EUMCCI Review - October 2010

IGEM 2010

EUMCCI OrganisesEU Presentation at

EUMCCI ReviewThe Business Digest of the European Union-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry KDN PP 14083/07/2011(029992)

Volume VI No. 4 October 2010

ContentsEUMCCI REVIEWwww.eumcci.com

Volume VI No.4October 2010

4 EDITORIAL

5 CHAMBER@WORKThe Malaysian Competition Act

2010

Delivering Talent to the Logistics Industry

EUMCCI Meets with the Minister of Finance

Strategic Trade Act (STA) 2010

7 EUROPE NEWS

11 FEATUREIGEM 2010, a Green Success !

The International Greentech & Eco-Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia

EU Climate Change Priorities

21 EVENTSIn Conversation with Tan Sri Dr

Koh Tsu Koon

Broadband as an Enabler for Growth

Recruiting and Beyond

Business Opportunities in Regional Establishments in Malaysia

Breakfast talk with Datuk Badlisham Ghazali

Counter-Terrorism and Democracy

28 MEMBERS’ CORNER

30 MALAYSIA NEWS

32 NEW MEMBERS

Published byEU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce & Industry EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce & Industry (EUMCCI)

Office AddressSuite 3.03, Menara Atlan (Naluri)161B Jalan Ampang50450 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaTel: +603-2162 6298Fax: +603-2162 6198E-mail: [email protected]: www.eumcci.com

EUMCCI BoardChairmanDavid Jones

Honourary TreasurerDato’ Robert Teo

DirectorsAustria Franz SchröderAustria Franz SchröderCyprus Wan Azuar Dato Wan DaudCyprus Wan Azuar Dato Wan DaudCyprus Wan Azuar Dato Wan DaudCzech Republic Milan VagnerCzech Republic Milan VagnerCzech Republic Milan VagnerDenmark Kim HansenDenmark Kim HansenDenmark Kim HansenFrance David AttarFrance David AttarFrance David AttarFinland Jari SilventoinenFinland Jari SilventoinenGermany Alexander StedtfeldGermany Alexander StedtfeldGreece Stellios PlainiotisIreland Ron AndersonItaly Alberto CiaramicoliItaly Alberto CiaramicoliMalaysia Caesar LoongMalaysia Caesar LoongMalta Paul Vincent GaleaMalta Paul Vincent GaleaThe Netherlands Marco WinterThe Netherlands Marco WinterPoland Czeslaw KlimczakPoland Czeslaw KlimczakSlovak Republic H.E. Milan LajciakSlovak Republic H.E. Milan LajciakSlovak Republic H.E. Milan LajciakSpain Luis LopezSpain Luis LopezSweden Hans BjorneredSweden Hans BjorneredUnited Kingdom Jon AddisUnited Kingdom Jon Addis

Editorial CommitteeMinna Saneri - EditorMinna Saneri - EditorKaren van DalsemKaren van DalsemStefanie BraukmannStefanie Braukmann

Contributing EditorsAndrew McFarlanePaul KelleherTimmy QuasemTimmy Quasem

SubmissionsArticles and other materials of interest to the general Articles and other materials of interest to the general Articles and other materials of interest to the general Articles and other materials of interest to the general membership are actively solicited and may be sent to membership are actively solicited and may be sent to membership are actively solicited and may be sent to membership are actively solicited and may be sent to the Chamber. All materials submitted for publication the Chamber. All materials submitted for publication the Chamber. All materials submitted for publication the Chamber. All materials submitted for publication are subject to editorial review and revisions.are subject to editorial review and revisions.are subject to editorial review and revisions.

ReproductionNo part of the EUMCCI Review may be reproduced No part of the EUMCCI Review may be reproduced No part of the EUMCCI Review may be reproduced No part of the EUMCCI Review may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical without prior written permission.or mechanical without prior written permission.or mechanical without prior written permission.

Circulation3,000 copies of the EUMCCI Review are distributed, 3,000 copies of the EUMCCI Review are distributed, 3,000 copies of the EUMCCI Review are distributed, on a quarterly basis to EUMCCI members, all on a quarterly basis to EUMCCI members, all on a quarterly basis to EUMCCI members, all on a quarterly basis to EUMCCI members, all Embassies, industry associations and government Embassies, industry associations and government Embassies, industry associations and government officials with whom the Chamber has dealings as well officials with whom the Chamber has dealings as well officials with whom the Chamber has dealings as well as to European Chambers Worldwide.as to European Chambers Worldwide.

Subscription ServiceSubscriptions from non-members are also accepted at Subscriptions from non-members are also accepted at RM80.00 (€28.00 abroad) for 4 issues. Individual 28.00 abroad) for 4 issues. Individual 28.00 abroad) for 4 issues. Individual copies may be purchased at RM25.00 (copies may be purchased at RM25.00 (€8.00 8.00 abroad).

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After months of preparation and hard work from the EUMCCI and its partners, we are hugely proud of the EU contribution to the inaugural International Eco Products and Green Technology Exhibition IGEM 2010. The event proved to be a huge success for all involved and attracted a lot of interest from the Malaysian public also. I think IGEM has done a terrifi c job in raising awareness of green issues in Malaysia and it is a credit to the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water and their fellow organisers for making it a truly unique and special event. It really gives us confi rmation that Malaysia is determined to go green and achieve the ambitious targets set by the Honorable Prime Minister.

Malaysia will continue to be a very attractive investment location for many EU companies. The launch of FTA negotiations will only further strengthen the ties. Our EU presence at IGEM 2010 is part of a close working relationship we have developed together with the EU Delegation, the Member States and with The Hon. Dato’ Sri Peter Chin Fah Kui and the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water. We have engaged in an open dialogue with the Ministry and we hope this mutually benefi cial partnership will continue. We brought European experts in the fi eld of green technology to Putrajaya in June to exchange knowhow and give advice on incentives for the fi eld of green tech. In IGEM we concentrated on business to business activities. From a European perspective, we were delighted to have 35 exhibitors from the European Union at the exhibition. SMEs from Italy, Portugal, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and Greece were joined by giants such as Siemens and Q Cells from Germany, Alstom from France and Philips from the Netherlands. The eclectic mix of companies, nations, industries and even the Trade and Promotion Section of the Polish embassy ensured that whatever your interest in the Green technology fi eld, the EU pavilion was able to cater for you.

