Home > The European Union and Colombia Move from Theory to Practice in the Framework of the Trade Agreement

The European Union and Colombia Move from Theory to Practice in the Framework of the Trade Agreement

The Colombian Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, and the EU's Chief Negotiator and Director General for Trade in Brussels will participate in the two-day seminar on the FTA's potential and how to improve trade between the two parties.

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Working together for two days with the EU's Chief Negotiator and Director General for Trade with Colombia and Peru, João Aguiar Machado, and Colombian Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Sergio Diaz-Granados, as well as experts on the topic, Colombian and European exporters, importers and investors will analyze the challenges and opportunities to improve trade between Europe and Colombia.

The European Union and Colombia Free Trade Agreement for Business Opportunities seminar is set for June 13 and 14 in Bogota, Colombia. It was organized by the European Union with assistance from the Bogota Chamber of Commerce and Proexport to present the content, benefits and opportunities from the Free Trade Agreement for both parties in a practical manner, and to create opportunities for business between the participants.

The event will be opened by the EU's Chief Negotiator and Director General for Trade in Brussels, João Aguiar Machado, and on the second day the Colombian Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Sergio Diaz-Granados will discuss how to best leverage the Trade Agreement with the EU.

For two days at Club El Nogal, European and Colombian experts will debate the potential for new business offered by the EU - Colombian Agreement, where we stand right now with the Agreement and where we are headed. Other topics of discussion include Colombian and European export success stories, the conditions of the new investment climate, and technological cooperation between the parties to foster competitiveness thanks to the new framework of relations established with the Agreement.

Other important topics for entrepreneurs will be addressed, including administrative procedures for exporting and the requirements to comply with rules of origin. Participants will be encouraged to attend four practical workshops pertaining to sanitary and phytosanitary standards, intellectual property rights, the best way to leverage trade preferences and the Agreement's potential for service trade.

In addition, Proexport President Maria Claudia Lacouture will moderate a panel with the directors from the agency's offices in Germany, Spain, France and the United Kingdom, who will discuss opportunities they have identified for Colombian entrepreneurs to export to the European Union. The agency has identified over 800 agribusiness, manufacturing and service products that have potential in this market.

Also at the event, the Bogota Chamber of Commerce will provide information for entrepreneurs through its Bogota Exporta program about services available as part of their support for internationalization processes.

The Trade Agreement provides an opportunity to develop strategic alliances between European and Colombian entrepreneurs. Business opportunities go beyond trade exchange by promoting technology transfers from Europe that will affect the generation of added value in Colombian production. Additionally, Colombia is increasingly becoming a market of interest in Latin America with great potential for European operators and investors.

Registration and Follow-up: www.europacolombia.org

More information:

Miriam Garcia Ferrer (First Secretary - Chief of the Trade Section of the EU Delegation in Colombia - 317 369 3292)
Martha Helena Suarez (Press Official - EU Delegation in Colombia - 317 642 4412)
Adriana Alba (Press Chief - Bogota Chamber of Commerce - 383 0300 or 594 1000 Ext. 1608)
Javier Enrique Hendez (Communications Coordinator - 560 0100 Ext. 32003)