مســؤوالً‬ ‫عقاريـاً يف اســتطالع أجرتــه مؤسســة «إرنســت آنــد‬ ‫يونــغ» العقاريــة‪ .‬وحتــى إن مل يصــب االقتصــاد‬ ‫الريطــاين بركــود‪ ،‬عــى عكــس مــا يتوقــع خــراء‬

‫كــرث‪ ،‬فــإن معــدالت النمــو الســنوية الجيــدة‬ ‫املســجلة عــى مــدى الســنوات الســبع األخــرة فيها‬ ‫ســتراجع عــى أقــل تحديــد‪.‬‬ ‫مــن جهــة األرضار التــي ســتلحق باالتحــاد األورويب‪،‬‬ ‫أظهــرت معلومــات تربــت إىل اإلعــالم مــن وزارة‬ ‫املــال األملانيــة‪ ،‬أن الــرر األول الــذي ســيصيب‬ ‫أملانيــا مــن «بريكــزت» ســيبلغ أرقامــاً دفعــة‬ ‫واحــدة‪ .‬وذكــر موقــع «شــبيغل» اإللكــروين‪ ،‬أن‬ ‫وزيــر املــال األملــاين شــويبله ينتظــر أعبــاء ماليــة‬ ‫عــى بلــده وبلــدان أخــرى‪ ،‬حــن تتوقــف بريطانيــا‬ ‫عــن دفــع اش ـراكها الســنوي يف االتحــاد‪ ،‬خصوص ـاً‬ ‫أنهــا تــأيت يف املرتبــة الثانيــة بعــد برلــن مــن حيــث‬ ‫حجــم االشــراك املــايل فيــه‪ .‬لــذا ســرتفع حصــة‬ ‫أملانيــا وحدهــا مــن الزيــادة املاليــة الســنوية يف‬ ‫صنــدوق االتحــاد مــن ‪ %21‬إىل ‪ ،%25‬بارتفــاع‬ ‫‪ 4.5‬مليــار يــورو لســد العجــز الــذي سينشــأ عــن‬ ‫الخــروج‪.‬‬ ‫يف املقابــل ينتظــر اتحــاد غــرف التجــارة والصناعــة‬ ‫األملانيــة تــدين صــادرات أملانيا إىل بريطانيا يف شــكل‬ ‫ملمــوس‪ ،‬بعــد خروجهــا بســبب الريبــة الجمركية‬ ‫املرتفعــة التــي ســتُفرض عــى هــذه الصــادرات‪.‬‬ ‫ومــن املنتظــر بعــد ارتفــاع صــادرات أملانيــا إليهــا‬ ‫بنســبة ‪ %5‬هــذه الســنة‪ ،‬أن تراجــع بنســبة ‪%5‬‬ ‫عــام ‪ .2017‬ولفــت رئيــس االتحــاد إريــك شــفايتزر‪،‬‬ ‫إىل واقــع أن «بريكــزت» ســير باالقتصــاد األملــاين‬ ‫عــى املــدى الطويــل‪.‬‬

‫لكـ ّن اســتطالعاً التحــاد الغــرف بن مســؤويل ‪5600‬‬ ‫رشكــة أملانيــة تعمــل يف بريطانيــا‪ ،‬أظهــر أن الكثــر‬ ‫منهــا ســيخفض بالفعــل عــدد العاملــن الريطانيــن‬ ‫يف فروعــه وكذلــك حجــم االســتثارات فيهــا‪،‬‬ ‫خصوصـاً أن بريطانيــا تشــكل مع ‪ 90‬مليــار يورو يف‬ ‫الســنة‪ ،‬ثالــث أكــر ســوق للصــادرات األملانيــة بعــد‬ ‫الواليــات املتحــدة وفرنســا‪ .‬بالتايل ســتكون خســارة‬ ‫مهمــة لالقتصــاد األملــاين الــذي ســيكون عليــه‬ ‫التفتيــش عــن أســواق أخــرى لس ـ ّد هــذا النقــص‪.‬‬ ‫وعــى عكــس الــركات األملانيــة‪ ،‬ذكــر مســؤولو‬ ‫‪ %20‬مــن الــركات الريطانيــة العاملــة يف أملانيــا‪،‬‬ ‫أنهــم ســرفعون اســتثاراتهم يف أملانيــا وســيزيدون‬ ‫عــدد موظفيهــم‪ .‬وتوقــع معهــد للبحــوث‬ ‫االقتصاديــة يف برلــن «إي أم كا»‪ ،‬أن يخــر معــدل‬ ‫النمــو االقتصــادي األملــاين نصــف نقطــة عــام ‪2017‬‬ ‫بفعــل تداعيــات خــروج بريطانيــا‪.‬‬

‫الخامتة‪:‬‬

‫ال ميكــن أن تكــون رئيســة الــوزراء الريطانيــة تريزا‬ ‫مــاي‪ ،‬التــي تتزعــم خــروج بريطانيــا مــن االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب قريبــة مــن زعيمــة أملانيــا أنغيــال مــركل‪،‬‬ ‫التــي تؤمــن باالتحــاد عــى انــه قــوة‪ ،‬عكــس مــاي‪،‬‬ ‫التــي أخــذت بالتحديــد االقـراب مــن زعيمــة ميــن‬ ‫فرنســا املتطــرف ماريــن لوبــن‪ .‬وبــدأت مالمــح‬ ‫السياســة األوروبيــة لهــذه األخــرة تظهــر عــى نهج‬ ‫رئيســة وزراء بريطانيــا منــذ االســتفتاء األخــر يف‬ ‫شــأن عضويــة بريطانيــا يف االتحــاد األورويب‪ .‬هــذا‬

