Eumcci review vol3 no1

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“AEC has brought positive impact to Malaysia.”

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Neapoli’s success story Advertising Enquiries

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Challenges and Opportunities in Integrating ASEAN

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EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce & Industry (EUMCCI) Suite 10.01, Level 10, Menara Atlan, 161B Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: +603-2162 6298 Fax: +603-2162 6198 E-mail: eumcci@eumcci.com Website: www.eumcci.com

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Chairman Fermin Fautsch

Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Ng Tieh Chuan

MPH Group

MPH Group Publishing

Deputy Chairman Daniel Pans Dato’ Andy Seo

MPH Group Magazine

Senior Marketing & Sales Executive Lilian Ng

Honourary Treasurer Dato’ Robert Teo

General Manager V S Ganesan

EUMCCI Board

General Manager Kuah Sze Mei

Chief Operating Officer Swaminathan MV

Board of Directors/Representatives Artur Dabkowski Maria Liew Allan Jensen Olof Rapp Vojtech Hromek Saif Malik Jari Niemi Stellios Plainiotis Loong Caesar Ron Anderson Borja Solans Werner Somweber

Creative

Head of Department Amy Heng

Senior Editor Vimala Seneviratne

Deputy Creative Head (Magazine) Stephanie Yap

Editor Sharmila Valli Narayanan Production Editor Shamsul Hidzry O Khairuddin Senior Sales Manager Ng Wee Ming

Editorial Committee Minna Saneri - Editor Stefanie Braukmann Zaiton Hj Idrus Jennifer Chien

Submissions

Creative Designer Amanda Fong Seok Mei

Circulation & Retail Distributors General Manager Tai Kwai Meng

Sales Managers Faridah Ismail Rebecca Gun

Articles and other materials of interest to the general membership are actively solicited and may be sent to the Chamber. All materials submitted for publication are subject to editorial review and revisions.

Senior Creative Designers Ng Seng Chee, Ngan Pooi Kuan

General Manager (Finance) Kelvin Chong

Finance

Accountant Barbara Tay

Manager Koh Sook Khuen

Reproduction

No part of the EUMCCI Review may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical without prior written permission.

Online Partner

Circulation

3,000 copies of the EUMCCI Review are distributed, on a quarterly basis to EUMCCI members, all Embassies, industry associations and government officials with whom the Chamber has dealings as well as to European Chambers Worldwide.

It is also sold in all major bookshops.

Printer

MPH Group Printing (M) Sdn Bhd (142270-H) No 31, Jalan 2/148A, Taman Sungai Besi, Industrial Park 57100 K.L Tel: 603-7987 0966 Fax: 603-7984 0966 E-mail: sales@mphprinting.com.my

Distributors (Malaysia) MPH Distributors Sdn Bhd (5048-A), Ground Floor, Bangunan TH, No. 5 Jalan Bersatu, Seksyen 13/4, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor DE, Malaysia Tel: 603-7958 1688 Fax: 603-7954 8215 E-mail: distributors@mph.com.my Advertising Enquiries

V S Ganesan / Ng Wee Ming Tel: 603-7960 4278 Fax: 603-7960 3278 E-mail: ganesan@mph.com.my All writers automatically agree to indemnify EUMCCI and MPH Group Magazine (M) Sdn Bhd against any loss, costs, expenses (including legal fees), damages and liabilities that might arise from their own incapacity, negligence, breach of contract or other civil misdeeds. We reserve the right to edit all articles. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2015 by EUMCCI and MPH Group Magazine (M) Sdn Bhd. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publisher. The views expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of EUMCCI and MPH Group Magazine (M) Sdn Bhd. EUMCCI and MPH Group Magazine (M) Sdn Bhd accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photography, illustration and other editorial materials.

EDI T OR’S NO T E Bringing European SMEs to Malaysia

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In May I was doing a roadshow through Europe to promote to the business communities EUMCCI’s SEBSEAM-M project. In each country, which included Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Sweden, I met with great curioisty and interest about Malaysia and ASEAN. During my stop in Estonia, I made the acquaintance of a businessman whose specialty products were gourmet frozen and fresh cakes such as cheese cakes, chocolate cakes and mango cakes, among others. I felt that there was a good market in Malaysia for his products and strongly urged him to take part in the Tastes of Europe Fest 2015. Through the EUMCCI’s strong connection in the food sector, we assisted with information and help for him to bring his products to Malaysia. That’s how Aivar Maasik became one of the exhibitors at Tastes of Europe. Read more about him and this year’s Tastes of Europe Fest on page 27.

We are also proud to bring you the success story of Neapoli, a European SME “with deep Malaysian roots” that was named the European Union Success Story of the Month by the European Commission SME Business Portal. The firm’s managing director Dr. Stellios Plainiotis shares valuable advice for European SMEs on how to succeed in Malaysia and introduces his firm on page 16.

We at EUMCCI are gearing up for one of the biggest business summits ever, the ASEAN-EU Business Summit, to be held on 23rd August in conjunction with the 47th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ meeting in Malaysia. There is still time to register for this summit. To find out more, turn to page 26.

Our annual EU-Malaysia Trade Investment Forum was a success. One of the highlights at this year’s Forum was the panel discussion on “ASEAN Integration: Cross Border Initiatives – Challenges and Opportunities.” A report on the panel discussion can be found from page 10 onwards.

I wish all our Muslim readers a blessed Ramadhan and Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri.

Minna Saneri Editor

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CONTENTS 2

Editor’s Notes

4

AEC Is Good For Malaysia And ASEAN

10

Marching Confidently Towards AEC

16

ASEAN Fact Sheet

17

ASEAN-EU Business Summit: A Preview

20

EU-ABC Meets with ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors

24

Spearheading The Green Building In The Tropics

27

Taste of Europe Fest 2015

30

Country Focus: Spain

32

Chamber News

37

Corporate Partner

38

New Corporate Partner

40

Calendar of Events

COVER STORY

Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed cutting the cake with EUMCCI Chairman Fermin Fatusch to celebrate EUMCCI’s new office.

AEC IS GOOD FOR MALAYSIA AND ASEAN Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed, the Minister of International Trade and Industry talks to EUMCCI Review on several issues that are of great interest to the business community such as the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and the Malaysia EU FTA. Sharmila Valli Narayanan has the story.

D

ato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed has been helming the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) since 2009. A graduate of the University of Melbourne, Australia with a First Class Honours degree in Economics and with a Master in Economic Development from the Boston University, he is certainly the right man to head this very important ministry. Prior to heading MITI, he has held a number of other ministerial

posts such as Deputy Finance Minister II, Minister for Entreprenuer Development, Finance Minister II, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Minister for Higher Education and Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry. His appointment as the Minister of MITI has been his highest role in the national and international scene.

Below are the answers that he gave to some of the pressing questions regarding AEC and other trade agreements:

EUMCCI REVIEW (ER): How do you see AEC integration into the global economy? What is meant by Global ASEAN? Dato Sri Mustapa Mohamed (DM): The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is aimed at transforming ASEAN into a competitive single market and production base. The effort to create a single market and production base has brought substantial

EUMCCI REVIEW

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COVER STORY

“The AEC has brought positive impact to Malaysia. Close to one-third of Malaysia’s trade is with ASEAN. Malaysian companies are taking advantage of AEC and are investing in the region.”

benefits to ASEAN in terms of expansion in intra-ASEAN trade and investments, sustaining economic growth and creating opportunities for businesses, big and small, and employment for the growing young population in the region.

As an open and outward looking regional economic grouping, ASEAN, has also continued to strengthen ties with major trading partners through economic partnership and free trade agreements.

This parallel approach has provided ASEAN to not only collectively harness its complementarities but also at the same time, open markets for ASEAN’s growing exports. Today, many companies in ASEAN are integrated into the global production and supply chain activities.

Global ASEAN simply relates to ASEAN remaining as an inclusive, open and outward looking organization.

ER: What are Malaysia’s targets as the Chairman of ASEAN? What are the concrete expected outputs?

DM: On the economic side, ASEAN has two immediate key priorities. The first is to ensure effective implementation of all AEC Blueprint measures by the end of this year. The ASEAN Economic Ministers have identified over 54 prioritised measures that will need to be implemented, which are

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critical to integration before the end of this year. The second is to complete the work on drafting the Post-2015 Economic Plan.

While work has started with Malaysia chairing the working group (WG), there is still a lot more that will need to be done.

ER: What is Malaysia doing to create more awareness and promote AEC among local and foreign companies?

DM: This is also one of the key priorities of Malaysia and the other ASEAN member states. Over the last few years, efforts have been undertaken to reach out to a wider range of stakeholders to explain the importance of AEC and its benefits. In the case of Malaysia, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in collaboration with the private sector, universities and other stakeholders have been organising activities such as seminars and pocket talks on AEC and ASEAN in general. Promoting awareness through regular publication of updates on economic activities and opportunities using online communication, print and other media mechanisms, including social media are also implemented on an on-going basis.

At the regional level we have developed the ASEAN Communications Master Plan (ACMP). Nevertheless, ASEAN, including Malaysia will need to step up its efforts to disseminate information on the implementation of the various measures

under AEC. We need to explain AEC to not only the people in the region, but also in other countries, especially our major trading partners. In this context, ASEAN Economic Ministers have undertaken road shows to Japan, EU, US, China and Canada to explain AEC and how it will benefit trade between ASEAN and these countries.

ER: How do you see AEC and its impact on Malaysian businesses beyond 2015?

DM: The regional integration initiative remains significant not only for Malaysia but for the other ASEAN Member States as well. Malaysia will continue to work with the other Member States to strengthen and broaden the economic integration to create a highly integrated and competitive market.

Foreign direct investments and private investments are necessary for ASEAN to sustain economic growth.

The AEC has brought positive impact to Malaysia. Close to one-third of Malaysia’s trade is with ASEAN. Malaysian companies are taking advantage of AEC and are investing in the region. Today, Malaysia is among the leading investors in the region. Furthermore, the investments are diversified, ranging from manufacturing, services, plantation, mining, banking, telecommunication and healthcare. The AEC is also providing incentives for SMEs

Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed (in white shirt) with his ASEAN Economic Minister colleagues at the Golok Bridge that connects Malaysia and Thailand, a symbol of close ties between the two countries.

Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed with his ASEAN Economic Minister colleagues at the AEM Retreat in Kota Bharu.

to expand their business. It is in this context, Malaysia has been emphasising companies to enhance their competitiveness. The government on its part is also continuously improving the business environment and reducing bureaucratic processes to enhance cost competitiveness of doing business in Malaysia.

