Perth moves to establish Australia’s first European Chamber Alliance

More than 200 business, authorities and assemblage leaders gathered successful Perth connected Saturday evening for the inaugural European Australian Chambers’ Dinner, hosted by the Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA (HACCI WA), successful what organisers described arsenic a large step guardant successful European Australian concern collaboration.

Held arsenic portion of Europe Day celebrations, the lawsuit brought together 9 European chambers operating successful Western Australia and culminated successful a important announcement — participating chambers are present working toward establishing a ceremonial European Chamber Alliance for Western Australia.

The evening was officially opened by Tony Buti and featured a sheet treatment moderated by Charles Kobelke, while sheet speakers included Joanna Pocztowska, Ben MacNamara, Oliver Morton and Trevor Worgan. The lawsuit was supported by Platinum Sponsor Westpac and Gold Sponsors Limnios Property Group and Kailis Jewellery.

(L-R) Dr Elena Limnios, Charles Kobelke, Ben MacNamara, The Hon Dr Tony Buti MLA, Joanna Pocztowska, Oliver Morton, Trevor Worgan.

If realised, the inaugural would presumption Perth arsenic the archetypal Australian metropolis to found a coordinated confederation of European chambers.

The projected confederation has emerged done increasing practice betwixt the Greek, Italian, French, German, Croatian, Spanish, Norwegian, Polish and Swiss chambers, with a shared absorption connected strengthening trade, investment, concern connectivity and engagement with government.

HACCI WA President Dr Elena Limnios said the inaugural represented an important infinitesimal for Western Australia’s economical future.

“Perth is doing something that nary different Australian metropolis has done,” Dr Limnios said.

“We are gathering a projected European Chamber Alliance — not to regenerate what each enclosure already does so well individually, but to amplify it. To marque us greater than the sum of our parts.”

(L-R) Angela Tomazos HACCI NT and HNF Chair, Dr Thanasis Gaitatzis HACCI WA Vice President, Fotini Kypraios HACCI VIC Chair, Dr Elena Limnios HACCI WA President, Antiopi Orkopoulos HACCI WA Secretary, Voula Terzoudi HACCI WA Committee member, Tas Mitaros HACCI WA Committee Member.

Dr Limnios said the inaugural reflected years of collaboration and relationship-building betwixt chambers and communities crossed Western Australia.

“Personally, it is incredibly breathtaking to spot years of narration building, trust and shared vision germinate into something with the imaginable to make existent agelong term interaction for businesses, communities and planetary engagement successful Western Australia,” she said.

The lawsuit came conscionable weeks aft negotiations surrounding the Australia-European Union Free Trade Agreement concluded, alongside the signing of the EU-Australia Security and Defence Partnership, developments expected to deepen practice crossed trade, defence, renewable energy, aviation, precocious manufacturing and captious minerals.

Discussions passim the evening focused connected the increasing strategic value of Europe-Australia relations amid planetary geopolitical and economical shifts, peculiarly arsenic Europe progressively looks toward trusted Indo-Pacific partners for supply concatenation resilience, vigor transition and concern capability.

Panel discussions explored emerging opportunities for Western Australian businesses successful sectors including agribusiness, defence, shipping, precocious manufacturing, cleanable vigor and aviation connectivity.

In her address, Dr Limnios described the existent infinitesimal arsenic transformational for the state.

“Europe has formally turned its regard to the Indo Pacific, looking for stable, strategic partners that stock the aforesaid values, and Western Australia sits astatine the very centre of that pivot,” she said.

She besides stressed that opportunities emerging from stronger Europe-Australia ties were not constricted to large corporations.

“The opportunities opening earlier us are not size limited,” Dr Limnios said.

“The question is not whether your concern is large capable to take vantage of the opportunity. The question is whether you are connected capable to cognize where to begin. We are present to assistance make those connections.”