The European companies generated much excitement among the public and even among the VIPs that dropped by over the four day exhibition. We were delighted to welcome YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia; His Majesty SPB Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, King of Malaysia; and of course our close partner The Hon. Dato’ Sri Peter Chin Fah Kui, Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water of Malaysia. Other distinguished visitors to our EU pavilion included The Hon. Senator Dato’ Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development of Malaysia and even more royalty in the form of His Royal Highness Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus, Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir. The EU pavilions were also a stopping point for Mr. Liu Qui, Vice Director of China’s National Energy Administration and Pehin Dato Mohammad Yasmin Umar, the Minister of Energy of Brunei.

IGEM 2010 was a huge success for the EU companies and we have already set the wheels in motion for next year’s event. With over 1 billion in proposed business deals and over 1000 business meetings this year, IGEM 2011 is expected to be bigger, better and even more of a success; and the EUMCCI will be there again. We look forward to welcoming even more European companies to Malaysian shores in the second week of September 2011.

I would like to congratulate all involved in IGEM 2010, in particular the Ministry, the EU Delegation, the EU Member States and the European companies. It has been a pleasure for the EUMCCI to be your partners in this event and we look forward to seeing you all there again next year. I also want to take the opportunity to thank the EUMCCI-MGCC team for a great job done!

Warmest Regards,Minna Saneri

IGEM 2010 – Green is the Colour of .... Success

“It really gives us confirmation that Malaysia is determined to go

green and achieve the

ambitious targets set by the

Honorable Prime Minister”

EUMCCI Review4 October

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EUMCCI Review October 5

The Malaysian Competition Act 2010EUMCCI’s IPR committee organised a breakfast talk at the solicitor’s offi ce of Shearn Delamore and Co. on 3rd August on the impact of the new Competition Act 2010 and how businesses will be conducted under this new legislation in Malaysia.

The deputy head of IPR committee Mr Chew Phye Keat (Raja Darryl & Loh) was the speaker, introduced by moderator Mr Wong Sai Fong, Managing Partner, Shearn Delamore & Co. This meeting was certainly not a mere explanation of dry and bewildering legal norms, moreover it was an interactive discussion between legal experts and businessmen with the specifi c aim of clarifying future competition issues which might affect business in Malaysia.

Everyone knows the adage: ‘Competition is good for Business’. All the more surprising then, is the fact that Malaysia does not yet have a Competition Law. Since inde-pendence, aspects of this legal fi eld have been regulated primarily at the sectoral level, whereby regulations have been ineffi cient and incomplete rather than guided. Competition policy is basically about making sure that companies compete with each other on an equal footing – on the basis of their products and prices – with no unfair advantages. The issue is not only having no adequate competition law. There is also a lack of formal institutions which deal with these legal issues. This legal uncertainty is about to diminish through the new Competition Act 2010 which will come into force in January 2012.

What kind of impact does the introduction of a new legal standard have to those who come to Malaysia to develop their busi-nesses? The new law is designed to esta-blish a robust and comprehensive compe-tition law regime, procedures, and an enforcement authority (competition enforcement authority). The Purpose of the law will be to promote economic develop-ment by promoting and protecting the

process of competition, with the ultimate goal of protecting consumers. The new law will be applicable to all commercial activities except commercial activities regulated under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, and the Energy Commission Act 2001.

Part 1 of the Competition act gives defi ni-tions and explanations for certain terms like agreement, dominant position, market, goods etc. Although these defi nitions will not answer all questions concerning these terms, it aims to give a deeper under-standing about Competition law in general and about the interpretation of keywords mentioned above.

“Of course,” Mr Chew Phye Keat reminded the audience, “What’s good for Europe is not necessarily good for Malaysia”. Even though the European legislation is well established in the area of competition law, Malaysia has its own unique way of conducting business.

However, at the end of the day it is expected that the EU-Guidelines1 will have a great impact in terms of interpretation of the law. The concept of competition law is already fully developed in Europe and hence Malaysia will use Europe’s longstanding experience, and especially the UK’s case law for interpretation of cases, as Malaysia’s current law system is mainly based on the common law system.

Part 2, Sub-Chapter 2 comprises the main practices that competition law is concerned with. Essentially it covers:• Anti-competitive agreements• The abuse of a dominant market position

There are several exemptions and exclusions within both legal fi elds. Mr Chew Phye Keat gave good examples to underline the meaning of ‘abusing dominant position’ and ‘Anti-Competitive Agreements’. Firstly, he examined “Anti Competitive Agree-ments”. It has been very important for him to make clear that the formal legal meaning of ‘agreement’ is not applicable here. To put it in other words, an agreement can be achieved simply by ‘eye-contact and nod’.

However, two different types of agreements can be identifi ed:· Horizontal Agreement “Means an agreement between enter-

prises, each of which operates at the same level in the production or distribu-tion chain”; (e.g.: Price fi xing Market sharing; Bid rigging; Control of production or market access; Collusion)

· Vertical Agreement “Means an agreement between enter-

prises each of which operates at a diffe-rent level in the production or distribu-tion chain”; (e.g.: supply; distribution; licensing; franchise; agency)

Secondly, Mr Chew Phye Keat continues with an explanation about ‘Abuse of dominant position’. ‘Dominant position’ means a situation in which one or more enterprises possess such signifi cant power in a market to adjust prices or outputs or trading terms, without effective constraint from competitors or potential competitors; (e.g. Unfair purchase or selling price or other unfair trading condition on any supplier or customer, Limit or control production, markets, technical development or investment to the prejudice of consu-mers; Price discrimination ; Tied selling; Predatory pricing; Refusals to supply; Exclusive dealing agreements.