ER: In practice, what is going to change for Malaysia in the short term and the long term?

DM: Malaysia as a trading nation will continue to adopt market friendly

“Malaysia remains committed to concluding the MEUFTA. Both sides are currently exploring the options to address the sensitive issues for both parties.”

policies. This is evident in the fact that today, Malaysia is engaged in various free trade and economic partnership agreements. The emphasis by Malaysia is on attracting knowledge-based and high quality investments. Given the size of its population, Malaysia’s strategy is to promote the development of the services sector. This will be the main driver of economic growth in the long run.

ER: What is MITI doing in order to make AEC meaningful for businesses?

DM: MITI has been intensifying out-reach activities on AEC, especially to the SMEs which form the backbone of the country.

The main priority is to see the participation of micro, small and medium enterprises in the regional economic integration initiatives and how these MSMEs can benefit. Other than out-reach activities MITI is also organising specialised and marketing missions overseas to enable companies to explore opportunities in the region. Malaysian business councils have been established in the various ASEAN capitals to complement efforts taken by the

government to assist Malaysian companies intending to venture into the regional markets.

ER: Do you see AEC making Malaysia a more attractive destination for FDI? DM: As you know, Malaysia’s domestic market is small. The AEC and ASEAN’s engagements with other major trading partners in free trade agreements are important in promoting inflow of FDIs to the region including Malaysia. The AEC promotes local and foreign companies based in Malaysia to be involved in the regional and global production networks and supply chain activities.

ER: Taking into account the US Presidential elections next year, do you see the TPPA being concluded before that?

DM: TPPA remains a priority for Malaysia.

However, as pointed out by Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib, the outcome of negotiations must also address Malaysia’s key concerns, especially with regard to the affirmative action. As the outstanding issues are complex, it is difficult to predict when negotiations will

EUMCCI REVIEW

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COVER STORY

be completed. Nevertheless, effort is being undertaken to close as many outstanding issues as possible at the official levels.

The politically sensitive issues will be deliberated at the Ministers’ and Leaders’ level.

ER: Do you foresee the MalaysiaEU FTA (MEUFTA) negotiations will resume with renewed vigour and what needs to happen for that to take place?

DM: Malaysia remains committed to concluding the MEUFTA. Both sides are currently exploring the options to address the sensitive issues for both parties.

Since 2014, high level discussions have been held, namely between both Chief Negotiators as well between myself and the EU Commissioner of Trade.

Chief negotiators from both sides, Datuk Dr Rebecca Sta Maria, Secretary General of MITI and Mr. Mauro Petriccione, Director General of EC Trade Directorate met on 4th December 2014 to reassess positions in unlocking the difficult areas and finding common grounds to resume negotiations.

More recently, I also met with the EU Commissioner of Trade Cecilia Malmstrom, during my working visit to Brussels from May 10th to 11th 2015 to discuss among others on how to move forward in the MEUFTA negotiations. EU

The EU-ASEAN Trade and Investment Relationship Trade and investment between Europe and ASEAN is growing in both directions.

•

There are more than 11,000 European businesses present in ASEAN. Many of these companies use the region as their base for all their Asia operations.

•

EU is ASEAN’s largest investor accounting for 28% of FDI inflows into ASEAN from 2011 to 2013.

•

In 2013 EU’s FDI to ASEAN was worth USD27 billion.

•

ASEAN’s FDI to Europe has doubled in recent years and now stands just below €90 billion.

•

The EU is the largest single market and the

Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed giving a speech in an ASEAN Forum this year.

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world’s largest trader. The EU-28 exported €11.3 trillion worth of goods to the rest of the world in 2013. Its import was €11.5 trillion.

•

Asia is EU’s largest trading p a r t n e r. I n 2 0 1 3 , E U imported €679.2 billion worth of goods from Asia and exported €573.1 billion worth of goods to Asia. In 2004 European exports to Asia were just €291 billion. In the ensuing years, European exports have doubled to Asia.

•

EU is the largest economy in the world, larger than the United States, with a GDP of USD18 trillion.

Information courtesy of EU-ASEAN Business Council Agenda for the promotion of trade and investment between ASEAN and Europe.

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FEATURE

MARCHING CONFIDENTLY TOWARDS AEC What does it take for ASEAN to be fully ready for the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in November 2015? On top on the wish list are the urgent need for harmonisation of tariffs and the strong political will to make AEC a success.

By Alexandra Wong, Photography by V. Chanthiran

Date: 16th April 2015 Place: The Westin Hotel, Kuala Lumpur Forum sponsors: DHL and Robert Bosch Platinum sponsors: Siemens, Medini and Häfele

T

he annual EU-Malaysia Trade and Investment Forum 2015 organised by the EUMCCI was a huge

10 EUMCCI REVIEW

success and was roundly praised by those who attended it as being “pragmatic and fruitful”. The theme for this year’s forum was “Meeting Challenges for Growth in ASEAN.” The event started with opening remarks by Mr. Fermin Fautsch, Chairman of EUMCCI and H.E. Luc Vandebon, Ambassador of the EU Delegation to Malaysia. The keynote speaker was Datuk Dr. Rebecca Sta Maria, Secretary General of the Malaysian Ministry

Tan Sri Dr. Munir Majid and Minna Sanneri

smoothens the flow of goods across borders, simplifies procedures and has a larger impact on competitiveness and cost of trading,” said Larsson. She emphasised three main areas: homogenisation of customs procedures across ASEAN; implementation of transit transport agreements which affect the flow of goods across ASEAN and ASEAN as a true single aviation market.

of International Trade and Industry (MITI).

One of the key highlights of her speech was that the Malaysian Government intends to intensify its relations with the EU in the future.

The panel discussion The panel discussion was the main attraction of the Forum. The theme for the panel discussion was “ASEAN Integration: Cross Border Initiatives – Challenges and Opportunities.”

The panel was moderated by Tan Sri Dr. Munir Majid of the CIMB ASEAN Research Institute (CARI). Other members on the panel were Dato’ P. Ravidran, Senior Director, MITI ASEAN Economic Cooperation Division, Mr. Chris Humphrey, Executive Director, EU-ASEAN Business Council, Ms. Catarina Rivotti, Head of Taxes and Customs SEA, Robert Bosch (SEA) Pte Ltd, Ms. Asa Larsson, Senior Director of Corporate Public Policy SEA, DHL and Mr. Fermin Fautsch, VP Global Enterprises of Telekom Malaysia Bhd and Chairman of EUMCCI.

•

•

Modernisation and retraining of customs: “One of the most efficient ways to speed up the movement of goods”, said Rivotti, “is to properly train customs officials and modernise customs IT systems, among others things”.

•

Acceleration of financial integration: Humphrey brought up the importance of the acceleration of financial integration.

“Unless this happens AEC is not worth the paper it’s written on. If you can move your money across the region

Tan Sri Munir questioned the panel regarding the economic integration of AEC and the challenges it faced. Here is a brief summary of the Q & A session with the panellists: 1.

On top of the panellists’ wishlist: top three things that they wanted ASEAN to prioritise:

•

Trade facilitation and services liberalisation: “Trade facilitation

Removal of NTB: Rivotti stressed on the importance of the removal of nontariff barriers (NTB) as part of the harmonisation exercise. She felt paying lip service to the idea of harmonisation was not good enough, more should be done to put it into practice to boost trade.“When free trade agreements are interpreted differently from country to country, and even within countries, these non-tariff barriers become business concerns for our business and make things very unpredictable for the next shipment,” she pointed out.

Fermin Fautsch, Datuk Dr. Rebecca Sta Maria and H.E. Luc Vandebon

easier, doing trade becomes easier too.

This is a crucial sector for both larger companies and SMEs, who require more investment when they go abroad.”

•

A dynamic financial market: Fautsch raised the need for a more dynamic financial market and increase in FDI to fund the “massive” infrastructure investment required for AEC.

•

Listen to the private sector: Tan Sri Munir added that ASEAN decisionmakers should listen more to the private sector, especially SMEs. “Developments over the years have shown that top-down communication from ASEAN to smaller businesses has been insufficient, which especially hits SMEs who feel they don’t have access to enough data.”

2.

On Malaysia’s target as ASEAN Chair and concrete expected outputs by the end of 2015:

Dato’ Ravidran expressed confidence that by the end of November, agreements that address outstanding issues raised by panellists would be “implemented and rectified”, given that 54 key AEC measures have been identified.

These priorities emphasised commercially meaningful agreements which will benefit the private sector as soon as they are enforced. The 54 priorities include: tariffrelated priorities, as the most important component of an integrated market; services liberalisation, which is ongoing; and about 40 transport related agreements and protocols within ASEAN which are being ratified.

To date, about 93 per cent of import duties have been eliminated while over 100 services sectors have been liberalised, with another 20 more in the pipeline to be liberalised by year end. In terms of investment liberalisation, the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement has entered into force. In February, an ASEAN Trade Presentation Joint Consultative Council was established which he hoped will include members of the private sector to form a stronger voice.

“The formation of the joint task force with the private sector will be a step in the right direction to resolve some of the issues,” he said.

EUMCCI REVIEW 11

FEATURE

The Panelists:

Tan Sri Dr. Munir Majid

Fermin Fautsch

Asa Larsson

Chris Humphrey

Catarina Rivotti

Dato’ Ravidran

•

Malaysia needs to step up: Tan Sri Munir urged Malaysia to take a more proactive role as Chair to move things.

“The drawback of the ‘ASEAN Way’ is that, in its current form, it takes a long time for consensus to emerge. Being the Chair in 2015, Malaysia needs to step up as the regional leader to speed up the decision-making process and continue with implementation.”

12 EUMCCI REVIEW

3. On enhancing FDI in ASEAN: ASEAN has overtaken China as the hottest FDI destination since 2013. Ideas for further enhancing growth include: •

Importance of financial integration: Financial integration is the key to drive up FDI in the region highlighted Fautsch.

“I have a positive outlook for ASEAN’s growth driven by FDI, but if you look

at the basic needs, massive funding is needed, mainly in infrastructure. The pace and sequencing of the plan for financial integration in ASEAN is a bit slower. I would encourage the finance ministers of ASEAN to rethink how fast they can complete the financial services integration because that’s a key sector to secure funding for ASEAN businesses and to further drive economic growth.”

jumped onto a single currency without getting some of the foundations correct,” he pointed out. “The EU has its own problems and can learn from the integration process of ASEAN.” 5. Summing up: At the end of the discussion, all panellists concluded that despite the many issues that had been raised during the discussion, they remained positive on the outlook of ASEAN and AEC and that eventually, the goals will be reached.

