As you all know, the EUBFE held its 1-Year Anniversary ceremony last week (29th May) at the Radisson Blu, Addis Ababa. The event welcomed more than 150 participants and included a presentation by high level government officials (H.E. State Minister, Ministry of Industry, Tadesse Hailewho highlighted the need to scale up EU investment to Ethiopia, Ato Kaidaki Acting Director General of ERCA who emphasised the fruitful dialogue that took place between the EUBFE and ERCA, as well as H.E. Ambassador Grum from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who paid a personal tribute to Xavier Marchal).
Indeed, this event was also the opportunity to honor the memory of H.E. Xavier Marchal, Head of EU Delegation to Ethiopia, who passed away just a few days before the Conference. As many of you know, Xavier followed the activities of the EUBFE over the last year with great personal interest and involvement, and undoubtedly was one of the main motors of the Forum. The event was thus also used as an opportunity to pay tribute to the personal efforts of Xavier Marchal to make the EUBFE a reality.
We also reviewed the activities performed by the EUBFE within the past year and expectations for the year to come, as well as offered a networking opportunity for the EU business community. At the meeting it was highlighted that over the last twelve months, the EUBFE has developed itself, despite relatively limited means, into a well-respected platform both among government circles and the business communities that is increasingly able to strongly advocate for the removal of the sharpest edges of the government's laws and regulations. The EUBFE is also seen as an increasingly important and valued facility to help existing and potential EU investors do business in Ethiopia.
Over the past 12 months around 15 meetings and presentations were organized, most of them in collaboration with the EU Delegation. Taxes and customs being key issues affecting the current business climate, ERCA was the center of the attention with 4 meetings on (amongst others) the new customs proclamation and on dividends tax. The EUBFE prepared a detailed comment paper on the new customs law. Some of the issues raised in the paper have found their way in the final version of the proclamation. In order to advocate its members’ rights, EUBFE also worked with the Ministry of Transport on addressing the concerns of the sudden implementation of the multimodal transport directive which mid last year seriously disrupted import and export from Djibouti Port. The EUBFE managed to advocate for a series of exceptions and ensured a focal point in the Ministry of Transport for members who encountered specific problems. The Prime Minister expressed its appreciation for the EU Business Forum and its ability to make around 300 EU companies speak with one voice during his meeting with President of the European Commission Barosso as well as on the occasion of the October 2012 meeting with foreign investors on the business climate. He has also been solicited by the EUBFE at the height of the foreign currency shortage beginning of this year. On the latter issue the EUBFE, together with the EU Delegation, held also talks with the Governor of the National Bank of Ethiopia, the President of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia and the Minister of Industry. The EUBFE further provided its inputs to the Ministry of Industry in its endeavour to carve out an industrial road map for the country. The Ministry of Industry– together with the Ethiopian Investment Agency – also organised several consultation meetings on the new investment proclamation and the new investment regulations (in force since end 2012) for EUBFE members. Concurrently, the development of a website and a newsletter allowed a better visibility of the EU community issues and EUBFE’s actions. The association is also currently working on further financing (BizClim facility) to bring experts on board to substantiate its work and improve local business climate.
Further events and activities will be organized in the coming months, with a focus on continuing the structured dialogue with the Government of Ethiopia (including MoT, ERCA, EIA, MoI,…). Towards the second half July we have agreed with ERCA to organise a consultation in the EU Delegation – jointly with the major other foreign business fora – on the draft tax proclamation, while we are also currently working with the Ethiopian Investment Agency on a consultation on the investment proclamation that is (again) being redrafted. We will keep you informed on these and otherupcoming events. As we did in the past, we shall also react to relevantburning business climate issues as they come along and we encourage you in this regard to continue sharing with us what are the obstacles in the development of your business in Ethiopia.
You can find the Secretary's detailed presentation on the first year's activities of the EUBFE in the download part of our website (http://www.eubfe.eu/index.php/downloads). You'll find some of the excellent press coverage of the event (both on television and in the newspapers) also on the website.
Also to note that during the cocktail, some of our members had the opportunity to showcase their services and products to the visitors. We would like to thank them again for their support in the organization of the event and taking the time to set up the booths. We intend to repeat a similar exhibition next year and hope that even more of you will be able to demonstrate the richness and diversity of EU investment in Ethiopia.
The Secretary
On April 11 and 12, 2023, the European chamber in collaboration with the BEIC-GIZ project, which is funded by the EU, organized a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Addis Ababa. The FGD aimed to gather data on four thematic studies the European chamber is conducting, which are in the areas of customs, domestic tax, access to land for FDI outside of the industrial zones, and forex. The FGD brought together independent experts, representatives of various member companies, and relevant government agencies.
The outcome of the FGD will complement the survey and interview data that have been collected and compiled already. A final report on the four thematic areas is being finalized and will be made available for validation in the coming weeks. European chamber sincerely appreciates the active participation of all member companies as well as government agencies throughout the process of the study. Four policy briefs will be drawn out from the outcome of the studies.
