EU trade commissioners ‘ready to work with Macau’

Alessandro Paolicchi (center)

With industrial diversification becoming an inevitable direction for Macau’s economic breakthrough, the European Union’s trade commissioners have seen great potential in local markets implied by the city’s transformation.
Over ten of the 17 trade commissioners from EU states who are represented in the SARs, gathered for a meeting with the local government yesterday at Macau’s annual environmental fair. According to the Head of Trade Section of the EU Office to Hong Kong and Macao, Mr Alessandro Paolicchi, the meeting was organized for commissioners to learn about Macau’s demands for industrial diversification, and in particular its plan in tourism development.
“For a long time we are ready to work with Macau to actually help it diversify the economy, and now it’s the right time to do it; the consolation alignment indicates that the authorities must diversify. So we are here to listen what the plans are and to offer our cooperation, to explore both business and regulatory opportunities for cooperation,” he explained to the Times at the EU Pavilion of the Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition (MIECF).
The diplomat indicated that the EU wants to be “a partner to the Macau government in helping diversify the economy,” and thus needs to know what Macau wants, so that they can narrow down the fields of expertise that the EU can provide.
“We have experience, especially with the new member states that joined the European Union in 2004. We are talking about countries going through in the span of decades or less a massive reform process, successfully, most of them,” he said.
The Trade Commissioner from the Czech Republic also recognized Macau’s inevitable path into economic diversification and its demand for sustainable infrastructure, where lies a large market potential in green technologies and tourism-related products.
Austrian Trade Commissioner and Consul, Mr Christian H. Schierer, also told the Times that the European countries “have a lot to offer” not only in fast moving consumer goods, but also in the fields of high-tech, environmental technologies and sustainable construction.
“We have quite a number of Austrian products exhibited: fast moving consumer goods, but people want to see more water treatment, for example. And infrastructure, raise traffic; [there are] a lot of opportunities, and we want to show Macau that Europe is a great provider for this kind of technology in business,” he said.
“Green technology is huge in Europe, and the European companies are the best in the world. So if Macau is interested in looking into the environment and green sector to diversify its economy, we can work together,” added Mr Paolicchi. BY