•

•

4.

E-commerce: Larsson highlighted the importance of e-commerce as another promising market as companies can reach up to “10 times more markets compared to traditional export”.

Focus more on substance and harmonisation: Rivotti opined that it was better for the countries to agree on a number of substantial changes instead of focusing on formal requirements.

She again stressed the importance of harmonisation in at least some areas first. “For the time being, what we see is that there is a lot of discretionary power within each country. Harmonisation within each country of the application of regulations and procedures would make life a lot easier for businesses.

Instead of discussing the perfect world, let’s focus on measures that can be implemented immediately to harmonise and facilitate trade and integration.”

SMEs. In EU and ASEAN, SMEs are the main source of employment for the people.

ASEAN must do more to involve SMEs in dialogues and find ways to help them.

Don’t copy but learn from the EU model: Humphrey cautioned ASEAN against copying the EU model but instead suggested using the EU experience as a toolbox. “EU

Rivotti said it best: “A lot has been achieved and we should focus on the positive side and what other things we can do that can bring significant improvement to businesses in the region and attract investment.”

6. MITI’s response: Dato’ Ravidran assured panellists that the Government was listening to them and was moving towards solving many of the problems faced by businesses. He urged businesses to be patient. “Give us time. We are working hard to implement

EUMCCI Trade Issues and Recommendations 2015 One of the highlights of the event was the official launch of EUMCCI Trade Issues and Recommendations 2015.

In just about 100 pages, this book gives a comprehensive economic outlook for Malaysia in 2015, focusing on the current state of EU businesses in Malaysia. It also presents a compilation of key issues and recommendations specific to a number of industries that EUMCCI engages with. EUMCCI Trade Issues and Recommendations 2015 is available at EUMCCI’s office.

Lessons learnt (both positive and negative) from other regional integration initiatives that ASEAN could take on board:

EU’s customs transit system: “The EU customs transit system could be showcased as a success story to be implemented in ASEAN,” suggested Larsson.

Engage SMEs: Fautsch opined that ASEAN should follow the EU’s lead and engage the

The EUMCCI Trade Issues and Recommendations 2015 is launched. From left: H.E Luc Vandebon, Datuk Dr. Rebecca Sta Maria and Fermin Fautsch.

EUMCCI REVIEW 13

FEATURE

the measures in the agreements and will include the issues you raised in a post-2015 document. Please understand that some countries lack the resources or institutional strength to implement all agreements within a short timeframe,” he said. “We have done well, but we agree that many challenges remain. To overcome these challenges, the ASEAN private sector must continue to play an important role in driving the process, by investing and highlighting the important issues.”

He expressed hope that under Malaysia’s chairmanship, the ASEAN Comprehensive Trade Facilitation agreement would be in place by November 2015. “ASEAN leaders have reiterated their commitment to deepening and strengthening economic integration. This gives us the confidence to move forward. We are committed to creating a borderless market in the next 10 years, by which ASEAN will be the largest economic region in the market.” EU

“

Our views correspond with those of the participants, analysts and representatives of the Malaysian government with regard to the development and what we’d like to see in the future. We are happy that the process is ongoing although we would wish to see faster progress in certain areas.

”

“

As an international lawyer who has been working out of Malaysia for the last two years, I found it very eyeopening and interesting.

Rute Rebello, International Lawyer

”

Alexander Stedtfeld, Executive Director, Malaysian-German C h a m b e r o f C o m m e rc e and Industry

“

A very practical discussion that touched on all relevant issues! It was good to get input not only on the challenges and constraints faced in realising the AEC but also learning what improvements we can achieve in the next few months.

I was relocated from our HQ in Central Europe in Slovakia to KL three months ago. So for me, this was very beneficial because I’m working for an international company but the market is very different. It is important for me to understand where the market is heading.

Overall very satisfactory!

From this event, a lot of issues were raised about the challenges of a fully integrated AEC. It made me realise that as a private company we have to be more realistic than idealistic. You hear a lot of publicity about the AEC by 2015 and we think that once it’s fully integrated, everything is going to go smoothly but today we have been made aware that it is not as seamless as you think.

There are still a lot of challenges that the AEC has to address.

It’s good that it was very honest otherwise companies like ours may be putting together plans that may not be applicable.

M a rc o Wi n t e r, E x e c u t i v e Director, Malaysian Dutch Business Council

Michaela Hubcikova, Marketing Manager, Fleming Gulf Conferences

Agnes Yeow-Fournier, Managing Director, ESSOR Trade and Consulting

Additional reporting by Max Van Veen

“

What guests say:

”

14 EUMCCI REVIEW

“

”

”

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What’s In It for You? You are the greatest testimony to the benefits of being an EUMCCI member.

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EUMCCI REVIEW 15

FEATURE

Indonesia

•

Philippines

Brunei Darussalam

•

Malaysia

• Thailand

•

Singapore

Vietnam Cambodia Myanmar

Laos

ASEAN FACT SHEET

•

With the ASEAN Economic Community becoming a reality in November 2015, here’s a quick look at some facts about ASEAN.

T

he EU-ASEAN Business regards ASEAN as “a centre of global economic activity and key driver of world growth”. But the world has not always regarded ASEAN this way. When ASEAN was established with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration on 8 August 1967, the region was volatile and rocked by war and unrest. The Vietnam War was in full swing, the newly formed Malaysia in 1963 was off to a rocky start with the expulsion

16 EUMCCI REVIEW

of Singapore in 1965 and the Confrontation between Indonesia and Malaysia (Indonesia was opposed to the formation of Malaysia which included Sabah and Sarawak) was only declared over in 1966 with the signing of a peace treaty between the two countries.

Today, ASEAN is one of the most dynamic economic regions in the world.

•

ASEAN began with five countries: Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia,

•

•

Singapore and Philippines. Brunei Darussalam became its sixth member in 1984. Vietnam joined the group in 1995 followed by Laos and Myanmar in 1997 and Cambodia in 1999.

The formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) end of this year will be one of the most important developments in ASEAN’s 48 year history. AEC will make this region an integrated market and production base and a highly competitive economic region.

Intra-ASEAN trade grew from USD144 billion in 1990 to USD609 billion in 2013.

FDI inflows into ASEAN jumped from USD13 billion in 1990 to USD 122 billion in 2013.

ASEAN is made up of disparete economies with countries in different stages of development. In 2013, Indonesia had the highest GDP in ASEAN (USD860.8 billion), followed

by Thailand (USD387.6 billion) and Malaysia (USD312.1 billion) while Laos had the lowest (USD 10.3 billion). The six biggest ASEAN economies (Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Vietnam) accounted for more than 95% of ASEAN GDP in 2013.

The average ASEAN GDP per capita was USD3, 832 in 2013.

Singapore had the highest GDP per capita with USD55,183 followed by Brunei (USD39, 679) and Malaysia (USD10,421) while Myanmar had the lowest at USD888.

ASEAN’s population of 625 million makes it the third largest market in the world behind China and India.

ASEAN’s GDP of 2.4 USD trillion (in 2013) makes it the seventh largest economy in the world behind the United States, China, Japan, Germany, France and the United Kingdom. EU

Source: ASEANStat, IMF, WB and UNCTAD

ASEAN-EU BUSINESS SUMMIT: A PREVIEW The EU-ASEAN Business Council (EU-ABC) and the EUMCCI is organising a business summit which will brings together government and business leaders from across ASEAN.

T

he ASEAN-EU Business Summit is one of the most important business summits to take place this year especially since the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will be launched by the end of the year.

“The European Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmströrm, and the Economic Ministers from ASEAN have endorsed the ASEAN-EU Business Summit and have given their support to the EU-ABC,” said Mr. Fermin Fautsch, Chairman of the EUMCCI during the Eu-ASEAN Business Council press conference held on 26th April 2015 at Park View 3, Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur.

“This is a landmark event for us.”

Some of the speakers who will be at the summit which will be held on 23rd August 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, are Dato’ Sri Mustapa

Chris Humphrey

Mohamed, Minister of Trade and Industry Malaysia and H.E Le Luong Minh, the Secretary-General of ASEAN. “This business summit will see key debates about trade issues between ASEAN and the EU,” explained Mr Chris Humphrey, Executive Director EU-ASEAN Business Council.

“It is open to the business community, regulators, ministers – in short, everyone

who is interested in trade between ASEAN and EU. This summit is a opportunity for European and ASEAN businesses to tell the regulators about the issues that they have to look out for.

It is important for various ministries to involve the business community when they are creating rules and regulations, if not, rules will be created that will not help them.” EU

For more information on registration or available sponsporship opportuntiies, log on to www.asean-eu-summit.com or contact the organisers: Chris Humphrey EU-ASEAN Business Council Tel: +65 6836 6681 Email: chris.humphrey@eu-asean.eu Minna Saneri EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry Tel: +603-2162 6298 Email: minna.saneri@eumcci.com Fermin Fautsch

EUMCCI REVIEW 17

EUMCCI PROMOTIONS

THE EU-ASEAN FORUM ON FOOD SAFETY: 21ST TO 22ND OCTOBER 2015 Project implemented by:

Co-funded by:

A

fter last year’s successful (and historic) inuagural forum, the EUASEAN Forum on Food Safety

Project Partners:

returns! This is the only platform that brings together experts from the field of academia and policy makers, solution providers,

associations, Government agencies and from the food and bio-tech business. With the AEC becoming a reality by the end of the year, the need for the harmonisation of food safety standards, regulations and legislation in the ASEAN region becomes more urgent and important.

This forum brings together EU and ASEAN food industry experts, decision makers and thought leaders and encourages (via closed door debates) the facilitation and conception of innovative ideas and practical solutions for implementation.

w w w. e u - a s e a n f o r u m . c o m

This is an event not to be missed by key food industry leaders and groups. For more information and to register for the forum, visit www.eu-aseanforum.com EU

NURTURING THE EU-ASEAN DIALOGUE ON FOOD SAFETY

21st-22nd OCT 2015

THE GREEN AGENDA: Food security is a condition that "exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.”

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN BIO-BASED MATERIAL: OF THIS EVENT. 7THBE A–PART8TH SEPTEMBER 2015 Definition by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

A two-day forum to facilitate the harmonisation of food safety standards, regulations and legislation in the ASEAN region.