In conclusion Mr Chew Phye Keat suc-ceeded in bringing light to the new competition law Malaysia will soon face. It remains to be seen how intensive European competition regulations will infl uence Malaysia’s legislation – but one thing is for sure, it will not be a minor infl uence.

EUMCCI would like to thank Shearn Delamore & Co. for the venue and special thanks goes to the head of the EUMCCI –IPR committee Ms Wong Jin Nee, the deputy head and speaker Mr Chew Phye Keat.

by T. Quasem

(From l. to r. in their order of appearance)Ho Chin Kun - One World Realty Sdn Bhd, Jeffrey Chen - Air Products Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Chew Phye Keat - Raja Darryl & Lo (speaker)

1 http://ec.europa.eu/competition/index_en.html

“A balanced competition law should promote effi ciency and welfare ”

Mr Wong Sai Fong

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Delivering Talent to the Logistics IndustryEUMCCI hosted Mr. Joerg Friedel, Mana-

ging Director of UTi Logistics, and other

interested parties from the logistics sector

on the 23rd September to share his expe-

rience thus far with his apprenticeship

program within UTi (as featured earlier in

April 2010’s EUMCCI Review). The

apprenticeship program sought to take fi ve

apprentices from Sabah and prepare them

with the necessary skills for a career in the

logistics industry – and at the same time

add a few highly talented individuals to an

industry where talent and skill is hard to

fi nd.

During his presentation, Mr. Friedel spoke

openly as he shared his experience with the

fi ve apprentices; he described how, as the

apprentices rotate through different parts

of the business, some clearly fi nd certain

areas more interesting than others and

come equipped with the necessary problem-

solving skills.

As a result, the benefi ts of training these

fi ve young people (to begin with) specifi cally

to the needs of the logistics industry seem

to have been obvious to all present, and

with GMI and EUMCCI’s support and co-

operation, the possible involvement of more

industry partners with this program can

only lead to further signifi cant benefi ts for

the industry as a whole.

by A. McFarlane

EUMCCI meets with the Minister of FinanceOn 2nd November EUMCCI led a small

group of members to a closed door meeting

with Dato’ Seri Ahmad Husni Mohamad

Hanadzlah, the Minister of Finance. The

Minister wanted to gather feedback from

foreign investors on issues hindering their

investments and how Malaysia could regain

its attractiveness as FDI

destination. One of the main

topics discussed was brain

drain, as Malaysia is losing the

best talents to Singapore and

other regional hubs. This results

in companies needing to look

for talents abroad, while they

can’t fi nd the right mixture in

Malaysia. The challenge of

Human Capital needs to be

addressed soonest .

Strategic Trade Act (STA) 2010EUMCCI attended the briefi ng on the

strategic trade act on 12th October 2010.

On the 6th May the STA was passed by the

parliament. Basically this bill should improve

Malaysia’s Export Control law.

In 2004, the United Nations (UN) Security

Council passed a resolution which

requested member countries to establish an

export control system for the purpose of

non-proliferation of weapons of mass

destruction. In other words, member states

were requested to control exports of

strategic items which may be used for

terrorist activities. 6 years later the

Parliament passes the Strategic Trade Bill

2010 that gives authorities power to act

against those involved in the design,

development and production of weapons

of mass destruction. This should be a sign

to those who have the perception that

Malaysia is a dumping ground for weapons

The Strategic Trade Bill 2010 had a provision

on the control of exports, transferring,

transiting and brokering of strategic goods,

including arms and related materials, and

other activities that would or could facilitate

the designing, development and production

of WMD and its delivery, and other things

related to them.

The Purpose of the act is to provide control

over the export of strategic items, in

particular dual use goods, which can be

used for the proliferation of weapons of

mass destruction. The STA also intended to

strengthen the ability to curb the export

and transhipment of WMD related

materials. WMD refers to biological

weapons, biological agents, chemical

weapons, toxins, and nuclear weapons

while strategic goods refer to goods and

technology that could be used to produce

arms and related materials. MiTi is facing a

diffi cult challenge by categorising materials

which are considered as “dual use goods”.

The Act does not specifi cally identify the

goods and technology which are considered

strategic, though this term may span the EU

list.

The Act also requires permitting for

shipments of non-strategic or “unlisted”

items to restricted end-users, and denies

shipments to prohibited end users. Other

provisions of the legislation call for

extraterritorial enforcement, imposition of

substantial penalties for non-compliance,

record-keeping requirements, and potential

for exemptions. The Act’s ultimate goal is to

provide the international trading community

with the assurance that Malaysia is a

desirable trading partner, whose open

system has a sound mechanism to protect

against security compromises.

For further information, please contact:

Strategic Trade Act Secretariat, MITI, admin.

[email protected]

how, for example, not only the apprentices

but also the existing staff have needed to

be mentored so that they understand that

the apprentices are there to be of help to

them and learn from them, but not to

replace them.

Following his presentation, Mr. Friedel

fi elded a large number of questions from

those present – many regarding the pure

practicality of implementing such a

program.

One of the points Mr. Friedel brought up,

which was generally shared by his other

industry colleagues was that, quite simply,

logistics is a problem-solving industry – and

that too many of today’s graduates don’t

One of the apprentices, with an UTi employee

Europe New

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EU Bio-Logo Compulsory

All pre-packed organic produce within the European Union now has to begin carrying the EU’s new bio-logo before 2012. The 1st

July 2010 saw the beginning of the transition period, which will see it becoming compulsory to carry the logo for all organic produce. The new logo, designed by a German design student in a competition which saw 3,422 students take part, depicts a leaf formed from the stars of the European fl ag and has been titled the ‘Euro Leaf’ - and also represents the second time the EU has brought out a logo specifi cally for organic goods.