‫‪ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS‬‬

‫الهجــرة وحركــة اللجــوء إىل بريطانيــا‪ ،‬وبــأن خــروج‬ ‫بريطانيــا مــن االتحــاد ســيتيح لهــا فــرض قيــود‬ ‫جديــدة عــى نظــام املســاعدات االجتاعيــة‬ ‫للمهاجريــن‪ .‬وثانيـاً‪ ،‬إميانهــم مــن أن نفــوذ اململكــة‬ ‫املتحــدة ســيكون أكــر خــارج االتحــاد األورويب‪.‬‬ ‫وهــذا مــا رصح بــه بوريــس جونســون‪ ،‬عمــدة‬ ‫لنــدن ســابقاً ووزيــر خارجيــة اململكــة املتحــدة‬ ‫حاليـاً‪ ،‬وهــو أحــد املدافعــن عــن خــروج بريطانيــا‬ ‫مــن االتحــاد األورويب‪ ،‬حيــث قــال ردا ً عــى‬ ‫تحذي ـرات كامــرون بــأن “حلــف شــال االطلــي‬ ‫وليــس االتحــاد األورويب هــو الــذي ضمــن الســالم‬ ‫يف أوروبــا”‪ ،‬وأدان “أســاليب التخويــف”‪ .‬وقــال‬ ‫بوريــس جونســون إن الخــروج من االتحــاد األورويب‬ ‫اآلن هــو “مــروع عظيــم لليرالية األوروبيــة” وإن‬ ‫مــروع “الظالميــة والشــمولية الذي كان ســائدا ً يف‬ ‫الخمســينات عفــا عليــه الزمــن”‪.‬‬ ‫يذكــر بــأن الهجــرة تشــكل املشــكلة األكــر التــي‬ ‫تواجــه املجتمــع الريطــاين‪ ،‬إذ إنهــا الســبب‬ ‫الرئيــي لالنقســام بــن األشــخاص املولوديــن يف‬ ‫اململكــة املتحــدة وبــن املهاجريــن‪ ،‬وتــرى بريطانيــا‬ ‫أن قوانــن االتحــاد األورويب هــي الســبب يف تدفــق‬ ‫املهاجريــن إليهــا‪ ،‬وإن هــؤالء املهاجريــن “أثــروا‬ ‫عــى مســتوى املعيشــة والنســيج االجتاعــي” كــا‬ ‫يدعــون رواد بريكزيــت‪ .‬وتشــر األرقــام الصــادرة‬ ‫أخــرا ً عــن «لنــدن ســكوول أوف إيكونوميكــس»‬ ‫“أن عــدد املهاجريــن غــر الرعيــن يناهــز ‪863‬‬ ‫ألــف مهاجــر يف اململكــة املتحــدة‪ ،‬وهــم يشــكلون‬ ‫عبئــاً ماديــاً عــى الخدمــات العامــة كالتعليــم‬ ‫والصحــة تبلــغ قيمتــه ‪ 3,67‬مليــارات جنيــه‬ ‫إســرليني ســنوياً”‪ .‬وســبق وأن طالبــت بريطانيــا‬ ‫بوضــع آليــة للتحكم يف حركــة املهاجريــن الوافدين‬ ‫إىل اململكــة املتحــدة مــن بلــدان أوروبــا والســيطرة‬ ‫عــى الحــدود اإلنجليزيــة‪ ،‬إال أن تلــك املطالــب مل‬ ‫تُنفــذ‪.‬‬

‫مفاوضات بريطانيا مع‬ ‫منظمة التجارة العاملية‬

‫“إن تداعيــات التصويــت عــى خــروج بريطانيــا من‬ ‫االتحــاد األورويب ســتعتمد عــى أمــور مــن بينهــا‬ ‫مفاوضــات اململكــة املتحــدة مــع أعضــاء املنظمة”‪،‬‬ ‫هــذا مــا قالــه املديــر العــام ملنظمــة التجــارة‬ ‫العامليــة روبرتــو ازيفيــدو لوكالــة رويــرز يف احــد‬ ‫املؤمت ـرات الصحفيــة‪.‬‬