Inputs from EU-ASEAN industry experts on tackling regulatory issues and benefits from harmonised standards, especially in the context of food quality and safety.

Share your expert views and debate with academics, policy makers and practitioners from across the world with a direct interest and passion in food safety management.

M

alaysia is increasingly turning green. In fact under the Economic Transformation Programme, Malaysia is poised to be the green technology hub for Asia. European SMEs specialising in innovative solutions or products in Bio-based materials must not miss The Green Agenda: Investment Opportunities in Bio-based Material event which will be held on 7th and 8th September 2015 at Shangri-La Tg Aru Resort & Spa in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

This symposium cum business matching event is part of the SEBSEAM-M (Support

18 EUMCCI REVIEW

for European Businesses in South East Asia Markets – Malaysian component) project.

SEBSEAM-M is a five year business support project helmed by EUMCCI and co-funded by the European Commission.

SEBSEAM-M focuses on SMEs. European SMEs that are interested in expanding their business to this region must attend this event as a comprehensive programme has been put together enabling participants to meet stakeholders and decision makers in the biomass industry, network, take part in business matching sessions and learn about business

opportunities in Malaysia, the second largest palm oil producer in the world.

For further enquiries please contact mann. ng@eumcci.com. Deadline for registration is 30th June 2015. EU

SYMPOSIUM AND BUSINESS MATCHING SESSIONS FOR EUROPEAN SMES IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY: 10TH – 11TH SEPTEMBER 2015

A

ttention all European SMEs in the construction industry! EUMCCI in cooperation with its project partners the Malaysian-German Chamber of

Commerce and Industry (MGCC), British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (BMCC) and AICEP Portugal Global, is organising a Symposium and Business Matching event for European SMEs in the construction industry. EU SMEs that participate in this event enjoy such benefits as: •

•

Free Presentation of Expertise and Experience to Malaysian Industry Key Players during the Symposium at IGEM 2015 Free Participation in the Business-toBusiness Matching with Malaysian

•

•

companies in the construction industry at International Construction Week 2015 Free Networking with Malaysian/ ASEAN companies involved in the construction industry; In addition, companies that are interested in renting a booth at IGEM 2015 or at International Construction Week 2015 will get assistance in obtaining discounted exhibitor rates.

For more information, contact: katja. schulze@malaysia.ahk.de EU

IGEM 2015 :

9TH – 12TH SEPTEMBER 2015

I

GEM (International Greentech & Eco Products and Exhibition & Conference Malaysia) started in 2010 and has grown to be one of the premier exhibitions

devoted to green technology in the region.

Over the years IGEM has recorded approximately RM6 billion worth of business leads, reaching a peak with RM2

billion worth of recorded deals in 2014.

IGEM has become a must-attend event for any green technology company.

EUMCCI is once again organising the EU Pavilion at IGEM 2015. EU SMEs not based in Malaysia are entitled to a 5% subsidy.

IGEM 2015 is the 6th installment of this event and continues to drive the green industry in Malaysia while keeping it in sync with the most current innovations and initiatives in the market. IGEM’s ultimate goal is to position Malaysia as a Green Technology Hub for the ASEAN Region.

For further enquiries, please contact: mann. ng@eumcci.com EU

EUMCCI REVIEW 19

FEATURE

EU-ASEAN BUSINESS COUNCIL (EU-ABC) MEETS ASEAN FINANCE MINISTERS AND CENTRAL BANK GOVERNORS EU-ABC published a position paper on the insurance industry that coincided with the meeting of the ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in Kuala Lumpur.

S

ince ASEAN’s founding in 1967 the organisation has achieved many milestones. At the end of 2015 marks the most significant achievement of the organisation which is the launch of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).

AEC will be the world’s second largest trading block with a population of over 600 million people.

In preparation of the realisation of the AEC, the 1st ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting (AFMGM) was held on 21st March 2015 in Kuala

20 EUMCCI REVIEW

Lumpur. The meeting was convened under the co-chairmanship of Dato’ Seri Ahmad Husni Mohd Hanadzlah, Finance Minister II of Malaysia and Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia.

EU-ABC was invited to this historic meeting , a fact which bears testament to the importance of European businesses to ASEAN. Many European companies are invested heavily in ASEAN and look forward to AEC’s launch and the creation of an internationally competitive and harmonised business region.

ASEAN countires will gain from further regional economic integration such as the removal of trade barriers and investment restrictions. This will increase the region’s economic competitiveness and provide its population with more access to the products and services of ASEAN’s growing enterprises.

Since the launch of AEC blueprint in 2008, intra ASEAN trade has grown tremendously from USD 458.1 billion to USD 608.6 billion. Today Europe is the second largest trade partner of ASEAN and the largest foreign direct investor.

The EU-ABC raised a number of issues concerning the financial integration in ASEAN during the meeting with the ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. According to EU-ABC Chairman Mr. Francois Guibert, the issues raised were intended to help improve and deepen the AEC and lead to more intra-ASEAN trade as well as improve the trade and investment climate between ASEAN and Europe.

“European businesses, through EU-ABC, stand ready to help and assist ASEAN with the very ambitious goals that it has set for itself under the AEC, and we therefore look forward to having a good ongoing dialogue with the Ministers and their senior officials as ASEAN continues to prosper,” said Guibert.

Position Paper On The Insurance Industry Of great importance to the EU-ABC was the publication of the position paper on the development of the insurance industry in ASEAN. Insurance penetration rates in

ASEAN reached 3.2% in 2013, which is above the emerging market average of 2.7%.

Currently, more than 25 large European insurance companies operate in the region.

“The insurance industry plays an important role in ASEAN’s financial markets,” said EU-ABC Executive Director Chris Humphrey. “It provides financial protection for people, businesses and governments and is a source of long term and stable finance.

Much of this finance is invested in long term infrastructure projects helping ASEAN meet its infrastructure needs.”

Specifically, EU-ABC’s position paper makes the following recommendations: 1.

Removing barriers to market access for re/insurance companies to promote competition within the industry, driving up standards and improving the consumer offer. This can be achieved by: a. Removing foreign ownership restrictions

b.

Permitting the transfer and repatriation of capital, profits and dividends c. Allowing unrestricted access to cross-border reinsurers that meet solvency requirements d. Enabling insurers to employ people with the necessary skills to facilitate a healthy insurance market.

2. Creating a predictable and transparent regulatory regime to encourage long term investment decisions, including the removal of retroactive tax action 3. Adopting international best practice investor protection mechanisms 4. Deepening local capital markets across ASEAN member states to ensure the insurance can meet its long term funding and investment requirements.

If these recommendations are implemented, the insurance industry in ASEAN will continue to develop into a world leading and resilient insurance market. EU

EUMCCI REVIEW 21

SHIFTING INTO FINAL PHASE OF SABAH DEVELOPMENT CORRIDOR

Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (SEDIA) plays a key role in ensuring that economic planning and programmes set out by Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) are carried out smoothly.

SEDIA continues to participate in trade and investment mission overseas to promote Sabah to investors.

I

n its humble beginnings, Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) which was launched in 2008, captured all high impact projects and focused on growth-oriented programmes that would help to propel the state to another level of development. As SDC enters into its eighth year, towards the closing of second phase, the development programme implemented has no doubt succeeded in improving Sabah’s performance especially in terms of alleviating the state’s hardcore poverty, improving its basic infrastructure and facilities, attracting investments and providing jobs to the people. Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (SEDIA), as the implementing agency, plays a key role in driving the SDC initiatives and making sure the programme is carried out smoothly until 2025.

The establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) this year, will allow greater ease of movement of goods, services, investments and select professionals. The emergence of ASEAN as a single market and production base augurs well for Sabah as it provides the state access to a market of 620 million people with about USD 2.4

22 EUMCCI REVIEW

trillion GDP. New opportunities in shipping, logistics, manufacturing and high-tech industries will undeniably arise from the rolling out of AEC and this will definitely enhance the attractiveness of Sabah as an investment destination. The attractiveness of SDC as a preferred investment destination will definitely be further enhanced as SDC shifts to its Third Phase (2016 – 2025), commencing next year, concurrently with the implementation of the Eleventh Malaysia Plan. For the period of 2008 – 2014, encompassing the Ninth and Tenth Malaysia Plan, SEDIA has disbursed RM 1.63 billion for development projects, that is about 95% of the total Federal Government allocation of RM1.75 billion as at end of 2014. In the same period, a total of RM138.1 billion worth of cumulative investments have been planned and committed, of which about RM 50.4 billion had been realised.

Moving forward from its second phase closing year, SEDIA will continue with its promotional activities and venture aggressively in attracting private investments into SDC. SEDIA plans to participate actively in trade and investment and missions organised by federal and

state agencies, organise public meetings and stakeholders engagement, promoting SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and start-ups and supporting new industries. The economic development programme also has a list of incentives which aims to entice foreign and domestic investors to participate in the development of Sabah’s knowledgeintensive industries, which includes ICT, agro-biotech, pharmaceuticals, aviation and maritime industries, research and development, energy, green technology and high-end manufacturing. With these marketing strategies, Sabah will be able to open up and attract more foreign participation into the local economy. SEDIA will continue to enhance the attractiveness of Sabah as a preferred investment destination by promoting sustainable utilisation of the state’s resources, developing critical infrastructure, enhancing human capital and sharpening SDC’s competitive edge.

For more information, visit the website at www.sedia.com.my. EU

Among the focus of SEDIA initiatives is on enhancing ICT connectivity.

SEDIA facilitates the development and promotion of biotech products.

A place of

Business, Culture and Nature The Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) was established in 2008 with the aim of promoting sustainable economic growth, distributing wealth in the state and unlocking its vast wealth of diversified resources that can bolster tourism, agriculture and manufacturing reinforced by the introduction of the Government Transformation Programme(GTP), Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and the Tenth Malaysia Plan.

The state of Sabah is a breathtaking, warm and welcoming place for tourists and investors alike.

A region from which to build a better world. SDC is definitely the corridor to expand your business in Sabah.

Come and discover the secrets of Sabah: How your holiday can turn into an exciting business opportunity!

Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (SEDIA) Lot 1, Wisma SEDIA, Off Jalan Pintas-Penampang P.O.Box 17251, 88873 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, MALAYSIA Phone: +6088450650 Fax: +6088450699 info@sedia.com.my www.sedia.com.my

EUMCCI REVIEW 23

INTERVIEW

D

r. Stellios Plainiotis first arrived in Malaysia in late 2008 intending to stay for just a few months. Seven years later he is still here. He is the managing director of Neapoli Sdn Bhd, which he set up in 2010. “Neapoli started as the Malaysian arm of a London based consultancy,” he explains. Today the Malaysian office of Neapoli has grown and now serves as the headquarters for the company. Currently there are 15 people working in the Malaysian office and four in the office in Seoul. The majority of the workforce in the Kuala Lumpur office is Malaysian. “All design and engineering work is done here in Malaysia and exported to other offices around the world,” he says proudly. “When we first started, our office had a higher ratio of expats compared to local staff. Now it is the other way round as there are now more Malaysians who are knowledgeable in this field.”

SPEARHEADING THE

GREEN BUILDING IN THE TROPICS

Neapoli Sdn Bhd, a European SME with deep Malaysian roots is helping to advance the development of green buildings in Malaysia and Asia. In January this year the environmental design consultancy was recognised as European Union Success Story of the Month, by the European Commission SME Business Portal. Sharmila Valli Narayanan talks to Neapoli’s managing director, Dr. Stellios Plainiotis about how the company started to make its mark in the green building industry in Malaysia at a time when it was still quite unheard of.

Photography by Zurin Noh

24 EUMCCI REVIEW

EUMCCI REVIEW (ER): How did it feel to win the European Union Success Story of the Month?

Dr. Stellios Plainiotis (SP): It all started in November 2014 when an international TV station featured Neapoli on a segment about successful European SMEs in Asia.

That brought us to the attention of the European Commission SME Business Portal and that’s how we ended up getting the award. We are very honoured to receive this award. Being named the ‘success story of the month’ among the 22 million SMEs of the EU28 region is a great recognition.

And it has a special meaning to us because Neapoli Sdn Bhd is now our headquarters and we consider ourselves Malaysian! So we are the first Malaysian company to receive this particular European award. Winning has raised our international profile. We have received invitations from several countries in the Middle East and India to set up offices there.

ER: What are the reasons behind Neapoli’s success in Malaysia?

SP: There are several reasons. First of all as a company we had the right skills at the right time and place. Green building was a new concept in this part of the world while in Europe it had already been in use for some time. And Malaysia was beginning to embrace the idea of green buildings. One of the reasons for our decision to set up office

here was because there was little knowledge concerning green buildings in the tropics while research for the temperate climate was already getting saturated and there were not that many exciting new things coming up.

So for us, working in the tropics was a new learning experience as it offered a new door for research and development on the design of green buildings in this environment. It provided us with an opportunity to expand our knowledge about designing for this region and climate.

Another important contributor to our success is our attitude. We did not just come as a profit oriented European SME looking for short term profitability by selling our expertise. We were also willing to learn what Malaysia and this region could teach us. We learned from our clients about their needs and requirements and how to work with them. Understanding and respecting local culture is very important. Asia, like Europe, is not homogenous; every country is different and you have to understand that.

We always provide the highest standard of work. Sometimes Malaysian clients can be more demanding than the Europeans. Just because this sector is new in this region does not mean you do not need to give the best because clients will know. Your reputation will be affected and in Asia once people lose trust in you, it is very difficult to regain it.

So we never compromise on quality and standards because these two will make or break a company.

ER: How is the business environment in Malaysia?

SP: It is very good. We appreciate the Malaysian Government’s openness and

“Being named the ‘success story of the month’ among the 22 million SMEs of the EU28 region is a great recognition.”

hospitality towards foreign investments. The Government agencies were very helpful and supportive. When we first started, we had to bring in experts from Europe because this field was so new here. There was no problem in getting work permits for them.

Malaysia offers many advantages: a strategic location in the booming region of Southeast Asia, business-friendly regulations, cost effectiveness, good infrastructure and the English proficiency of its labour force. From our KL office we are able to export services to not only the whole of Southeast Asia but also to the Middle East and Australia.

ER: Some say to do business in Malaysia you must know the right people. What is your view on this?

SP: I heard this when I first came to Malaysia. I don’t agree with this statement and Neapoli is an example of a company that succeeded due to its honesty, technological soundness and reliability and not because we knew the right people. From my experience the companies with the knowledge, experience and expertise are the ones who get the good projects.

ER: What were some of the challenges that you faced when you first came to Malaysia?

SP: There was hardly any market for green building in Malaysia; there was no labelling scheme for green buildings or standards. We

had to create the green building market by convincing the construction industry that it needed green buildings. We had to tell them about the advantages of green building such as the economic, environmental, and social benefits as well as the improved occupant health and comfort.

We had problems recruiting local talents because when we first started, this profession did not exist in Malaysia. Local universities were just beginning to teach the subject.

That’s why we relied on foreign expertise.

As a company we also felt it was our duty to pass on the knowledge to Malaysians.

We worked with young people and trained them. Now the situation is much improved as there are several Green Building Index (GBI) trained Malaysians from local and overseas universities.

It was also a challenge to find good projects that would help the company stand out. Our break came in 2010 when we were appointed by the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) to provide our services for their new headquarters, the Laman PKNS. When it was completed, Laman PKNS became a landmark project for sustainable building in the tropics. This was the project that established our name. Our work was appreciated and admired. The building received the GBI Platinum award with one of the highest scores ever recorded (95/100) for such a labelling scheme.

EUMCCI REVIEW 25

INTERVIEW

Another challenge that we still facing today has been to persuade the contractors to implement sustainable construction practices such as providing adequate living conditions to construction workers and segregating construction waste that can be recycled rather than diverting it to landfills. Some of them do not understand how green buildings can benefit them too. They are very resistant to change. They do not see the opportunity in recycling. You really have to show and convince them of the benefits of recycling.

We tell them that they can make money from recycling.

ER: You said that the company also passes down knowledge to local industry. Could you elaborate?

SP: We play an important role in the development of the green building industry in the region, largely through our contribution to the development of the human capital. We publish our research at conferences and journals and we lecture at regional universities. We aim to act as a platform for R&D between Malaysian and European academic institutions. We have had

two PhD and eight Masters degree students who completed their research theses in our KL office. We provided them with guidance as well as technical and/or financial support.

We also work closely with top universities in Europe, such as the University College of London (UCL) and École Nantes in France.

We bring their postgraduate students to our company as interns and they share their knowledge of their research on Malaysian sustainable construction technology and they learn from us as well.

ER: You are a member of EUMCCI. How did it help your business?

SP: We became a member of EUMCCI one month after the company was set up.

EUMCCI has many committees and I was heading the Green Building committee for a few years, representing the EU in Malaysia.

The committee acted as a think tank for the Malaysian Government and it gave us an opportunity to give ideas and voice our concerns so that the market developed in the correct direction. Various events organised

by EUMCCI also gave me the chance

“The Events organised by EUMCCI also gave me the chance to network with the right people in the Government and the industry.” to network with the right people in the Government and the industry.

ER: What advice do you have for European SMEs that want to come to Malaysia?

SP: Do your research before coming here.

Check out the Support for European Business in South East Asia Markets Malaysia Component (SEBSEAM-M) website or the European Commission’s European Small Business Portal. There are so many resources out there for research.

Once in Malaysia, join the EUMCCI as it is not only very supportive but also an excellent way for your business to get exposure here with the right people.

When you start your business you need patience and you need to work very hard. It will be at least three years before you start seeing any results. Learn as much as you can about the country before deciding to come here. You must like living and working here. The working culture here is different.

So don’t come here and try to change the culture – you must adapt, respect and appreciate the differences and then you will see positive results.

Laman PKNS

26 EUMCCI REVIEW

As business people our aim is make profits, there is nothing wrong with that.

But companies interested in long term sustainability must also contribute -- either to the industry that they work in or to the society. If they come with the intent of giving, sharing and learning, they set the foundations for continuous growth and success. EU

Chef` Paul Neukirch

H.E. Luc Vandebon, ambassador and Head of Delegation of the EU with his children

Camelia Narcis Tudose

Sascha Pech and Zoee Tan

Ong Ning Geng and Abigail Lo

Mark Staib

TASTES OF EUROPE FEST 2015 It was an evening to savour some of the best European food while mingling with European and local guests from the business and diplomatic communities.

Date: 29th May 2015 Venue: Grand Ballroom, Westin Kuala Lumpur Organiser: EUMCCI together with European Bilateral Chambers of Commerce and Business Councils

T

he rain and traffic could not stop the guests from flocking to the Grand Ballroom at the Westin Kuala Lumpur for the 14th annual Tastes of Europe Fest. This is one of the most popular events in EUMCCI’s calendar. Formerly known as

the European Wine Beer and Cheese Fest, the event has grown stronger with every year and has become known as the best place to not only mingle with fellow Europeans and Malaysians from the business and diplomatic communities but also to sample a wide variety of European delicacies, wine and beer made available for sampling by European and local distributors, retailers, producers and agents. In addition, guests are able to buy the products at promotional rates.

Although this event has been around for more than a decade, EUMCCI Review discovered that there were still some Europeans (and Malaysians) who were

discovering it for the first time. There were also some novice distributors and producers this year. The general consensus among them was that Tastes of Europe was one of the best avenues to introduce their products to the public.

Besides food and drinks, one of the attractions of the event was the lucky draw which saw guests walk away with attractive prizes. The main prize was a return ticket to Europe courtesy of Qatar Airways. The lucky winner this year was Maria Lucia Urraca Clares, Foreign Trade Adviser with the Embassy of Spain. “I am amazed at winning the grand prize,” said an ecstatic EUMCCI REVIEW 27

FEATURE

Maasik’s company specialises in frozen and fresh cakes especially cheese cakes. His booth was popular with guests sampling the different cakes. “Besides cheese cakes we also sell other cakes such as raspberry, mango and berry cakes, muffins, brownies and macaroons. We only use natural ingredients for our products,” said Maasik, who hand carried all the cakes by himself from Estonia. “I am hoping to find a local distributor for the products.”

Belgian ambassador H.E Daniel Dargent

He is grateful for all the help he got from EUMCCI. “I am very happy with all the help I got from EUMCCI. I was given lots of helpful information about how to bring the products here.”

Maria. “Can you believe it, this is the first time that I am coming for this event? I did not expect The Tastes of Europe to be so grand. I am impressed!” And to which destination in Europe will the lucky winner go? “Madrid of course!” she said without hesitation.