While the former logo was voluntary, the new logo is compulsory and alongside it, the code number of the control body and the place where the agricultural raw materials were farmed must also be displayed. In more practical terms, goods carrying the bio-logo guarantee compliance with EU organic farming regulations and are assured to have not less than 95% of their contents organically-produced.

In the mean time, existing national or regional logos may still be used, where applicable, although it is expected that during the transition period, the EU’s bio-logo will itself become recognised as the main standard by consumers. The logo remains entirely voluntary for organic produce imported from third countries (i.e. outside the EU), however as it becomes more widely known, it is expected that it will add to consumer confi dence when purchasing organic products.

Source: ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic

Malaysia-Ireland tradeIn 2009 two-way merchandise trade bet-ween Malaysia and Ireland amounted to€1.1 billion, a decrease on the previous year’s record due to the global recession. Data processing machines, telecommunica-tions and electrical machinery account for almost 90% of total two-way merchandise trade. This is not surprising, as both Ireland and Malaysia’s merchandise export sectors are dominated by multi-national corpora-tions, using Ireland as a gateway to Europe and Malaysia as a gateway to the Asian markets.

Ireland Imports from Malaysia

Exports to Malaysia

€ m. 285.40 836.00

network (link to www.ebonetwork.eu), the unifi ed platform for all European business organizations established in non-EU countries with the support of the European Commission.

TEBA’s European-based liaison offi ce, the Europe-Asia Cooperation Agency (EACA), was set up in 2004 to create business opportunities, promote trade and imple-ment industrial cooperation projects for European and Asian companies.

www.eaca.asia

Change of Presidency in MGCCOn 30 June 2010, Mr. Andreas Prinz, Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Malaysia Sdn Bhd was introduced as president of Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MGCC) for the term 2010-2011, replacing Mr. P Kandiah, Principal and CEO of renowned intellectual property fi rm KASS International Sdn Bhd. Mr. P Kandiah now holds the title of Vice-President.

The trade balance is very much in Ireland’s favour and it should be noted that the fi gures above do not refl ect the trade in services, such as education and consultancy, which is also in Ireland’s favour.

Aside from assisting individual Irish exporting companies, Enterprise Ireland, the Irish Government’s Trade and Technology Agency, has a number of annual pro-grammes of activity, designed to strengthen the already close economic ties. These activities are in education services, tele-communications, software and food and beverages.

Within Ireland, Enterprise Ireland is involved in many aspects of the growth and deve-lopment of Irish companies and in the overseas arena. Enterprise Ireland is respon-sible for promoting the development of economic links with Ireland generally and with assisting Irish companies to grow their exports in the Malaysian market.

Source: Enterprise Ireland

New European Business Association in Thailand

EU-Malaysian businesses interested in Thailand can now colla borate with the Thai European

Business Asso ciation (TEBA). Just like EUMCCI, TEBA is an independent, self-fi nanced entity, set-up and managed by the European business community and local companies interested in the vast EU market.

TEBA, the affi liate Partner for Thailand, will be receiving support on information, busi-ness, joint-research opportunities, and much more in Europe through the European Commission’s European Enterprise Network (EEN) (www.enterprise-europe-network.ec.europa.eu)

The Association is part of the worldwide European Business Organization (EBO)

Mr P Kandiah (l.) changing guards with (r.) Mr Andreas Prinz

Irish Minister for Health, Mary Harney (mid), Irish Ambassador to Malaysia -Eugene Hutchinson (2nd right), with officials of Star Publications and IOTI’s local representative.

In attendance were also two prominent offi cials representing the International business community who shared their views on various economic and trade topics. President of the Malaysian-International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI), Mr. Charles Ireland presented the keynote address at the AGM. At the luncheon talk, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Malaysia, H.E. Vincent Piket spoke on issues relating to the EUs road to recovery following the fi nancial crisis, on market access and FTA talks with the Malaysian government, and on the promotion of green tech policies and technology in Malaysia.

During the AGM, members were presented with a detailed report of the Chamber’s activities during the past year, as well as a report on the audited accounts of the Chamber.

Euro

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The European Union Film FestivalThe European Union Film Festival (EUFF2010) in Malaysia is an annual cultural event organized this year by the Embassy of Belgium, in its capacity as chair of the European Union, together with Golden Screen Cinemas and the Delegation of the European Union in Kuala Lumpur. During the 11th edition of the EU Film Festival 18 movies from 15 different European Union member states will be screened from the 11th until the 21st of November in GSC Pavillion , GSC Mid-Valley Megamall and GSC 1 Utama. The full program and more information on each movie can soon be found on www.euff.com.my

MDBC Launches Penang ChapterThe Malaysian Dutch Business Council (MBDC) launched a branch in Penang this summer. The launch was kicked off with a welcome speech by MDBC Executive Director Marco Winter on behalf of Chairman Dato’ Jaffar Indot. Marco Winter: “For the benefi t of all parties involved, such as Dutch-related entrepreneurs in the Northern region, the MDBC, the Netherlands Embassy and the Penang authorities, the time is right to bring all together and establish a better cooperation towards a more conducive business environment.”

his delight that “MDBC will now have a Chapter here, which will serve to enhance trade ties.”

As the MDBC Penang Representative, John Benoist, formerly Managing Director of ASM Wafer Process Equipment Singapore, will play a coordinating role on behalf of the MDBC and the Netherlands Embassy. Working with the Netherlands Embassy, Penang will also continue to get assistance through shared Dutch expertise, especially in the areas of water management, heritage conservation and environmental preserva-tion.

New Set-Up at BMCCEvents at the British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (BMCC) have moved ahead in recent weeks with the appointment of Jon Addis as the new Chairman, some new faces at the BMCC Executive Offi ce and a new offi ce location.