On April 11-12, 2023, the European chamber together with the BEIC-GIZ project, which is funded by the EU, organized a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Addis Ababa. The FGD aimed to gather data on four thematic studies the European chamber is conducting, which are in the areas of customs, domestic tax, access to land for FDI outside of the industrial zones, and forex. The FGD brought together independent experts, representatives of various member companies, and relevant government agencies.
The outcome of the FGD will complement the survey and interview data that have been collected and compiled already. A final report on the four thematic areas is being finalized and will be made available for validation in the coming weeks. European chamber sincerely appreciates the active participation of all member companies as well as government agencies throughout the process of the study. Four policy briefs will be drawn out from the outcome of the studies.
EUBFE board of management held productive consultative meeting with the Ethiopian Investment Commissioner HE Commissioner Lelise Neme and Deputy Commissioner Daniel Teressa, in the presence of EU Ambassador to Ethiopia Roland Kobia. Also in the consultation was H.E Ambassador Ababi Demissie, Director General for Foreign Direct Investment and Technology Transfer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The consultation revolved around existing challenges faced by member companies and plans for engagement in the coming year 2023. The major issues discussed were sporadic insecurities in some localities faced by some member companies, cement and fuel supply challenges, foreign exchange shortage, customs and tax related issues. The EIC commissioner in her response appreciated the initiative to hold a consultation of this nature and reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to continue to support European FDI in general and EUBFE members specifically. To this end, it was agreed that bolstering partnership in the spirit of public-private-dialogue will be key focus in the coming year. In this connection, a joint platform that will be co-chaired by EIC commissioner and the EU Ambassador was established, and it will follow up on all issues raised at the consultation on a quarterly basis.
Following the consultative meeting, cocktail reception was hosted at the rooftop of the commission’s headquarters, where the outcome of the meeting was communicated to EUBFE members by the commissioner and the board chairperson of EUBFE.
Ethiopian Finance Minister, Ahmed Shide held talks today with EUBFE delegation led by the Cooperation Head for EU Delegation to Ethiopia, Erik Habers, on ways of strengthening financial and economic cooperation between the two sides.
During the meeting, the two sides are ready to work for a favorable investment climate in Ethiopia through the joint forum.
EUBFE representatives have also pledged to help Ethiopia to become an ideal investment destination and regular talks will be held with the Ministry of Finance to achieve this goal.
Finance Minister Ahmed Shide said on his part Ethiopia attaches great importance to its cooperation with the European Union and other European countries.
He further stated that Ethiopia is committed to working closely with the EUBFE and having a consultative meeting at least twice a year for the benefit of both parties.
Speaking on the ongoing economic reform that Ethiopia has embarked on, Ahmed noted that the reforms are being intensified and the government is committed to increasing the participation of the private sector in the reform process.
He stated the recent involvement of private sectors as well as foreign companies with strong experience and potential in the telecom sector of the country as a showcase of the government’s commitment in this regard.
The Minister told the delegates that essential efforts will be made by the Ministry of Finance to ease all forms of bottlenecks that faced EUBFE member companies in their day-to-day activities in Ethiopia.
EU Business Forum in Ethiopia together with the EU Delegation in Ethiopia held discussion on March 26, 2019 with the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) on improving the existing platform of dialogue with EU businesses in Ethiopia. EUBFE members were honored with the presence of HE Abebe Abebayehu, Commissioner of Ethiopian Investment Commission and HE Ambassador Johan Borgstam, Head of the EU Delegation to Ethiopia.
In the discussion that ensued, EU business leaders in attendance expressed their appreciation for the commitment shown by the EIC in facilitating dialogue with government agencies in previous instance through the Public-Private-Dialogue (PPD) platform. They further expressed their desire to continue in this vein and contribute in the reformulation of investment code as well as the second version of PPD. The guest of honor at the breakfast meeting, HE Abebe Abebayehu, highlighted previous successes close collaboration between businesses have brought and vowed to improve on disruptions on the regularity of such engagements. The delayed PPD-2, he also indicated, will go through at the earliest opportunity. HE Johan Borgstam, in his concluding remark indicated that it is important for businesses to closely work with regulators while also highlighting EU Delegation's contribution to improving the business environment in Ethiopia, including the automated customs system currently operational.
The meeting cocluded with a joint committment to continue to build on the on-going constructive dialogue.
On February 23, 2023, the European Union Business Forum in Ethiopia (EUBFE) held a joint workshop with the Ethiopian Customs Commission (ECC), together with its member associations, ENLBA and CAFÉ to address the concerns and issues raised by its members companies.
The workshop addressed key issues raised by member companies in the areas of valuation, classification, Franco Valuta, and the Ethiopian Single Window system. The various directors representing different directorates of the ECC addressed these issues and highlighted their ongoing efforts to improve their services. Participants were encouraged to provide feedback and opinions, ensuring an effective and collaborative consultation.The Q&A session at the end allowed participants to gain further clarity on the topics discussed. This joint workshop is an extension of EUBFE’s effort to support dialogue and engagement between key players in the investment climate and member companies with the aim of creating a thriving business climate Ethiopia.