Cheese cakes from Estonia If anyone has told Aivar Maasik from Estonia one month ago that he would be participating in Tastes of Europe in Kuala Lumpur he would not have believed it. But thanks to a meeting with Minna Saneri, EUMCCI’s general manager who he met in Estonia and who invited him to take part in Tastes of Europe, he became an exhibitor.

Aivar Maasik

28 EUMCCI REVIEW

Dr. Ir. Marco Tieman and Danish ambassador H.E. Nicolai Ruge

The grand prize winner, Maria Lucia Urraca Clares receiving the prize from Emmanuel Oswald, Country Manager for Malaysia & Brunei, Qatar Airways

Quotes from exhibitors and guests:

“

This is the first time we are taking part in Tastes of Europe.

We are just about to launch our first store at Jason’s Food Hall in Bangsar Shopping Centre so we thought being here will give us a good visibility and introdice us to all the lovers of fine chocolate.

Ong Ning Geng of Chocolate Concierge

“

”

I’m proud to say that I have been taking part in Tastes of Europe from the beginning.

At that time it was known as European Wine Beer and Cheese Fest. This is a great event to do some networking and to introduce my company to new people.

Chef ’ Paul Neukirch of The Food Studio

“

”

I am so excited to take part in Tastes of Europe for the first time. This is a great opportunity to display our products which

All the exhibitors pose for the camera

I have been living in Malaysia for the past 15 years, but this is the first time that I am coming for this event. I am very impressed. I have come here to taste the food and to network. I don’t know how I missed this event all these years. I will definitely come back next year and will bring a couple of people.

Mark Staib

”

“

Poland has taken part in Tastes of Europe for the past 10 years.

When we first started, we only showcased vodka, which is part of our culture. Over the years, our display booth has grown and this year we have one of the biggest.

This year we have chocolate cookies, energy bars, cereals, muesli and many more. All the products on display are available in the Malaysian market.

Artur Dabkowski, from the Polish embassy

“

Artur Dabkowski and Karina Katzer

” “

” “

I have been taking part in Tastes of Europe since 2012 and am very proud to be associated with the event. EUMCCI has really helped us to showcase Romanian food and culture to a wider audience. EUMCCI helped organise the Romanian Wine Appreciation workshop during Tastes of Europe in 2013.

Camelia Narcis Tudose

“

are German pretzels and breads.

Our pretzels and breads tastes exactly like how you would f i n d t h e m i n G e r m a n y.

Sascha Pech of myPretzel

”

What a great event and it’s my first time here. I have had a nice evening so far. But I’m surprised that Belgian products are not here.

H.E Daniel Dargent, ambassador of Belgium

”

I am enjoying myself. It’s great to see many different kinds of food from Europe on display. I have been having a wonderful time tasting the different kind of cheese, breads and, of course, the wines.

Laka Hulela

“

”

I wasn’t sure what to expect as this is my first time here. I am very impressed as I did not expect to see so many products on display. I am disappointed to note that Danish products are not here. I will make sure next year we are well represented.

H.E Nicolai Ruge, ambassador of Denmark

“

”

Qatar Airways is proud to sponsor the grand prize for the lucky draw. The countries that are represented in the Tastes of Europe include cities that Qatar Airways flies to. We are one of the biggest airlines that flies to Europe. Tastes of Europe is about the food and drink from Europe. At Qatar Airways we are very concerned about the quality of food and drinks that we serve our passengers.

Emmanuel Oswald, Country Manager Malaysia & Brunei, Qatar Airways EU

”

Laka Hulela and Jesslyn Tan EUMCCI REVIEW 29

EU COUNTRY FOCUS:

KINGDOM OF SPAIN

A

H.E. Carlos Dominguez Diaz

few years ago during the financial crisis that gripped much of the EU, Spain was one of the countries that was worst hit with very high unemployment rates. In March 2012, at the height of the crisis, its unemployment rate was 24.4%, twice the Euro zone average.

was created, and this trend is expected to continue in 2015. International analysts and market operators share this view. For instance, in its recent economic outlook, the IMF highlights that Spain will be the economy in the Euro area that will grow the most in 2015.”

Since then, things have turned around for Spain, says H.E. Carlos Dominguez Diaz.

Today, it is among the best performing economies in Europe, thanks to the fiscal consolidation process implemented by the authorities. The ambitious process of structural reforms, such as labour market reform, financial sector reform, liberalisation and opening of internal sectors, has had the desired positive effect on the Spanish economy. “As a result, the Spanish economy grew by 1.4% in 2014 and will grow close to 3% in 2015,” explains Dominguez. “Most importantly, 2014 was the first year since the onset of the crisis in which net employment

Dominguez, who was posted here last September, says that the resurgent Spanish economy will see the trade ties between Malaysia and Spain improve even further.

“We are now trading more than ever before,” he says. “Past trade imbalances have decreased, and our trade relations are almost balanced. Spanish exports to Malaysia were worth almost 500 million Euros in 2014, and consisted mainly of steel products, capital goods and electrical equipment. Imports from Malaysia stood at 566 million Euros and consisted mainly of palm oil, industrial oils and household appliances. I hope this upward trend will continue for the benefit of both countries.”

Importance of ASEAN to Spain

Famous Spaniards: •

• • • • •

Pedro Almodovar’s brash and unique film vision has won him fans worldwide. He is Spain’s most recognisable film maker. His films have won all the prestigious movie awards: two Oscars, two Golden Globes, six Goyas, four Cesars, five BAFTAs and several honours at Cannes Film Festival.

Diego Velazquez, Francisco Goya, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali are the most famous artists from Spain. Recently Picasso’s “Women of Algier’s” (Version O) sold for a world record sum of USD179 million!

Antonio Banderas, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz are Spanish actors who have also created waves in Hollywood. Penelope Cruz is also the first Spanish actress to win an Oscar.

Spain has also produced many world class athletes such as golfers Seve Ballesteros and Sergio Garcia; tennis player Rafael Nadal and footballers such as Fernando Torres, Gerard Pique, David de Gea and Cesc Fabregas.

World famous tenors Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo are from Spain.

Spanish singers such as Julio Iglesias and Enrique Iglesias have also rocked the American Billboard charts.

30 EUMCCI REVIEW

Like most EU countries, Spain’s biggest trading partner is with the member countries of the EU. Spain is also looking to expand its trade in Asia, particularly ASEAN. “Asia at large and ASEAN in particular, is a market in which Spain is determined to increase its presence.

Spanish companies have increased their level of exchanges with Asia and other non-traditional partners in recent years, as they have diversified the geographical scope away from our traditional European trading partners. The important thing is to maintain this momentum and for Spanish companies to be able to export even more to ASEAN they have to increase the technological content of the goods exported,” explains Dominguez.

Spain’s contribution to the world: •

Spain at a glance: Capital National language Recognised regional languages Ethnic groups (2011) Population (2011) Government Monarch Prime Minister Legislature Upper House Lower House

• : Madrid : Spanish : Aragonese, Asturian, Basque, Catalan, Galician and Occitan : 87.8% Spanish; 12.2% others : 46, 464, 053 : Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy : Felipe VI : Mariano Rajoy : General Courts : Senate : Congress of Deputies

“Furthermore, closing a free trade agreement between Malaysia and the EU will be extremely important for European and Malaysian consumers and producers. The Malaysian chairmanship of ASEAN in 2015 is an excellent opportunity to move ahead with this agenda,” he adds.

Spanish presence in Malaysia The number of Spanish companies in Malaysia is expected to increase, says Dominguez. Many of these companies have invested in production in Malaysia, making Malaysia the hub for their regional operations and trade.

“The largest Spanish investment in the region, which is based here in Malaysia, is a stainless steel production plant in Johor by Bahru Stainless, a company from the Acerinox group. Last year another Spanish company, Técnicas Reunidas, was awarded one of the largest packages of the RAPID refinery project in Terengganu,” says Dominguez.

Others Spanish companies with significant investments in Malaysia include the mattress

company Pikolin, which operates under the name Dunlopillo; Group Roca, a family owned conglomerate which produces bathroom equipment and which also owns the trademark Johnson Suisse; Indra, a Spanish high-tech company incorporated in Malaysia, provides system integration solution for mass transportation (ticketing for MRT or traffic control centre for Prasarana) and Repsol, an integrated global energy company which has gained a presence in the Malaysian oil and gas sector through its acquisition of Talisman Energy Inc. Dominguez wants to increase the awareness among Malaysians about the fact that Spanish companies are among the leaders in key sectors of the world economy such as infrastructure development, energy supply (particularly renewable energies), industrial equipment, high technology and communications and fashion design, among others. “As such, they can contribute to the realisation of Malaysia’s plans to reach developed nation status by 2020. I hope Malaysian companies will also realise the potential of investing in Spain in a parallel way.” EU

•

•

•

•

• •

Spain’s greatest and most enduring contribution is the Spanish language. It is spoken by over 400 million people in 22 countries including the United States where over 35 million people speak it. It is the third most spoken language in the world behind Mandarin and English. Spanish is also the official language in 21 countries.

According to the latest World Tourism Organisation’s report, Spain is the third most visited country in the world behind France (83 million arrivals) and United States (69.8 million) with 60.7 million tourist arrivals.

Spanish explorers redrew the world map starting from the 15th century as they discovered new worlds and paved the way for Spanish colonisation of the New World. Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo discovered California, Hernan Cortes caused the fall of the Aztec empire and brought a large portion of Mexico under Spanish rule while Francisco Pizarro defeated the Incas and conquered Peru for Spain.

Spaniards have won the Nobel Prize for literature (five times) and in science for physiology or medicine (twice).

Don Quixote, first published in 1605 in Spain, is considered to be the first novel ever written.

This book laid the foundations for the development of the Western novel.

A large part of Spain was occupied by the Arabs for nearly 800 years.

At the height of the Islamic empire in this period of Spanish history, Cordoba, one of the empire’s most important cities, was also the most modern city in the Europe of that time with streetlights and running water.

Spain is the largest producer of olive oil.

Thanks to Spain we have the Flamenco, tapas and sherry.

EUMCCI REVIEW 31

CHAMBER NEWS

VIP LUNCHEON:

DATO’ AZMAN MAHMUD, CEO MIDA

T

he first in the popular VIP Luncheons series started off this year with Dato’ Azman Mahmud, CEO of MIDA (Malaysia Investment Development Authority) whose talk was entitled, ‘The Weakening Ringgit: How the Government Is Poised To Tackle The Problem.’ The luncheon was held on 26th March at the Bunga Emas Restaurant, Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur Hotel.