Jon, who is currently Executive Director & Deputy CEO of HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad, has served as a BMCC Board Director for the last two years. Speaking at a recent BMCC event, he said, “BMCC is very much a Chamber of Strengths. The BMCC brand is very strong and the diverse set of skills resident with the Board of Directors is a unique asset,” adding, “We have upped our game on a number fronts including a dynamic new team at the Executive Offi ce and a new-look events programme.”

Baljeet Kaur has joined as Operations Manager and Winnie Ng as Customer Services Manager, both working alongside Business Development Director Molly Jagpal.

The new offi ce is located just one fl oor down from the previous premises at Level 4, East Block, Wisma Selangor Dredging, 142B Jalan Ampang. Phone, fax and email contacts remain: Tel +603 2163 1784, Fax: +603 2163 1786 E-mail: [email protected]

MYEULINK: Bringing Malaysia and the EU closer together through higher educationA three-year project based in Malaysia; MYEULINK, aims to increase awareness and understanding of the EU and its key policies among universities, government offi cials, the private sector, the media and other interest groups in Malaysia.

Penang Deputy Chief Minister YB Prof Ramasamy, Marco Winter, John Benoist and Jan Soer.

Jon Addis, new Chairman of BMCC

Penang Deputy Chief Minister, Prof. Dr. Ramasamy said that he hoped the positive relationship between Penang and the Netherlands would continue to grow and called for continued skills and technology transfers between the two. Jan Soer, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, praised the “long-standing and excellent relations that the Netherlands has with Penang” and stated

Dr Simona Guerra of University of Nottingham UK explaining topics to International Relations students at UM during the UM EU ACTIVE WEEK

It is the fi rst major EU-funded activity to be co-ordinated at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. Professor Sayed Azam-Ali, Vice-Provost (Research & Internationalisation) at University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC), and MYEULINK Project Co-ordinator, said: “This initiative is a very positive step because it brings together two key sectors, higher education and business, to identify common priorities between the EU and Malaysia. Linkages developed through MYEULINK will be ideally placed to apply for research funding through the EU Framework and other programmes.”

MYEULINK will also contribute to the Government of Malaysia’s vision of making the country a tertiary education hub for the region, and to the internationalisation of its higher education sector.

The MYEULINK project brings together a number of institutions, as well as UNMC: the University of Malaya, Universiti Putra Malaysia, University Malaysia Sabah, University of Nottingham in the UK and Maastricht University in the Netherlands.

Among other activities, participating institutions will deliver and develop an on-line repository of EU-related teaching in Business, Economics, History, Politics, Law and Media. A Europe/Malaysia Higher Education Fair, linking HE institutions in Malaysia with counterparts in Europe, is planned for early 2011.

Europe New

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Winning Across Global Markets: How Nokia Creates Strategic Advantage in a Fast Changing WorldDr Dan Steinbock launched his book at the residence of the Finnish Ambassador on 29th of September. In 2009 Nokia sold 432 million phones, 68 million of which were Smartphone’s. In the same year Apple sold 20 million units of its iPhone. This would appear to make Nokia the global market leader by a considerable margin. This however is not the perception many people have about who is the global leader in the

their phones to each market. Apple, for their part, creates primarily for the US, a fact borne out by a high pricing point in India which worked against sales of the iPhone4 in that market. The price per unit for their iPhone 4 in India was about 68% of annual GDP per capita. In relative terms, it would be equivalent to asking a consumer in the US market to pay $31,500 for an iPhone.

Dr Steinbock examines Nokia’s more global strategy compared to their main compe-titors more US centric-strategy. Although Nokia’s market share in the US in now below RIM, Apple, Samsung and LG, there is an understanding among the Nokia elite

that the US still is very much integral to Nokia’s long term plans. The US matters to Nokia as 40% of its shares are held by US investors, with another 40% in other developed nations. This is just part of the reason that Nokia has recently appointed its fi rst non-Finnish CEO, Stephen Elop. Elop, a former president of Microsoft’s business division has intimated that Nokia is poised for change. Once the darling of the Wall Street investors, the Finnish based company which outfought Motorola in the 1990s to

become the market leader in mobile telecommunica tions, is now at the centre of a big battle to re-establish itself as a true global leader.

Although Nokia has a well established base in many developing countries, it is largely felt that it will need to succeed in the United States to achieve long term global success. Armed with a man who knows the American market, under Elop, Nokia intends to regain a larger share of the US market and is hopeful, and quietly confi dent, that the launch of the new multi-touch Smartphone, the N8, will prove a more affordable and more popular alternative to its rivals.

Steinbock said that their appointment of Elop “may be indicative of the direction the company will go. He has a reputation as a change manager.” The next three to nine months is pivotal for Nokia. The N8 is scheduled for release in late October 2010 in Malaysia. Will Nokia gain successes in the

United States similar to its impressive performances around the world to become, once again, the true leader in the industry? “Historically, Nokia is strong in innovation and, with a home country of only fi ve million people, it is strong in globalisation too’, remarked Steinbock. The talking is done, now it’s time to walk the walk.

edited by P. Kelleher

Italian Trade Mission Targets Malaysia as Important Trading and Investment HubThe Italian Trade Commission, together with PROMOS - the Special Agency of the Milan Chamber of Commerce, and the support from Italian Ministry of Economic Development and Lombardy Region, organized the ‘EXPOLOMBARDIA IN MALAYSIA’ at Prince Hotel & Residence Kuala Lumpur from 20th October to 22nd

October 2010.

Over 100 B2B meetings were arranged during this three-day event, which saw the participation of 12 Italian companies opera-ting in various industries: green technology and renewable energy, industrial machinery, lifts for residential and commercial buil-dings, air compressors, shoes and leather goods manufacturing machinery, leather, fresh fruits, cheeses, boats accessories, fi lling and packing machinery, F&B equip-

mobile telecommunications industry. So why (and with fi gures like 432 million sales, how?) are we listening to tales of Nokia’s decline in global terms? Are we right to believe that Apple and Nokia’s other competitors have usurped the once untouchable Finnish giant?