‫وأضــاف “إذا مل يحــدث فــإن األمــر يعتمــد عــى‬ ‫رشوط االنفصــال وعــى العالقــة التــي ســترتب بناء‬ ‫عــى ذلــك بــن االتحــاد األورويب واململكــة املتحــدة‬ ‫واملفاوضــات التــي ســتخوضها بريطانيــا مــع‬ ‫أعضــاء منظمــة التجــارة العامليــة إليضــاح الحقــوق‬ ‫وااللتزامــات املرتبــة بحلــول ذلــك الوقــت‪”.‬‬ ‫وخلصــت أحــدى الدراســات وهــي دراســة‬ ‫“برتلســان ســتيفتونج” إىل أن الســيناريو األفضــل‪،‬‬ ‫أنــه يف حالــة خــروج بريطانيــا مــن االتحــاد األورريب‬ ‫يف عــام ‪ ،2018‬ســتتمكن بريطانيــا يف أفضــل‬ ‫األحــوال مــن الفــوز بوضــع مشــابه لســويرا‬ ‫واتفاقيــة تجــارة مــع رشكائهــا الســابقن يف االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب‪.‬‬ ‫أمــا الســيناريو األســوأ‪ ،‬فهــو أن بريطانيــا ســتفقد‬ ‫اتفاقيــات التجــارة الحــرة‪ ،‬حيــث يقــدر أن تبلــغ‬ ‫الخســارة يف الناتــج املحــي اإلجــايل لــكل فــرد‬ ‫بــن ‪ %0.6‬و ‪ %3‬وســيكلف هــذا الســيناريو األســوأ‬ ‫اقتصــاد اململكــة املتحــدة نحــو ‪ 224‬مليــار جنيــه‬ ‫إس ـرليني‪ ،‬حســب مــا جــاء يف الدراســة‪.‬‬ ‫ومــن جانبــه‪ ،‬أعلــن االتحــاد األورويب بشــكل رصيح‬ ‫بأنــه يرفــض عقــد محادثــات رســمية أو غر رســمية‬ ‫مــع بريطانيــا قبــل التقــدم بطلــب االنســحاب‬ ‫بشــكل رســمي‪ ،‬وأخــر‪ .‬وقالــت املستشــارة األملانية‬ ‫أنغيــال مــركل إن االتحــاد األورويب البــد أن “يحــرم‬ ‫نتيجــة” االســتفتاء”‪ .‬إال أن السياســين األملــان‬ ‫أرصوا عــى أن بريطانيــا لــن يكــون بوســعها جنــي‬ ‫الثــار مــن االتحــاد األورويب بعــد الخــروج منــه‪،‬‬ ‫وإن الجميــع اتفقــوا عــى أنــه لــن تكــون هنــاك‬ ‫مفاوضــات رســمية أو غــر رســمية قبــل حــدوث‬ ‫االنفصــال الفعــي لريطانيــا عــن االتحــاد‪.‬‬ ‫ويف هــذا الخصــوص‪ ،‬كان اجتــاع وزراء خارجيــة‬ ‫الــدول الســت املؤسســة لالتحــاد األورويب الــذي‬ ‫ُعقــد يف برلــن يف ‪ 29‬مــن شــهر حزي ـران (يونيــو)‬ ‫‪ ،2016‬قــد أنــذر بشــكل حــازم ال يــرىض املســاومة‬ ‫عــى مطالبــة لنــدن باملبــادرة اىل خطــوات‬ ‫االنســحاب يف القريــب العاجــل‪ ،‬أي التــزام البنــد‬ ‫‪ 50‬مــن اتفــاق لشــبونة ‪ -‬وهــو عمليــة انســحاب‬ ‫بريطانيــا مــن االتحــاد األورويب تــدوم ســنتن‪.‬‬ ‫ولكــن هــذا يعنــي أيضـاً‪ ،‬ليــس االنســحاب الفعــي‬ ‫مــن االتحــاد األورويب بــل عــدم الســاح لريطانيــا‬ ‫باج ـراء أيــة اتفاقــات للتجــارة الحــرة مــع أوروبــا‪.‬‬

‫توقعات النتائج والعواقب‬

‫ومنــذ التصويــت عــى االنســحاب مــن عضويــة‬ ‫االتحــاد األورويب‪ ،‬بــدأت بريطانيــا بدفــع مثــن كبــر‪،‬‬ ‫عل ـاً أن الخــروج الفعــي لــن يُنجــز قبــل ســنتن‬ ‫ونيــف‪ .‬كــا أن بريطانيــا لــن تدفــع الثمــن دفعــة‬ ‫واحــدة‪ ،‬وإمنــا عــى مراحل وتبعـاً للعالقــة التجارية‬ ‫الالحقــة التــي ستنشــأ بــن لنــدن وبروكســيل‪.‬‬ ‫وشــكل االنخفــاض الفــوري يف قيمــة الجنيــه‬ ‫اإلسـرليني وإرساع البنــك املركــزي فيهــا إىل خفــض‬ ‫الفائــدة للمــرة األوىل منــذ العــام ‪ 2009‬مــن ‪%0.5‬‬ ‫إىل ‪( %0.25‬مــن أجــل تفــادي حــدوث ركــود‬ ‫اقتصــادي يف البــالد)‪ ،‬أول تداعيــات ســلبية مــن‬ ‫بريكزيــت عــى بريطانيــا‪.‬‬ ‫وإثــر بــروز أخطــار ســحب املســتثمرين توظيفاتهم‬ ‫مــن بريطانيــا أو التوقــف عــن تحويــل أخــرى‬ ‫جديــدة إليهــا‪.‬‬ ‫واألخطــر مــن ذلــك لالقتصــاد الريطــاين الذعــر‬ ‫دب يف الــركات والبنــوك األمريكيــة الكثــرة‬ ‫الــذي ّ‬ ‫التــي تصـ ّدر إنتاجهــا وخدماتهــا املاليــة إىل أوروبــا‬ ‫عــر البوابــة الريطانيــة‪ ،‬مــا ســيعني كارثــة رضيبية‬ ‫لهــا بعدمــا كانــت تدخــل أوروبــا مــن خــالل نظــام‬ ‫رضيبــي مـ ٍ‬ ‫ـوات بفضــل عضويــة لنــدن يف االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب‪ .‬ويقــ ّدر العارفــون قيمــة اســتثارات‬ ‫الــركات األمريكيــة يف بريطانيــا بنحــو ‪ 500‬مليــار‬ ‫دوالر‪.‬‬ ‫وبــدأت رشكات كثــرة بالفعــل تنظيــم ترتيبــات‬ ‫االنتقــال مــن بريطانيــا إىل أملانيــا ودول أخــرى‬ ‫أعضــاء يف االتحــاد األورويب‪ ،‬كــا فعل أخرا ً «ســيتي‬ ‫بنــك» األمريــي‪ ،‬الــذي قــرر يف خطــوة أوىل أخ ـرا ً‬ ‫نقــل ‪ 900‬موظــف إىل إيرلنــدا مــن أصــل ‪9000‬‬ ‫يعملــون لديــه يف بريطانيــا‪ .‬وانعكــس هــذا األمــر‬ ‫رسيع ـاً عــى أســعار العقــارات هنــاك خصوص ـاً يف‬ ‫فرانكفــورت التــي ارتفعــت أيضــاً وعــى الفــور‪.‬‬ ‫وســيكون عــى بريطانيــا بعــد الخــروج فعليـاً مــن‬ ‫االتحــاد األورويب دفــع رضائــب جمركيــة عاليــة عى‬ ‫صادراتهــا إىل دولــه‪ ،‬أو أن تصــل بريطانيــا إىل اتفاق‬ ‫تجــاري جديــد مــع بروكســيل خــالل فــرة الســنتن‪،‬‬ ‫يخفــف مــن األعبــاء الجمركيــة عــى الجانبــن‪.‬‬ ‫ويف الوقــت ذاتــه فإنــه مــن املتوقــع أن يــؤدي‬ ‫انســحاب بريطانيــا مــن االتحــاد األورويب إىل‬

