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Photo Flikr stephengg /Swiss flag
More than 80 Swiss businessmen, some with operations in Colombia or the interest to invest in the country, participated in the roundtable discussion on the Colombian economy, its growth forecast, opportunities, challenges and prospects it offers for investment and trade between both countries in light of the entry into force of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in July this year.
The meeting was organized, as well, to celebrate 100 years of bilateral relations with Switzerland, a key country for Colombia in its efforts to diversify trade relations to open new markets, including Europe. The seminar: 'COLOMBIA: Free Trade Agreement, opportunities for Swiss businesses, was held this Friday at SWX Convention Point, Zurich.
The event was organized by the Embassy of Colombia in Switzerland and PROCOLOMBIA, with the support of the Swiss promotion agency OSEC and the Latin American Chamber of Commerce. It shared success stories and experiences of the firms Schindler Group, Expocafé and DHL Logistics, which told their success stories and experiences with bilateral trade. Similarly, the Travelhouse case was presented, one of the largest tour operators in Switzerland, which offers package tours to Colombia.
Swiss companies showed their interest to invest in Colombia in the trade field as private equity funds, energy, financial services and software, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, some minerals, specialty coffees and chemicals, among others.
The new incentive policies for foreign investment, the business environment in Colombia and the opportunities open thanks to the FTA were the most common concerns of Swiss entrepreneurs.
The meeting was attended by the Ambassador of Colombia to Switzerland, Claudia Turbay, the deputy trade minister of Colombia, Gabriel Duque, the Vice President of Investment PROCOLOMBIA, Juan Carlos Gonzalez, the president of ANDI, Luis Carlos Villegas, the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs of Switzerland, Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch, the CEO of OSEC, Daniel Küng, the Swiss Minister in charge of the Americas Division of the Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Philippe G. Nell, and President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Switzerland, Richard Friedl.
There are currently about 20 Swiss multinational companies established in Colombia, which generate 14,000 direct jobs. Switzerland ranks No. 15 within the countries which are sources of investment in Colombia. Swiss Investments between 2000 and 2010 increased to US$411.7 million, according to figures from the Central Bank.
The FTA with Switzerland is the first entered into between Colombia a developed country in Europe, with one of the highest per capita income indices in the world. This agreement is the opportunity to balance the trade scale and poses a challenge for Colombian companies, which now have open doors to reach sophisticated consumers with high buying power, mindful of their health, with high social awareness and protective of the environment, who demand quality.