It is simple says Dr Dan Steinbock, author of Winning Across Global Markets: How Nokia Creates Strategic Advantage in a Fast Changing World, Nokia is not the big player in the US market right now. If you were to believe the hype, the battle for top spot in mobile supremacy is between Apple and RIM (creators of BlackBerry). According the Steinbock, “the world media if focused on the US and Apple draws 59% of its revenue from the American market.” Nokia on the other hand draws on only 4% of its revenue from the US. The other 96% is made up of 37% from Europe, 10% from Latin America, 14% from the Middle East and a considerable 35% from China and Asia Pacifi c.

Nokia entered, and has remained strong in these developing markets by customizing

Dr Dan Steinbock and HE Tapio Saarela

Dr Gianpaolo Neri, First Secretary of the Embassy of Italy with exhibitors

ment for commercial kitchens, services in producing technical user manuals in conformity to EC standards and others.

Two Italian experts also gave a seminar entitled ‘The Italian Leather World’, high-lighting the latest technology, components, accessories, future trends and designs in leather and shoe manufacturing sector.


Green technology is the way forward towards a sustainable environment to en sure a brighter world for future generations. The International Green tech & Eco Products Exhibition and Conference Malaysia 2010, or IGEM 2010, which took place between October 14-17, did not only create awareness and promote the continuing development and increased importance of green technology, but also encouraged industry in Malaysia to be more innovative and cutting edge and at the fore front of the global growth in green technology.

The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Najib, opened the fi rst IGEM at October 13, with statements of intent to budget and legislate for incentives for eco-friendly and sustainable features in homes and buildings. The Malaysian government’s commitment to reduction in greenhouse gases up to 40% by 2020, for example, goes deeper than those of the Copenhagen summit and their new budget provides for tax incentives and for subsidies to home owners and in research into green technologies.

EUMCCI and the EU delegation to Malaysia teamed up to offer 35 EU companies the chance to exhibit at three pavilions at IGEM 2010 which were designated for the EU. IGEM united new innovative ideas in green technology and expertise from Malaysia and EU, to be given the opportunity for growth and expansion in Malaysia.

Green technology is the way forward towards a sustainable environment to en sure a brighter world for future generations. The International Green tech & Eco Products Exhibition and Conference Malaysia 2010, or IGEM 2010, which took place between October 14-17, did not only create awareness and promote the continuing development and increased importance of green technology, but also encouraged industry in Malaysia to be more innovative and cutting edge and at the fore front of the global growth in green technology.

IGEM 2010IGEM aims to provide an essential platform to feature innovative eco-products, green technologies and services. It is a prestigious venue where green product buyers and sellers meet and conduct transactions.

IGEM 2010 was positioned to take lead and gather industry players and pro-fessionals from various sectors, public and private, big and small, local and foreign, new as well as established, to explore and seize the many opportunities from the exciting and emerging green market in the country and the region.

The EU Pavilion at the exhibition provided the perfect opportunity for Malaysian companies in a variety of industries to come and meet the leading innovators and producers of Green Technology from Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Portugal. Each company provides a different product or service, and this is an ideal opportunity to learn from European standards and technology, network with some of the leading producers of cleaner, greener techno logies and increase the competitiveness of your own business.

IGEM 2010, a Green Success!The International Greentech & Eco-Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia 2010

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Statistics & Results

Item Quantity

ExhibitionGross area 9,710 square meters

ExhibitorsNo. of exhibitorsNo. of boothsNo. of countries / regions

27750224

VisitorsNo. of visitorsNo. of countries / regions

86,37259

1 on 1 business matchingNo. of sessions 1,126 sessions

Total business transactions and leads MYR1.2066 billion

With the participation of 35 European exhibitors from 9 EU countries the EU was the largest exhibitor IGEM, out of the total 265 exhibitors. EUMCCI successfully coordi nated the precence of these EU companies and embassies at three EU pavilions.

In the Pavilions, renowned global brands and industry leaders such as Alstom, Philips and Siemens showcased their green products and services alongside smaller fi rms, SMEs, working in areas as diverse as renewable energy, waste management and environmental fi nance.

The participation of these companies at IGEM 2010 is part of a EUMCCI project, co-funded by the EU, which aims to enhance trade and investment between EU and Malaysia in the services sector. The focus for this year is Green Tech, an area with signifi cant potential for cooperation between Malaysia and Europe.

Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Malaysia, H.E. Vincent Piket said “European countries top ‘green patent’ world rankings. The EU is a world leader in green technology and Malaysia has a rich manufacturing base; we are ideal green tech partners”.

“We are pleased about the strong position that Malaysia is taking to move towards a greener economy. EU companies will be able to support and work alongside their Malaysian counterparts in contributing to green growth,” added Ambassador Piket.

“Moreover, once the EU-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement is concluded, Malaysian industries will have preferential access to the EU’s single market with its half a billion consumers. The FTA will also attract trade, quality investment, capital skills and know-how to Malaysia,” Mr Piket said.

David Jones, Chairman of EUMCCI highlighted that during IGEM 2010, over 170 qualifi ed business meetings have been arranged between Malaysian entrepreneurs and EU companies.

“We have also organised specifi c workshops to showcase European expertise in green technology. Our hope is that these initiatives will lead to mutually profi table business opportunities, joint ventures and technology transfers.”

“IGEM is just one step in the goals set by EUMCCI in cooperation with the EU Delegation to help boost the Malaysian service sector and cooperation between EU and Malaysian companies in areas of green technology, logistics, ICT and fi nancial services,” he added.

The EUMCCI Sectoral Committee for Environment, Energy and Green Technology (EEGT) Chairman, Thomas Brandt said “Malaysia has introduced attractive green technology policies but now needs to come up with stronger implementation to avoid falling behind neighbouring nations. The Malaysian Government’s commitment to investing in energy, security and sustain ability needs to be addressed as Malaysia is becoming a net importer of fossil fuel. Europe can be the perfect match in terms of systems, products and technology transfer”.