‫ ‬

‫‪ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 95‬‬

‫قــوة عامليــة باملرتبــة الثانيــة‪ ،‬وســينخفض الناتــج‬ ‫املحــي اإلجــايل يف اململكــة املتحــدة بنســبة ‪.%2‬‬ ‫وقالــت وكالــة التصنيــف االئتــاين “موديــز” إن‬ ‫خــروج بريطانيــا مــن االتحــاد األورويب ســيكون‬ ‫لــه “تاثــرات ســلبية” عــى الخدمــات العامــة يف‬ ‫بريطانيــا‪ .‬وأضافــت بــأن خروجهــا كذلــك ســيؤدي‬ ‫إىل “زيــادة حالــة عــدم اليقــن” وتباطــؤ النمــو‬ ‫االقتصــادي بشــكل أكــر مــا ســينتج عنــه خفــض‬ ‫تصنيــف بريطانيــا الســيادي االئتــاين‪.‬‬ ‫وقــال وزيــر الخزانــة الريطــاين الســابق جــورج‬ ‫أوزبــورن بــأن خــروج بريطانيــا مــن االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب ســتكون لــه عواقــب اقتصاديــة خطــرة‬ ‫عــى االقتصــاد الريطــاين‪ ،‬حيــث واحــدة مــن‬ ‫النتائــج الســلبية هــو حرمــان كل أرسة بريطانيــة‬ ‫مــن ‪ 4300‬جنيــه إســرليني كل ســنة‪.‬‬ ‫يجــدر اإلشــارة إىل أن خــروج بريطانيــا مــن‬ ‫االتحــاد األورويب مــن دون التفــاوض عــى اتفــاق‬ ‫جديــد بشــأن التجــارة الحــرة‪ ،‬واالعتــاد فقــط‬ ‫عــى التطبيــق البســيط للنظــم األساســية ملنظمــة‬ ‫التجــارة العامليــة يف العالقــات بــن بريطانيــا ودول‬ ‫االتحــاد األورويب‪ ،‬ســيكون اســوأ ســيناريو ممكن ـاً‪،‬‬ ‫وســيؤثر بشــكل كبــر عــى مكانــة لنــدن كمركــز‬ ‫األعــال يف أوروبــا‪.‬‬ ‫وخالفــاً لهــذا‪ ،‬رأت مجموعــة مــن مثانيــة خــراء‬ ‫اقتصاديــن يف مكتــب “كابيتــال إيكونوميكــس”‬

‫البحثــي يف تقريــر‪ ،‬ان االقتصــاد الريطــاين سيشــهد‬ ‫تحســناً يف حــال خــروج بريطانيــا مــن االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب خالفــاً ملــا تؤكــده الحكومــة ومؤسســات‬ ‫دوليــة‪ .‬وقــال رئيــس املكتــب البحثــي روجــر بوتــل‬ ‫خــالل نــدوة يف لنــدن ان “حصيلــة االتحــاد األورويب‬ ‫االقتصاديــة عــى مــدى الســنوات العريــن‬ ‫املاضيــة كانــت ضعيفــة جــدا ً مقارنــة مــع بلــدان‬ ‫أخــرى متقدمــة وهــذا ليــس فقــط بســبب اليــورو‬ ‫وإمنــا بســبب سلســلة مــن الق ـرارات الســيئة”‪.‬‬ ‫ونــر تقريــر آخــر عــر فيــه مســؤولون يف‬ ‫صنــدوق النقــد الــدويل ومنظمــة التعــاون والتنمية‬ ‫االقتصاديــة عــن سلســلة مــن التحذي ـرات بشــأن‬ ‫االنعكاســات الســلبية للخــروج مــن االتحــاد عــى‬ ‫االقتصــاد الريطــاين‪ ،‬أشــار إىل أن إجــايل الناتــج‬ ‫الداخــي الريطــاين ســيراجع بنســبة ‪ %3‬بحلــول‬ ‫‪ 2020‬يف حــال الخــروج مــن االتحــاد‪ .‬وأكــد أيضـاًن‬ ‫بــأن “األرضار ســتمتد لتطــال االتحــاد األورويب‬ ‫كذلــك‪ ،‬ألن اململكــة املتحــدة هــي أكــر رشيــك‬ ‫تجــاري ملنطقــة اليــورو‪ ،‬ومعــروف أنهــا تشـكِّل ‪%4‬‬ ‫مــن الناتــج املحــي اإلجــايل للمنطقــة بأرسهــا”‪.‬‬ ‫ويقــول رئيــس منظمــة “برتلســان ســتيفتونج”‬ ‫دي جيــوس إن “خــروج بريطانيــا ســيكون لعبــة‬ ‫خــارسة للجميــع يف أوروبــا مــن منظــور اقتصــادي‬ ‫واحــد‪ ،‬وخاصــة بالنســبة للمملكــة املتحــدة‪ ،‬ولكــن‬ ‫بغــض النظــر عــن العواقــب االقتصاديــة‪ ،‬ســيكون‬ ‫مبثابــة انتكاســة مريــرة وخاصــة بالنســبة للتكامــل‬ ‫األورويب‪ ،‬وكذلــك دور أوروبــا يف العــامل”‪.‬‬

