Envoys, key government officials, EU and ASEAN member states heads of mission, members of the diplomatic corps, and high-level European and Philippine business executives convened at the 2023 European-Philippine Business Dialogue hosted by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) and the EU-ASEAN Business Council (EU-ABC) last Thursday.
With the theme “Taking the Philippines Centrestage”, this year’s forum sought to provide a platform for sharing insights and exchanging meaningful discussions on how the Philippines can maximize its competitive advantage as an investment destination and bring the country’s economy to new heights.
Attended by more than two hundred delegates physically and online, the forum featured messages and presentations from various speakers.
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In the first panel discussion, speakers included H.E. Luc Véron, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines; Hon. Justice Lucas P. Bersamin, Executive Secretary to the Office of the President; Hon. Antonio Ernesto F. Lagdameo, Jr., Special Assistant to the President to the Office of the President; Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Department of Trade and Industry; Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Department of Finance; Ms. Amanda Murphy, Co-Regional Head of Commercial Banking at HSBC; and Mr. Anand Stanley, President and Head of Region at Airbus Asia-Pacific; and moderator EU-ABC Executive Director Mr. Chris Humphrey.
Meanwhile, the second discussion featured Hon. Gerald Divinagracia, Deputy Director General for Operations at Anti-Red Tape Authority; Mr. Ruben Pascual, Secretary-General of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Ms. Celeste Ilagan, Chief Policy And Regulatory Affairs Officer of the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines; Dr. Danilo Lachica, President of the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines; Mr. Rodney Van Dooren, Director for Illicit Trade Prevention at Philip Morris Asia Limited; and moderator CNN Philippines Anchor Ms. Lois Calderon.
Christina Stieber, Commercial Counsellor at the Austrian Embassy in Manila and Head at Advantage Austria served as the Master of Ceremonies of the event.
The 2023 European-Philippine Business Dialogue is co-presented by HSBC Philippines and Airbus. The event is also supported by Event Partners I.T. & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) and the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI); Platinum Partner Philip Morris International; Gold Partners Prime Infra and Alaska Milk Corporation; Silver Partners Grab, SGV and Co.,
Roche Inc., Royal Cargo Inc., and Nestlé; Event Supporters Advantage Austria, Dutch Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, CCI France Philippines, Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, and Swiss Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines; and Beverage Partner Le Cellier.
This year marks the 10th run of the European-Philippine Business Dialogue. Launched in 2014, this event brings together industry experts, government leaders, and relevant stakeholders to celebrate and strengthen the European-Philippine economic ties.
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