The EEGT Committee has played a key role in promoting EU-Malaysia business ex change and fostering business develop ment. The EEGT Committee is composed of fi ve sub committees that discuss issues in the areas of Water, Waste, Green Building, Energy Effi ciency and Renewable Energy.

The Honourable Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, discussing with Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Malaysia, H.E. Vincent Piket

EU Provides the Most GreenTech Companies at IGEM 2010

Datuk Seri Peter Chin surrounded by Austrian exhibitors


“IGEM Facilitates the high profi le image of EU Technology”

H.E. Vincent Piket and H.R.H. King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin

“This is the fi rst IGEM exhibition and they organized it from zero to nothing. The Prime Minister was there, Dato’ Peter Chin, even his Majesty the King of Malaysia, Yang di-Pertuan Agong. This big event is really something you should be proud of. There even was a security briefi ng at the opening event, which shows the detail in which everything was organized.” said Thomas Brandt, head of EUMCCI committee for Energy, Environment and Green Technology.

Exhibitors, but also visitors were coming from everywhere in Malaysia; the organizers spent a lot of effort in terms of time, advertising, and marketing. Brandt: “The quality of the visitors, even at the public days, was very high. Our exhibitors had several very good meetings, either pre-arranged such as in the Business Matchmaking session as well as at their booths.”

For EUMCCI, this event adds on to the other activities organized under the Services Sector project, co-funded by the EU, which aims to enhance trade and investment between EU and Malaysia in the services sector. EUMCCI started this year with the capacity building event, an Expertise Transfer Session in the area of Green Technology, bringing knowledge from EU to Malaysia. This activity was organized together with KeTTHA in association with the EU delegation to Malaysia and the EU Member States.

At IGEM 2010, EUMCCI provides a private to private business approach to Malaysian and EU businesses. Three activities were pivotal here; the exhibition with three EU pavilions, with 35 EU organizations, the 21 presentations at the workshop and the 170 Matchmaking sessions. Brandt: ”This is the fi rst time European companies present themselves under the EU fl ag in Malaysia. The majority of our exhibitors are SMEs, a perfect match for the Malaysian Economy. The SMEs, with their inventions and patents produced here, invest and work together with local suppliers. The EU is SME-driven and Malaysia wants SMEs in this country to become stronger, so the companies themselves will have the best benefi t.”

Mr. Thomas Brandt: ”The matchmaking sessions were very successful. Our team made a lot of effort to pre-arrange the meetings, based on the profi les of the exhibitors. The sessions were popular among Malaysian companies, and we even had to turn down certain requests because we felt they did not match with the objective of the participation of our EU companies.” Also at the booths, there as a lot of activity: ”Some of the companies had to slow down with giving out their brochures and other informational material.”

Many companies made use of the chance to present themselves at the workshop session, where they shared information about their company, business and objectives with the audience. Brandt:”This facilitated the high profi le image of EU technology, which is good for the general knowledge and attitude towards EU businesses.”

Green is hotGreen is ‘hot’ these days and we have seen a lot of Green events in Malaysia and since 2009, there is a policy and a Ministry on Green Tech. Brandt: “We have not seen an increase in the share of Renewable Energy since then, and even Energy Effi ciency has not increased. The policies are there, what is missing is the acts to implement these policies. “The feed in tariff that will be implemented next year is based on a proven system from Germany. This system has been adopted by 22 countries already, of which Britain is one.”

Brandt continues, “Even though the quantity of the allowed electricity which will be given from the premium is very low, it would be crucial to increase the quantity to allow a green industry to grow. I see this as a task for the Green Tech Ministry but also MITI to feel responsible to give birth to a new industry, including employment.” Brandt also sees a role for the Ministry of Human Resource. “You need to educate people in order to keep this industry going. You need architects, installers, maintenance. From university level into practice, the whole range.”

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“You need to look at green building from a holistic perspective”

Dr Stellios Plainiotis, is the Managing Director of Neapoli Sdn Bhd and a member of the EEGT Committee and the EUMCCI board of directors. Dr Plainiotis came to Malaysia from Greece via London, as a consultant in environmental design and engineering. After working for a Danish company, 6 months ago he joined Neapoli as a shareholder. Neapoli is an environmental design and engineering consultancy company for the built environment.

Green Building in MalaysiaAccording to Dr Plainiotis, “Green building continues to gain momentum every year in Malaysia; however, the knowledge is insuffi cient yet. You can tell, because most clients here are basically looking for easy ‘green’ add-on solutions and not looking at a holistic approach in green building.”

“Energy and Environmental Design is not the attachment or supplement of architectural design, but an integrated design process with the architectural design.. Optimizing the ‘building envelope’ is the strategy you should start with. This includes insulation, day lighting, solar shading, natural ventilation and looking at the air tightness of a building. Next, one looks at the Mechanical and Electrical systems, like lighting, air-conditioning, elevators, etc. The third thing to do is looking at the energy management: centralizing the energy management in the most optimized way, so you don’t lose energy for example by turning off air-conditioning and lights when there are no people to enjoy them.”Dr Plainiotis goes on to say “Only after having optimized the building to the fullest, you will start to supply the energy to the building with renewable energy. So in buildings, renewable energy is the least priority. Using renewable energy in a non-optimized building is like pushing water in a pipe full of leaks. It is not sustainable at all.”

Certifi cation of buildings“With certifi cation for the Green Building Index (GBI) for example, the most important thing is that you introduce more responsibility, intelligence and know-how to the design process. First look at the budget involved and your objectives.” Dr. Plainiotis continues: “Only after you have indentifi ed your objectives, strategies and actions, we take GBI or another tool to rate the building. In other words: we work from the building to the tool, you don’t use the tool to design the building.”