‫وفيــا يخــص نواحــي النفــوذ و األمن العاملــي‪ ،‬حذر‬ ‫خمســة قــادة ســابقن للحلــف االطلــي وعــدد‬ ‫مــن وزراء الخارجيــة والدفــاع األمريكيــن الســابقن‬ ‫مــن ان خــروج بريطانيــا مــن االتحــاد األورويب مــن‬ ‫شــأنه أن يــر بأمــن الغــرب ويضعــف أوروبــا‬ ‫بشــكل خطــر‪ .‬وقــال قــادة االطلــي الســابقن‬ ‫ان خــروج بريطانيــا مــن الكتلــة األوروبيــة مــن‬ ‫شــأنه أن يقــوض التحالــف العســكري بــن ضفتــي‬ ‫األطلــي “ويقــدم املســاعدة العــداء الغــرب”‬ ‫وســيؤدي “دون شــك اىل فقــدان النفــوذ الريطاين”‪.‬‬ ‫وأضافــوا “إن خــروج بريطانيــا من االتحــاد األورويب‬ ‫ســوف لــن يقتــر عــى خســارة النفــوذ الريطــاين‪،‬‬ ‫بــل أنــه ودون أدىن شــك ســيقوض الحلــف األطلي‬ ‫ويقــدم املســاعدة ألعــداء الغــرب يف وقــت نحــن‬ ‫بحاجــة للوقــوف جنب ـاً إىل جنــب عــر املجموعــة‬ ‫األوروبيــة األطلســية يف مواجهــة التهديــدات‬ ‫املشــركة”‪ .‬كــا وأعلنــت مســؤولة ســابقة يف‬ ‫جهــاز االســتخبارات الداخليــة (أم آي ‪ )5‬معارضتهــا‬ ‫لخــروج بريطانيــا مــن االتحــاد األورويب معتــرة‬ ‫انــه ســيضعف البــالد يف وقــت تــزداد التهديــدات‬ ‫اإلرهابيــة‪.‬‬

‫املدافعون عن خروج‬ ‫بريطانيا‬

‫أمــا حجــج املدافعــون عــن خــروج بريطانيــا مــن‬ ‫االتحــاد األورويب فهــي تتمحــور أوالً حــول إيقــاف‬

‫‪ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS‬‬

‫وتبقــى املشــكلة الرئيســية ليســت يف مجلــس‬ ‫العمــوم‪ ،‬بــل هــم قــادة دول االتحــاد األورويب الـــ‬ ‫‪ 27‬الذيــن ســتتفاوض معهــم بريطانيــا بعــد تفعيل‬ ‫املــادة ‪ 50‬مــن معاهــدة لشــبونة‪ ،‬وإن تصويــت‬ ‫الرملــان لــن يغــر شــيئاً‪ ،‬بــرأي كثــر مــن املحللــن‪.‬‬

‫تحذيرات من الخروج‬

‫وكان رئيــس الــوزراء الريطــاين املســتقيل ‪ -‬ديفيــد‬ ‫كامــرون قــد حــذر ‪ -‬قبيــل االســتفتاء ‪ -‬مــن أن‬ ‫خــروج بــالده مــن االتحــاد األورويب ســيهدد الســالم‬ ‫يف القــارة األوروبيــة‪ ،‬حيــث قال كامــرون يف خطاب‬ ‫ألقــاه يف املتحــف الريطــاين يف لنــدن ان “االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب ســاهم يف مصالحــة بلــدان خاضــت حروبـاً‬ ‫طــوال عقــود” يف إشــارة إىل النزاعــات التــي هــزت‬ ‫أوروبــا خــالل القــرون الســابقة‪.‬‬ ‫ويف نفــس الســياق‪ ،‬اعتــر رئيــس املفوضيــة‬ ‫األوروبيــة جــان كلــود يونكــر ان احتــال خــروج‬ ‫بريطانيــا مــن االتحــاد األورويب ســيكون لــه‬ ‫“عواقــب غــر متوقعــة عــى التعايــش األورويب”‪.‬‬ ‫وتتمحــور أغلــب حجــج املدافعــن عــن بقــاء‬ ‫بريطانيــا داخــل االتحــاد بــأن “يف ظــل الوضــع‬ ‫الــدويل الحــايل الخطــر‪ ،‬فــان التعــاون رضوري‬

‫بأوســع شــكل ممكــن مــع جــران بريطانيــا‬ ‫األوروبيــن”‪ ،‬وهــذا مــا قالــه ديفيــد كامرون مشـرا ً‬ ‫إىل التحديــات التــي ميثلها اإلرهاب وأزمــة الالجئن‪.‬‬ ‫والدافــع اآلخــر‪ ،‬هو تشــجيع التبــادل التجــاري الح ّر‬ ‫وبنــاء مؤسســات دامئــة لتجنيــب القــارة األوروبيــة‬ ‫أيــة نزاعــات يف املســتقبل‪.‬‬ ‫ويعــارض خــروج بريطانيــا مــن االتحــاد األورويب‬ ‫عــدة أحـزاب ومؤسســات بريطانيــة‪ ،‬أبرزهــا حــزب‬ ‫الدميقراطيــن األحــرار املعــارض‪ ،‬حيــث أعلــن‬ ‫زعيمــه “نيك كليــج” القــول أن “االقتصــاد الريطاين‬ ‫قــد يــؤذي نفســه إذا انفصلت بريطانيا عــن االتحاد‬ ‫األورويب‪ ،‬وأن الخطــوة قــد تهــدد تعــايف االقتصــاد”‪.‬‬ ‫وأتهــم كليــج الكثــر مــن أعضــاء حــزب املحافظــن‬ ‫وحــزب االســتقالل الريطــاين بأنهــم يســعون إىل‬ ‫فصــل إنجل ـرا عــن “أكــر ســوق يف العــامل”‪.‬‬ ‫ويتمحــور هــذا االعتقــاد بــان الريطانيــون‬ ‫ســيخرون خاصــة يف الــركات الكــرى التابعــة‬ ‫لالتحــاد األورويب فــرص عمــل تقــدر باملاليــن‪ ،‬وكــا‬ ‫ذكــرت هــذا صحيفــة “اإلندبندنــت” الريطانيــة‪،‬‬ ‫فالقطاعــات التــي ســتكون األكرث تــررا ً يف بريطانيا‬ ‫مــن فقــدان الصلــة مــع الســوق املوحــدة لالتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب‪ ،‬هــي املــواد الكيميائيــة والخدمــات املاليــة‬ ‫والســيارات والهندســة امليكانيكيــة‪ ،‬فعــي ســبيل‬

