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Speech by H.E. Mr. Piet de Klerk,
Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
On the occasion of CBI workshop
“Effective Trade Fair Participation”
Amman, 26-27 March 2011
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
I am happy to be present here today to launch another example of
excellent cooperation between the Center for the Promotion of Imports
from developing countries (CBI) and the Jordan Exporters Association
(JEA) to help and assist Jordanian companies to gain a better
understanding of and acquire more knowledge on how to make their
participation in trade fairs more effective.
As some of you know already, the CBI is an agency of the
Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. CBI has been established as
a Center to promote the imports of products and services from
developing countries to Europe and as such contributes to sustainable
economic development in developing countries by increasing their
exports. In fact, the main strategic objective of the CBI is the
sustainable strengthening of the competitive capacity of SME
exporters and producers in developing countries, focusing primarily
on European markets.
To this effect, the CBI has organized numerous seminars and courses
for various target groups since 1971, both in Jordan and many other
countries around the world, and provides interesting market surveys
regarding a wide range of sectors and products. I do recommend all of
you to check their website regularly for interesting updates and
reports. In this way, you may benefit from their expertise and
experience long after you finish this two day course.
As you know better than many others, access to the EU market and
participation in trade fairs to this end is very important for Jordanian
companies in order to enable them to promote their products and
establish contacts with potential business partners. The Netherlands
and the EU recognize the need for Jordanian companies to have this
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smooth access to the European market, which by many is perceived as
an unintelligible bundle of rules and regulations that puts exporters off
at first sight because of their seemingly complex nature. Within the
EU, we are one of the strongest supporters of the so called “Deep and
Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement” with Jordan, for which
negotiations will start in a few months’ time. The Action Plan between
the EU and Jordan offers more guidelines and practical steps to
increase trade and investment between Jordan and Europe.
Bilaterally, we have started to focus more and more on economic
activities as the main motor for our prosperity and well-being. We call
this economic diplomacy. In doing so, we recognize, as a trading
nation per excellence, that international access to different markets is a
necessary tool to accomplish our economic dreams and perspectives.
After all, we are interdependent and can only flourish by having
contacts with and access to other traders, producers and consumers.
Effective fair trade and taking our social and economic responsibility
are factors that are of prime importance when doing business in this
ever bigger world. As SMEs make up the largest part of Jordanian
businesses (as in most countries, and definitely the Netherlands) and
as economic growth is so dependent on a flourishing SME sector, we
support Jordanian businesses through various programmes, such as the
PSI, which offers investment opportunities for Dutch-Jordanian joint
ventures, and the PUM programme, that allows senior managers to
offer advisory services to Jordanian SMEs.
Trade fair participation is but one element of the whole spectrum of
tools available to SMEs to make their businesses more effective. And
you would probably think a simple one. But as this training course
will teach you, and as CBI states on its website, “successful trade fair
participation begins long before the doors open and continues long
after the stands are put away.” I tried to look up some figures of what
real, thorough preparation of trade fair participation means for the
chances of developing lasting business relations later on. I couldn’t
find any but may have had to look harder. I hope that your trainers for
the coming two days will be able to give you an idea on this.
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Let me conclude by thanking the Jordan Exporters Association for
organizing this workshop and JEDCO for their support and help.
I wish you a pleasant and fruitful workshop during these two days.
Thank you.
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