International Affairs
On October 10th, the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Brussels, organised a country seminar entitled: “Opportunities for trade between Luxembourg and Slovakia” on the occasion of the visit of Slovakia’s Minister of Finance, H.E. Mr. Peter Kažimír. The seminar was further enhanced by the presence of H.E. Mr. Pierre Gramegna, Luxembourg’s Finance Minister and H.E. Mr. Stanislav Vallo, Ambassador of Slovakia to Belgium and Luxembourg. H.E. Mr. Kažimír’s three day visit to Luxembourg was in the framework of the ECOFIN meeting he was presiding in the context of the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Mr. Carlo Thelen, Director General of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the Slovak delegation by highlighting the many similarities between Luxembourg and Slovakia. But also noted that the bilateral trade was lacking and that he hoped, through the seminar, to raise awareness of the new prospects and opportunities that the respective markets have to offer in order to further strengthen the ties between the two countries. He also drew special attention to a number of sectors that both Luxembourg and Slovakia are pursuing: the automotive industry, ICT, logistics and space.
At the round table were present a number of stakeholders, Luxembourg-based companies, various business federations, as well as representatives from the Ministry of the Economy. Most participants attended the seminar in the hope of receiving more detailed information about the Slovak market and its opportunities for Luxembourg companies. Indeed, the representatives of the Slovak Liaison Office for Research and Development and the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency both made an excellent case for the potential of the Slovak market. Both presentations are available in the attachment.
The Luxembourg companies that were present, representing many different fields of activity, then had the opportunity to talk about their projects and activities in Slovakia. Finally, Mr. Carlo Thelen gave a rundown of the main points made during the seminar for both Finance Ministers who expressed their hopes for a strong future collaboration between the two countries. All participants then enjoyed Slovak beverages and food, using this opportunity for an enjoyable and informal networking.