‫املثــال‪ ،‬ســيواجه منتجــو الســيارات الكثــر مــن‬ ‫املشــكالت؛ ألن االســتثارات األجنبيــة تعتمــد عــى‬ ‫اف ـراض أن بريطانيــا جــزء مــن الســوق األوروبيــة‬ ‫املوحــدة‪.‬‬ ‫ويف خــارج بريطانيــا‪ ،‬حــذر الرئيــس األمريــي‬ ‫الســابق‪ ،‬بــاراك أوبامــا‪ ،‬وبشــدة مــن خــروج‬ ‫بريطانيــا مــن االتحــاد األورويب‪ ،‬وقــال إن بريطانيــا‬ ‫“ســتخر مــن نفوذهــا يف العــامل” أثــر خروجهــا‬ ‫مــن االتحــاد األورويب‪.‬‬ ‫بينــا أعتــر الرئيــس األمريــي الجديــد‪ ،‬دونالــد‬ ‫ترامــب (حينهــا كان املرشــح الجمهــوري للبيــت‬ ‫األبيــض) أن بريطانيــا “ســتكون أفضــل حــاالً بــدون‬ ‫االتحــاد األورويب”‪ ،‬مضيفـاً “اعتقــد أن الهجرة كانت‬ ‫أمـرا ً رهيبـاً ألوروبــا‪ ،‬وإن الكثــر مــن هــذه األمــور‬ ‫جــاءت نتيجــة االتحــاد األورويب”‪ .‬وتابــع ترامــب‬ ‫بأنــه يعــرف بريطانيــا جيــدا ُ مــن حيــث ميتلــك‬ ‫اســتثارات فيهــا‪ ،‬وقــال بــأن “بريطانيــا ســتكون‬ ‫أفضــل حــاالً خــارج االتحــاد األورويب”‪.‬‬

‫آراء االقتصاديني‬

‫يقــول بعــض االقتصاديــن إن تأثــر خــروج اململكــة‬ ‫املتحــدة ســيكون “مدم ـرا ً”‪ ،‬وســيحول االتحــاد إىل‬

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‫‪ARAB-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 97‬‬

‫خروج بريطانيا من التحاد‬ ‫الوروبي‪ :‬الدوافع والتوقعات‬ ‫‪Brexit: Motives & Expectations‬‬ ‫مــن املثــر لإلعجــاب أن األوروبيــن قبــل نحــو ‪40‬‬ ‫عام ـاً مضــت نجحــوا يف الوصــول إىل مرحلــة مــن‬ ‫التعــاون املشــرك‪ ،‬ليتطــور إىل اتحــاد شــامل يضــم‬ ‫‪ 28‬دولــة ويشـكّل ثــاين أكــر اقتصاد يف العــامل (بعد‬ ‫الواليــات املتحــدة) وفــق معــدل الناتــج املحــي‬ ‫اإلجــايل‪ .‬إال أن مــروع الوحــدة األوروبيــة هــذا‬ ‫يتع ـ ّرض راهن ـاً المتحــان تاريخــي يهــدد مســتقبله‬ ‫إثــر اســتفتاء «بريكزيــت» الريطــاين الــذي جرى يف‬ ‫‪ 23‬حزيـران (يونيــو) ‪ .2016‬وقــد قــرروا الريطانين‬ ‫يف هــذا االســتفتاء الخــروج مــن عضويــة االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب‪.‬‬ ‫أن مصطلــح “بريكزيــت”‪ ،‬هــو االختصــار لكلمتــن‬ ‫هــا (‪ ،)Britain & Exit‬أي الجمــع بــن كلمتيــن‬ ‫هــا بريطانيــا والخــروج معــاً‪ ،‬لتعنــي خــروج‬ ‫بريطانيــا مــن االتحــاد األورويب‪ ،‬ومــن الجديــر‬ ‫بالذكــر ان هــذا املصطلــح مل يخلــق للممكلــة‬ ‫املتحــدة خصيصــاً‪ ،‬فقــد واجــه االتحــاد األورويب‬ ‫أزمــة خــروج اليونــان مــن قبــل مــا عــرف‬ ‫إصطالحــا بـــــ “‪ ،”Grexit‬أي خــروج اليونــان‬ ‫املحتمــل مــن االتحــاد األورويب‪.‬‬ ‫يعتقــد الكثــر أن الســبب األســاس خلــف تصويــت‬ ‫بريطانيــا للخــروج مــن االتحــاد األورويب‪ ،‬هــو حالــة‬ ‫الذعــر مــن اآلخــر‪ ،‬والتــي ولــدت رغبــة جامحــة يف‬ ‫إيقــاف زخــم الهجرة الزاحفــة من أوروبــا «الفقرة»‬ ‫إىل أوروبــا «الغنيــة» كــا ص ّورهــا أصحــاب حملــة‬ ‫«بريكزيــت» مــن سياســين وبرملانيــن وإعالميــن‪.‬‬ ‫عــرت نتيجــة االســتفتاء عــن‬ ‫يف كل األحــوال‪ّ ،‬‬ ‫رغبــة غالبيــة الريطانيــن يف االنفصــال لشــعورهم‪،‬‬ ‫يف وعيهــم الداخــي‪ ،‬باالختــالف‪ ،‬إن مل يكــن‬ ‫التفــوق‪ ،‬حيــال باقــي أوروبــا‪ ،‬نتيجــة إرث بالدهــم‬ ‫االمراطــوري‪ ،‬وكونهــا منتــرة يف حربــن كونيتــن‬ ‫يف القــرن العريــن‪ ،‬لكنهــا يف الوقــت نفســه ال‬