2014 was a very challenging year for Malaysia as the country was in the news for all the wrong reasons: a series of unfortunate aviation and natural disasters, falling oil prices and the depreciating Ringgit. Such sudden challenges combined with ongoing global economic difficulties to present Malaysia with a tough situation.

“Malaysia remains resilient and resolute,” assured Dato’ Azman. “We are certainly not in a recession and neither are we in a crisis.”

He gave some interesting facts that showed that Malaysia’s economic’s growth was on the rise and would not be adversely affected by the depreciation of the Ringgit or lower oil prices.

•

•

Malaysia’s Growth Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) showed a growth of 13. 1% in 2014.

In terms of investment, Malaysia

32 EUMCCI REVIEW

•

•

had a record breaking year in 2014 where its FDI exceeded the target of RM148 billion set under the 10th Malaysia Plan.

Malaysia’s total trade in 2014 grew by 5.9% to reach RM1.45 trillion, compared with 1.37 trillion in 2013.

Exports in 2014 rose by 6.4% or RM46.4 billion to RM766.13 billion.

“The growth impetus of exports had resulted in a trade surplus of RM83.11 billion,” he said. This marks Malaysia’s 17th consecutive year of trade surplus.

The leading sources of foreign investments in 2014 were Japan, EU, Singapore, China, South Korea and the United States.

With regards to the depreciation of the Ringgit, Dato’ Azman said that “the Government is committed in ensuring that the current account in the balance of payments remain in surplus, continuing fiscal reforms and consolidation, diversifying economic activities and ensuring that our financial system continues to function without any disruption to businesses”.

He pointed out that the depreciating Ringgit has its advantages for the Malaysian economy.

He said that it “will help in improving export competitiveness, encouraging wider import substitution activities and even facilitate

greater arrivals of tourist numbersv into the country”.

Malaysia’s attractiveness as an investment destination will also improve as it will lower the cost of doing business in Malaysia.

The plummeting crude oil prices will not have a negative effect on the Malaysian economy as the Malaysian economy is diversified and does not depend solely on oil. “For 2014, oil exports had only contributed less than 20% of total exports,” said Dato’ Azman.

Despite the challenges faced by the Malaysian economy, on the whole the country “has tremendous opportunity” for growth. He said, “We remain an attractive destination for global companies accessing business opportunities in the ASEAN region, and for local companies seeking to grow in international markets.” EU

VIP LUNCHEON:

DATO’ SRI ABDUL WAHID OMAR, MINISTER IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S DEPARTMENT The New Economic Model is inclusive and will ensure that no one is left behind. “There will be sound institutional frameworks for better monitoring and implantation,” added Dato’ Sri Abdul Wahid.

D

ato’ Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, was the speaker at the second VIP Luncheon of the year. His talk entitled, ‘Strength and Resilience of the Malaysian Economy’, was held on 7th May at the Maple Room, Double Tree Hilton, Kuala Lumpur.

Dato’ Sri Abdul Wahid acknowledged that the Malaysian economy faces some challenges, but on the whole, he maintained that the positives in the economy outweigh the negatives. “I believe in the New Economic Model which will transform Malaysia towards a high income economy which is inclusive and sustainable in order to give quality of life to all Malaysians,” he said.

He also highlighted other factors that point to the country’s economic resilience: • In 2014 GDP grew by 6%, the second highest in the region, behind the Philippines.

• Growth was driven by the private sector, therefore there was less pressure on the Government to drive growth.

• There is a continued flow of FDI into different sectors of the Malaysian economy.

• Implementation of GST will broaden Government revenue sources and enhance tax compliance.

• Continued current account surplus provides for economic strength and buffers against external shocks.

Kelantan which, unlike Terengganu, does not have hydro power stations to date.

“During the floods, these hydro power stations offered some protection against the floods which is why Terengganu was not as badly hit as Kelantan. In the past Kelantan had been against the idea of hydro power stations, but now it is more supportive of the Federal Government’s efforts of building hydro power stations. We believe hydro power stations can bring many benefits to Kelantan. Apart from generating power, it can help with the irrigation of agricultural land.

On the FTA between the EU and Malaysia, he said Malaysia was currently concentrating on negotiating the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership). “Once we have done the TPP, we can restart negotiating the FTA between Malaysia and the EU, which will be later this year.” EU

There was a Q & A session later and the Minister fielded many questions that ranged from Malaysia’s contingency plans for future floods to the fate of the FTA between EU and Malaysia.

On Malaysia’s future plans to cope with floods in the East coast, Dato’ Sri Abdul Wahid said, “We are rebuilding homes for those who lost their homes. These homes will be built on higher grounds for better protection during floods. The Government is also investing a lot of money in repairing the infrastructure such as roads and strengthening the slopes along the hills. We are also looking into building hydro power stations in

EUMCCI REVIEW 33

CHAMBER NEWS

RAIL SOLUTION ASIA 2015

E

uropean SMEs were a strong presence at this year’s 16th edition of Rail Solution Asia (RSA), thanks to the mini EU Pavilion.

The pavilion was set up by EUMCCI and the Transportation & Infrastructure sector, one of the key industry sectors of the SEBSEAM project. The 16th edition of RSA, regarded by many as the best railway show in Asia, was held from 22nd to 24th April 2015 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

This year’s event was one of the biggest with an exhibition space that covered 2,400 square metres and brought together 1,800 participants, 160 delegations and 10 Asian train operators. Besides the exhibition, the event also included a full conference programme and the Annual Conference of the Asian Railway Operators Association.

The EU Pavilion aimed to promote,

support and develop EU railway business interests in Malaysia, as well as to feature and share knowledge on cutting-edge railway technologies from Europe.

One of the highlights of the Annual Conference was the Cocktail Networking session organised by EUMCCI. The event was kicked off with a welcome speech

34 EUMCCI REVIEW

by H.E. Luc Vandebon, Ambassador and Head of EU Delegation to Malaysia, and followed by a keynote address of Mr. Mohd Nur Ismal Mohamed Kamal, CEO of SPAD, the Land Public Transport Commission. The session, which was sponsored by both EUMCCI and INDRA, was attended by more than 80 visitors and exhibitors from the industry. EU

EUMCCI HR COMMITTEE’S

INTERACTIVE PANEL DISCUSSION

W

hat role does the social media play in hiring people for organisations? That was the topic of the interesting interactive panel discussion organised by the EUMCCI HR Committee on 13th March 2015. F-Secure hosted the event which was held at their office in Bangsar South. The discussion panel consisted HR experts from different backgrounds such as Mr Ahmad Fakhri Hamzah, Founder and CEO of MyriadVentures Enterprise & Senior Partners, Ms Jenny Wong, Principal of Korn Ferry and Mr Max van Veen, the generation Y representative from EUMCCI. Ms Selvamalar Alagaratnam, a partner of Skrine, was the moderator.

The discussion revolved around the two popular social media platforms, Facebook and LinkedIn. Through these platforms an employer can access personal information concerning potential candidates, which might provide a valuable insight into a candidate.

Difficulties arise when evaluating the

information: how to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information and how to apply the information to hiring and recruitment practices. Another difficulty with using social media pertains to the legal aspects of the information. In some countries doing informal background checks of a candidate through Facebook can be illegal and the company will be liable.

These topics were extensively discussed by the experts on the panel.

In conclusion, the panel stated that social media has its limitation when it comes to hiring people. “At the end of the day, if you look at recruitment, it depends on the level of the position. If you are looking at lower levels, social media tools may help. For senior levels, it is not very helpful, especially if you are looking for specific skills. Nothing can beat a face-to-face meeting in assessing the suitability of the candidate,” said Jenny Wong. EU

EUMCCI SMART GRID

COMMITTEE’S DIALOGUE WITH TNB

M

r Loo Kok Seng of Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) chaired the meeting between TNB Smart Grid Working Group and the EUMCCI Smart Grid Committee which took place on 20th March 2015 at the NLDC Building of TNB, Bangsar. The EUMCCI Smart Grid Committee comprised 11 people representing eight companies while the TNB team was represented by eight people.

During the dialogue, the TNB team had several requests for the EUMCCI Smart Grid Committee. Among them was a report from

the committee on the do’s and don’ts in implementing the Smart Grid. TNB also requested for a presentation by EU experts on Energy Performance Report and on Green Building.

to be taken to standardise the infrastructure by integrating multi players into a single communication network. EU

The Smart Grid Committee requested from TNB updates on the National Lab report and wanted quarterly meetings with TNB for the latest updates and development on the Smart Grid. Other matters that were discussed during the meeting were coming up with ideas for interesting consumer engagement programmes and steps that need EUMCCI REVIEW 35

CHAMBER NEWS

EUMCCI AUTOMOTIVE COMMITTEE’S ENGAGEMENT WITH PEMANDU

M

uch of the world including Asia, is using the Euro 4 fuel for vehicles which is a cleaner fuel as it contains lower sulphur content.

Malaysia, however, is still using Euro 2.

EUMCCI’s Automotive Committee met Mr. Kelvin Tan, Associate Director of the Oil, Gas & Energy and Financial Services division of PEMANDU and his team to discuss the timeline for the implementation of Euro 4 and Euro 5 fuel in Malaysia.

The meeting took place on 7th May 2015 at the PEMANDU Satellite Office at Platinum Sentral.

The Automotive Committee also wanted to explain some of the problems faced by the Malaysian automotive industry for not following the Euro 4 fuel standards. As Malaysia is still using Euro 2, this is causing problems especially in the automobile industry. Malaysian vehicles transporting goods cannot cross borders to neighbouring countries that are using Euro 4.

PEMANDU, on its part, explained that the main problem is that most Malaysians are not willing to pay more for higher quality fuel. The Automotive Committee pointed out that the overall cost would come down for the public if they switched to Euro 4. Pemandu also explained fixing fuel standards is not it’s job as its focus lies with the ETP.

PEMANDU advised the Automotive Committee to approach the Ministry of Finance as it was the ministry that has the final say in the matter. If the Committee could show the ministry the financial gains for the country by switching to Euro 4, the ministry may lend a favourable ear to the benefits of Euro 4. EU

EUMCCI AEROSPACE COMMITTEE’S

VISIT TO AEROSPACE MALAYSIA INNOVATION CENTRE (AMIC)

O

n 14th May 2015, EUMCCI Aerospace Committee visited AMIC at the German-Malaysian Institute at Bangi, Selangor. One of the highlights of the visit was the presentation on the role of AMIC by Mr. Shamsul

Kamar Abu Samah, its CEO. Since its establishment in 2011, AMIC has brought together “key global players such as EADS, Rolls-Royce and CTRM to help shape the future of Malaysian aviation....to raise not just the skills but also the global reputation of our researchers, engineers and scientists”.