‫ت ـزال مرتبكــة وهــي تبحــث راهن ـاً عــن حجمهــا‬ ‫الحقيقــي عــى صعيــد العــامل‪.‬‬ ‫وتحــت وطــأة هــذا الشــعور امللتبــس‪ ،‬وجــدت‬ ‫بريطانيــا نفســها يف وضــع مرتبــك مل يفارقهــا منــذ‬ ‫االنضــام اىل مــا كان يعــرف باملجموعــة االقتصادية‬ ‫األوروبيــة يف عــام ‪ .1973‬فريطانيــا قــد انضمت إىل‬ ‫أوروبــا ألســباب اقتصاديــة بحتة‪ ،‬إذ مل تكــن الوحدة‬ ‫األوروبيــة تعنــي لهــا مثــل مــا كانــت تعنيــه لــرواد‬ ‫الوحــدة األوائــل‪ .‬أن النخــب السياســية يف بريطانيــا‬ ‫بــدءا ً مــن إدوارد هيــث إىل مارغريــت ثاتــر وتوين‬ ‫بلــر وأخـرا ً ديفيــد كامــرون‪ ،‬املتأثــرة بــإرث بالدها‪،‬‬ ‫حســب تصورهــم‪ ،‬بقيــت تنظــر إىل أوروبــا بنظــرة‬ ‫فوقيــة‪ .‬حتــى الزعيــم التاريخــي ونســتون ترشــل‬ ‫الــذي تحــدث يف خطابــه مــن زيوريــخ عــام ‪1946‬‬ ‫عــن املــروع األورويب املوحــد‪ ،‬أوحــى ضمن ـاً بــأن‬ ‫بــالده مــع الوحــدة ولكــن ليســت منهــا‪.‬‬ ‫وكان عنــوان سياســة بريطانيــا خــالل عقــود‬ ‫بروكســيل األربعــة دامئـاً املوافقــة بـــ “نعــم‪ ،‬نحــن‬ ‫مــع أوروبــا املوحــدة ولكــن خارجهــا أيضــاً عنــد‬ ‫الــرورة”‪ ،‬عــى عكــس رأي الزعيمــن الفرنــي‬ ‫فرنســوا ميــران واألملــاين هيلمــوت كــول‪ .‬ولعــل‬ ‫هــذا مــا يفــر فيتــو الراحــل شــارل ديغــول‪ ،‬رفيــق‬ ‫ترشــل القريــب أثنــاء الحــرب ضــد نازيــة هتلــر‪،‬‬ ‫عــى عضويــة بريطانيــا طــوال فــرة حكمــه‪.‬‬ ‫وكشــفت املعركــة قبيــل االســتفتاء عــى بريكزيــت‬ ‫يف بريطانيــا خيبــة معســكر املطالبــن بالبقــاء يف‬ ‫االتحــاد األورويب مــن محافظــن وعــال‪ ،‬لفشــلهم‬ ‫يف إقنــاع الــرأي العــام بنجاعــة مــروع الوحــدة‬ ‫وأفضليتــه عــى مــروع الدولــة الوطنيــة‪ .‬فلنــدن‬ ‫رفضــت ســابقاً أهــم مروعــن وحدويــن اتفــق‬ ‫األوروبيــون يف شــأنها منـــــذ تأســيس االتحــاد‬

‫وهــا‪ :‬اتفــاق شــينغن الــذي أقــام الســوق‬ ‫الواحــــــدة وألغــى الحــدود عــام ‪ ،1995‬واتفــاق‬ ‫العملــة املشــركة‪ ،‬اليــورو‪ ،‬عــام ‪ 1999‬لـــ‪ 19‬دولــة‬ ‫مــن أعضــاء االتحــاد‪ .‬فــا دامــت بريطانيــا خــارج‬ ‫هذيــن االتفاقــن املفصليّــن‪ ،‬مــا هــي جــدوى أن‬ ‫تبقــى يف االتحــاد‪ .‬وهــا هــي «بريكزيــت» تعكــس‬ ‫حجــم األزمــة داخــل االتحــاد‪ ،‬إذ تبــدو عصيّــة عــى‬ ‫اإلصــالح أمــام دعــوات عــودة الحــدود بــن دولــه‪.‬‬ ‫ويف خطــوة الحقــة لالســتفتاء‪ ،‬أعلنــت املحكمــة‬ ‫العليــا الريطانيــة‪ ،‬يف يــوم ‪ 24‬كانــون الثــاين (ينايــر)‬ ‫‪ ،2017‬مــا إذا كانــت الحكومــة قــادرة عــى بــدء‬ ‫مفاوضــات الخــروج مــن االتحــاد األورويب مــن دون‬ ‫تصويــت مســبق يف الرملــان أم ال‪ .‬فيــا أكــد قضــاة‬ ‫املحكمــة (‪ 11‬قاضيــا) ق ـرارا صــدر عــن املحكمــة‬ ‫يف لنــدن‪ ،‬وقــى بأنــه ال ميكــن تفعيــل املــادة ‪50‬‬ ‫مــن معاهــدة لشــبونة‪ ،‬التــي تقــي بإجـراء ســنتن‬ ‫عــى األقــل مــن املفاوضــات مــع بروكســل‪ ،‬بــدون‬ ‫موافقــة مجلــس العمــوم‪.‬‬ ‫ويف يــوم ‪ 9‬مــن شــهر شــباط (فرايــر) ‪2017‬‬ ‫طرحــت املســألة أمــام الرملــان الــذي وافــق بأغلبية‬ ‫عــى بــدء اإلجـراءات‪ ،‬وذلــك بعــد أن تعهــد حــزب‬ ‫العــال املعــارض عــدم عرقلــة اآلليــة‪ ،‬حيــث “إن‬ ‫املعارضــة لرئيســة الــوزراء داخــل حــزب املحافظــن‬ ‫قــد تبــددت”‪ ،‬حســب قــول تيــم بايــل أســتاذ‬ ‫العلــوم السياســية يف جامعــة “كويــن مــاري” يف‬ ‫لنــدن‪.‬‬ ‫ويعــارض الحــزب الوطنــي االســكتلندي الــذي‬ ‫يشــغل ‪ 54‬مقعــدا ً مــن أصــل ‪ 650‬يف مجلــس‬ ‫العمــوم‪ ،‬بشــدة عمليــة الخــروج مــن االتحــاد‬ ‫األورويب‪.‬‬

‫العدد األول‪ ،‬مجلد ‪ ،12‬ربيع ‪2017‬‬

‫‪ECONOMIC FOCUS CHAMBER NEWS‬‬

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‫غرفة التجارة العربية الربيطانية‬ ‫‪Arab-British‬‬ ‫‪Chamber of Commerce‬‬

‫محتــــــــويات الــــــعدد‬ ‫أخبار الغرفة‬ ‫اململكة املتحدة والسعودية بعد بريكزيت ‬ ‫ ‬ ‫وفد غرفة الرياض‬ ‫ ‬ ‫جلسة عمل عن السودان‬ ‫اجتامع الطاولة املستديرة‪ :‬زيت الزيتون التونيس‬ ‫ ‬ ‫حفل تواصل األعضاء‬ ‫منتدى قطر واململكة املتحدة لألعامل واالستثامر‬

‫‪43 Upper Grosvenor Street‬‬ ‫‪London W1K 2NJ‬‬ ‫‪Tel: +44 (0) 20 7235 4363‬‬ ‫‪Fax: +44 (0) 20 7245 6688‬‬ ‫‪economicfocus@abcc.org.uk‬‬ ‫‪www.abcc.org.uk‬‬

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‫تقارير خاصة‬ ‫اململكة العربية السعودية‪ :‬بلد الفرص واإلمكانات‬ ‫دليل املستثمرين للرؤية السعودية ‪2030‬‬ ‫فرص وإمكانيات الطاقة النظيفة واملتجددة‬ ‫ ‬ ‫التغريات الرضيبية لغري املقيمني يف اململكة املتحدة‬ ‫امتالك اللوحات الفنية يف اململكة املتحدة من قبل غري املقيميني‪ :‬دليل ‬ ‫ ‬ ‫إدخال رضيبة القيمة املضافة يف دول مجلس التعاون الخليجي‬ ‫كيف تؤثر قواعد البيانات الجديدة عىل األعامل التجارية يف الرشق األوسط‬ ‫ ‬ ‫رشح قانون اإلفالس اإلمارايت لعام ‪2016‬‬ ‫ ‬ ‫املسح االقتصادي الفصيل الربيطاين‬ ‫ ‬ ‫ ‬ ‫ ‬

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‫نشاطات الغرفة‬ ‫مقابلة مع أحد أعضاء الغرفة‪ :‬مؤسسة هويدا حسن سمسيم ‬ ‫ ‬ ‫أعضاء جدد‬

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‫التقرير االقتصادي العريب‬ ‫خروج بريطانيا من االتحاد األورويب‪ :‬الدوافع والتوقعات ‬ ‫بريكزت‪ :‬وقفة مع خطاب رئيسة وزراء بريطانيا ‬ ‫ماذا تعني املادة ‪ 50‬من معاهدة لشبونة؟ ‬ ‫رشف غروب‪ :‬رائدون يف صناعة أدوات ومعدات النجاة ‬ ‫كابالن جينيسيس‪ :‬القيادة والتدريب وبرامج التطوير املهني يف الرشق األوسط ‬ ‫منتدى قطر واململكة املتحدة لألعامل واالستثامر ‬

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‫“أضواء عىل قضايا العالقات العربية‪-‬الربيطانية”‬ ‫مجلة اقتصادية من إصدارات غرفة التجارة‬ ‫العربية الربيطانية يف لندن‬ ‫حقوق النرش‬ ‫تحتفظ غرفة التجارة العربية – الربيطانية بحقوق‬ ‫النرش للمعلومات التي تحتويها هذه املجلة‪ ،‬وال‬ ‫يحق ألي جهة أخرى إعادة أنتاجها أو إعادة‬ ‫صياغتها أو إعادة توزيعها الكيل أو الجزيئ بدون‬ ‫موافقة مبارشة من غرفة التجارة العربية‬ ‫الربيطانية‬ ‫فريق املحررين‬ ‫عبد السالم اإلدرييس‪ ،‬كليف لورانس‪ ،‬ديفيد‬ ‫موركان‪ ،‬د‪ .‬ياسمني حسني‬

‫‪Production & Design‬‬ ‫‪Distinctive Publishing‬‬ ‫‪Unit 6b, Floor B, Milburn House‬‬ ‫‪Dean Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1LE‬‬ ‫‪Tel: 0845 884 2385‬‬ ‫‪www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk‬‬

‫‪Advertising‬‬ ‫‪Distinctive Publishing‬‬ ‫‪Tel: 07813 874 9703‬‬ ‫‪john.neilson@distinctivegroup.co.uk‬‬

In a global world, we mean business

As the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best business school, and as part of a leading technological University, we understand the importance of global thinking. We introduced the first one year MBA to the UK in 1966 and we continue to introduce innovative Masters programmes and bespoke executive education to suit the demands of an evolving business world. Our triple-accredited, top-ranked Executive MBA is offered at our international centres in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Oman and Bahrain and is delivered part time at weekends to meet the needs of busy executives. Wherever you study you can be assured of a quality education from a world class business school. Make Strathclyde your destination.

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