The presentation also touched on other programmes supported by the AMIC such as focusing on R&T capability development and supporting competency development programmes with the aim of making Malaysia the hub of the aerospace industry in Southeast Asia by 2030. Shamsul Kamar ended his presentation by urging EUMCCI

36 EUMCCI REVIEW

industry members to partner and collaborate in R&T projects.

Prior to the presentation, the Committee members were taken on a tour of the GMI labs and the AMIC virtual reality lab. EU

CORPORATE PARTNER

VISIT BY POLAND’S DEPUTY MINISTER OF ECONOMY

M

rs Grazyna Henclewska, the Deputy Minister of Economy of Poland made a two days visit to Malaysia from 20th to 21st April to strengthen trade ties between the two countries. She was accompanied by business representatives from the cosmetics and food sectors in Poland – two industries that have the potential to be the driving force in Poland’s exports to Malaysia.

Besides meeting top officials from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and visiting the Malaysian Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), Mrs Henclewska also met heads of the EU Delegation to Malaysia (EUDEL) as well as members from EUMCCI. Mrs Henclewska was pleased with the support given by EUDEL and EUMCCI towards Poland’s efforts to strengthen its presence via trade in the region. EU

One of the important events during her visit was the business conference entitled “Made in Poland – Cooperation Opportunities for Malaysian Companies.” Selected companies from Poland gave presentations of their products to the Malaysian business community. During the conference there were business-to-business meetings with Malaysian cosmetic and food industries and networking sessions between the Malaysian and Polish business communities.

A CHANGE IN NAME into a new manufacturing joint venture with specialist technology partner Muntons, the new name provides a framework for the business’s ongoing journey up the value chain and into the world of ASEAN consumers.

J

ebsen & Jessen Chemicals is now known by a new name. Since 1st January 2015, it has been renamed Jebsen & Jessen Ingredients. The new name supports the continued growth of its diverse business lines ranging from Rubber & Coatings to Food Ingredients and Pharma, Health & Household Ingredients. With last year’s investment

Although the company's name has changed, the overall operational processes and the commitment to the chemicals business remain unchanged, with continued investment to expand the supplier base, product portfolios and sales force. A roadshow began in January with the regional leadership team spending time in each market meeting customers, suppliers and partners and sharing news of the change. EU EUMCCI REVIEW 37

NEW CORPORATE PARTNERS

Bahru Stainless Sdn Bhd Manufacturing of stainless steel.

Person in Charge: Mr Oswald Wolfe Gomez Chief Executive Officer Add: PTD 4069 (PLO 108), Jalan Rumbia 4, Tanjung Langsat Industrial Complex, Pasir Gudang, 81700 Johor.

Mobile: 6019-759 4130 Tel: 6019-779 5888 DID: 6019-779 5807 Fax: 607-251 3179 E-mail: SiauFen.Lim@bahrustainless.com

ECMI ITE Asia Sdn Bhd ECMI ITE ASIA SDN BHD – a member of ITE Group PLC (listed on London Stock Exchange).

Leading international trade exhibition organiser across Southeast Asia, developing new b2b opportunities for communities in this region. Industry Sectors: Beauty, Laboratory & Scientific, Oil & Gas, Paper & Pulp, Coating & Corrosion.

Person in Charge: Mr Saw Chee Peng Managing Director Add: 25-1 & 23-6, Subang Business Centre, Jalan USJ 9/5Q, 47620 Subang Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

Tel: 603-8023 0820 Fax: 603-8023 0830 Website: www.ecmi.com.my

38 EUMCCI REVIEW

Basis Bay MSC Services (M) Sdn Bhd Basis Bay is a leading provider of Sustainable Outsourcing solutions in Information Technology (IT) and Managed Data Centre Services. Established in 1996, with a focus in the premium Enterprise IT space, Person in Charge: Mr Akhil Gupta Director of Business Development Add: No. 13/15, Jalan Perintis U1/52, Temasya Glenmarie, 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia Tel: 603-5565 6200 / 012 398 9330 Fax: 603-5565 6297/8 Email: karlien@basisbay.com Website: www.basisbay.com

ING Corporate Advisory (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd ING Corporate Advisory (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. provides corporate finance advisory service to businesses. The company was formerly known as ING Baring (M) Sdn. Bhd. ING Corporate Advisory (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Person in Charge: Ms Milly Tan Country Manager Add: Suite 11-02, 11th Floor, Letter Box 71, Menara Hap Seng, Jalan P.Ramlee, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: 603-2055 8255 Fax: 603-2026 0242 Email: Angel.Yii@asia.ing.com Website: ingcb.com/network-offices/asia/malaysia

Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd (“MIMSB”) owned by Jasmine Acres Sdn Bhd (60%), United World Infrastructure (20%) and Mitsui & Co Ltd (20%), is the master developer of the new central business district, “Medini” located in Nusajaya, Johor, Malaysia.

MIMSB undertakes the provision of all major infrastructure within Medini; land sales and development; sales & asset leasing; as well as the provision of township related services.

Person in Charge: Mr Khairil Anwar Ahmad Managing Director Add: B- FF-02, Medini 6, Jalan Medini Sentral 5,Bandar Medini Iskandar Malaysia, 79250 Nusajaya, Johor, Malaysia.

Tel: 607-509 8500 Fax: 607-509 8501 Email: skkoh@medini.com.my (Koh Say Kok, SVP Strategic Marketing) Website: www.medini.com.my

Nexustel Sdn Bhd Nexustel is a sole distributor of Veriva Call Recording System, solution designed to support quality of service and meet compliance requirements for our clients. We also market the Etrali Trading Platforms, a financial trading system used for unified communications in bank treasuries for trading.

Person in Charge: Ms Wendy Leong Executive Director Add: Lot 1-3, Incubator 1, Technology Park Malaysia, Lebuhraya Puchong-Sg.Besi, Bukit Jalil, 57000 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 603-8996 8116 Fax: 603-8996 3116 Email: support@nexustel.com Website: www.nexustel.com

Mindsky Enterprise Mindsky is formed to meet the needs of growing food industries by providing them a range of food safety consultancy and training. We also assist the food companies in other food safety services.

Person in Charge: Ms Cheah Hua Yen Trainer Add: 12A, Jalan Sri Emas 4, Taman Sri Emas, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia Tel/Fax: 603-8741 5778 Email: cheahhuayen@yahoo.com Website: www.mindsky.com.my

Volvo Malaysia Sdn Bhd Volvo is a Swedish multinational manufacturing company headquartered in Gothenburg. Its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of trucks, buses and construction equipment.

Volvo has a long history in Malaysia dating back to 1967, when it established manufacturing through Swedish Motor Assemblies Sdn. Bhd. (SMA). Since then Volvo has further established itself by making Malaysia its production hub in the ASEAN region.

Person in Charge: Mr Mats Nilsson Managing Director Add: No.6, Jalan Bicu 15/6, Seksyen 15, 40200 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan.

Tel: 603-5510 3300 Fax: 603-5519 0592 Email: Suzanne.ooi@volvo.com Website: www.volvo.com

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Here is the line up of recent and upcoming events organised or supported by EUMCCI. The dates and venues for the upcoming events have not been finalised. Please refer to the EUMCCI website – www.eumcci.com – for latest updates on the events.

Recent Events:

Upcoming Events:

Tastes of Europe Fest 2015 Date: 29th May 2015 Time: 6.00pm to 10.00pm Venue: Grand Ballroom, The Westin Kuala Lumpur

ASEAN-EU Business Summit Date: 23rd August 2015 Time: 9.00am to 6.00pm Venue: Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur

Research and Innovation Seminar & Industry – Academic Matchmaking Date: 9th June 2015 Time: 8.30am to 4.30pm Venue: MIDA Perdana Hall, MIDA Sentral

Bio-Based Materials Symposium Date: 7th to 8th September 2015 Time: 8:00 am to 6:00 pm

CSR Outreach Programme – Berjaya Hotels and Resorts Date: 26th June 2015 Time: 9.30am to 1.00pm Venue: Berjaya Times Square Hotel

IGEM 2015 Date: 9th to 12th September 2015 Time: 10.00am to 6.00pm Venue: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre EU-ASEAN Forum on Food Safety Date: 21st to 22nd September 2015 Venue: TBC GPEC Asia 2015 Date: 21st to 23rd October 2015 Time: 9.00am to 6.00pm Venue: Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) VIP Luncheon with the Governor of Bank Negara Date: 29th July 2015 Time: 12.00pm to 2.00pm Venue: TBC

GPEC Asia 2015 returns – bigger and better!

“It is an important platform for agencies involved in security and safety to explore the latest advancements and sophisticated technologies suited to meet the demands of the crime in the 21st century.”

– Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak The 4th General Police and Special Equipment Exhibition and Conference Asia is Asia’s largest police and homeland security event which attracts nearly 10,000 visitors and exhibitors from more than 20 countries. Find out about the latest in police, security and emergency equipment. Visitors to GPEC include regional decision makers such as ministers, senior government officials, chiefs of police and procurement officers to name a few. This year’s exhibition also includes a special showcase called SECUPEC, which is Asia’s first security and crime prevention showcase.

EUMCCI invites companies to participate in the EU Pavillion at the GPEC 2015 exhibition.

Note: All events are correct at the time of printing. The events might be subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances. Please check EUMCCI website at www.eumcci.com for the latest updates on events or direct inquiries to events@eumcci.com or eumcci@eumcci.com or call +603 - 2162 6298

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SAFE, COMFORTABLE & FRIENDLY JAMBATAN SULTAN ABDUL HALIM MU’ADZAM SHAH Jambatan Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah was officially opened by Y.A.B. Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Abdul Razak, the Prime Minister of Malaysia on 1 March 2014.

The project’s overall length is 24km of which 16.9km is a marine bridge. It links Batu Kawan on the mainland to Batu Maung on the island and it is the longest bridge in Southeast Asia.

Jambatan Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah will not only provide an alternative route for users to commute to Penang island from the mainland and vice versa but it is also a catalyst for the socio economic growth and development in Penang, especially in the southern part of the state.

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