Dr. Plainiotis insisted that “sometimes, you will fi nd big gains in unexpected areas, which you will not fi nd when trying to score points using a certifi cation tool. For example, in one of my former airport projects in Malaysia, we looked at the solid waste management and noticed that a considerable amount of this would arise from unsold but also unexpired food disposal. So we created a system where our client could donate the food to a food bank here in Malaysia. Result: 30% less solid waste and 1 ton of food per month donated to Malaysian families in need.”

“Things like this will not be measured with a rating tool, but are very important for the sustainability of a company, and even their image.” Dr. Plainiotis believes the rating tool should be used to evaluate the design, and not used to design the building.

Neapoli is working on several projects at the moment including the new Corporate Offi ce of PKNS, the Selangor State Development Corporation, where 2.8 acres of green roof is made accessible for the public as an elevated recreational park. Plainiotis: “This way, we will give back the green space taken from the park back to the environment and the Shah Alam community. The roof is connected to the existing park in Shah Alam, so we hope a lot of people will enjoy it, from 2013 onwards, when the project is completed.

“Use the tool to evaluate,

not to design”

Dr Stellios Plainiotis, is the Managing Director of Neapoli Sdn Bhd and a member of the EEGT Committee and the EUMCCI board of directors. Dr Plainiotis came to Malaysia from Greece via London, as a consultant in environmental design and engineering. After working for a Danish company, 6 months ago he joined Neapoli as a shareholder. Neapoli is an environmental design and engineering consultancy company for the built environment.

Green Building in MalaysiaAccording to Dr Plainiotis, “Green building continues to gain momentum every year in Malaysia; however, the knowledge is insuffi cient yet. You can tell, because most clients here are basically looking for easy ‘green’ add-on solutions and not looking at a holistic approach in green building.”

Dr Stellios Plainiotis, Managing Director of Neapoli, Greece

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“Environment is the key driver that is shaping the future”

“Smart Growth will help us meet climate change goals”

One of the bigger exhibitors at the EU Pavilions was the French based multinational Alstom. Alstom is a solutions provider in power generation, transmission grid and rail transportation with almost 800 staff in Malaysia alone. Alstom is being selected to provide turbines and generators to another hydro project in the Peninsula, due for completion in 2015. On the service side Alstom is carrying out several long term contracts with such companies as Genting, TTPC and Malakoff.

Mr. Saji Raghavan, Country President: “Alstom is exporting its technical solutions, from its base in France and Europe, through its various industrial and engineering bases worldwide. We are living our adage CLEAN POWER TODAY, by providing solutions using the latest technology to ensure highest possible effi ciencies and cleaner emissions.” Mr. Raghavan continues: “As we believe environment is the key driver that is shaping the future, it is only natural for us to be a serious player in providing solutions congruent to what we need in preserving the ecological status of the planet, be it in power or in transport. It is very heartening to note the government’s efforts in ‘going green’, and we intend to be part of the solution.”

Mr. Raghavan shares his vision on the future of Green Technology: “I would like to see the technologies becoming more affordable for all Malaysians, and more importantly Malaysians becoming more aware of the need to be ‘green’ and thus driving the demand for industries to become competitive. It is a cycle, resulting in competitive supply fulfi lling the demand. “ I would like to congratulate all involved in making IGEM a success, especially KETTHA for leading the initiative and our Prime Minister. Thank you EUMCCI for helming the EU pavilion

“We are proud to have been the largest single exhibitor at the International Green Technology and Eco-Product Exhibition and Conference in Malaysia (IGEM 2010). With close to 40 companies showcasing goods and services technologies from Northern, Southern and Central Europe in industries as diverse as energy, water and solid waste, the EU is showing its wish to engage with Malaysia as a green technology trading partner and a destination for green tech investment.

The EU’s prominent participation at IGEM 2010 underscores our global position at the cutting-edge of green technology. Our economic strategy for this decade, called the EU 2020 Strategy, highlights green technology as a new source of growth and of job creation. “Smart growth” will help us meet climate change goals, it will enable us to generate greater resource effi ciency and it will raise productivity. Achieving this requires that EU businesses reach out to the emerging economies in Asia, including South-East Asia.

With its rich manufacturing base and its well-developed research infrastructure, Malaysia is

proving especially attractive to EU fi rms. I am very glad that the EU and its Member States have been such a close partner of the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water ever since it was set up in April 2009. Over the past year, we held a policy dialogue on green technology with the purpose of sharing policies and regulatory frameworks for green technology. We also brought over EU experts to exchange knowhow on regulatory frameworks and on incentives for green tech and renewable energy. Later this year we aim to set up a new business platform for generating further ideas on how the use of green technology can be further promoted in industry as well as society as a whole.

The Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water has been instrumental in generating a major debate in Malaysia about green growth and the role of green technologies especially in business. I would like to congratulate the Ministry, and in particular its Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui, for this and for organising the IGEM. The EU, its Members States and its companies are glad to have been your partner in this major event.

HE Marc Baréty, Ambassador of France, Minister Peter Chin and Mr. Saji Raghavan, country president Alstom

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H.E. Vincent Piket, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to Malaysia


Siemens looking for new partnersSiemens Malaysia holds leading positions in its Industry, Energy and Healthcare Sectors and is present in all key sectors of the nation’s economy. Over the years, Siemens has invested more than RM4 billion locally as part of its commitment to the Malaysia’s development. The Malaysian government is Siemens’ main business partner, KLIA express is one of their bigger projects as well as the double track railway Seremban-Dutamas.

Chelvam Rengasamy, Sales & Bid Manager: “The awareness about Green Technology really needs to grow. The awareness in the industry however is very good already, so that is a good sign. We are basically looking for new potential partners here, the process of becoming a partner is a lengthy one, but here, we can meet them and follow up later. We joined the EU pavilion instead of presenting us by ourselves, because of the image of EU in Green Technology and we would like to be seen combined with technology from other EU companies.”

Chelvam Rengasamy, Sales & Bid Manager, Siemens, Germany

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Malaysia is aggressively promoting renewable energySince 1927 Hoppecke have been deve loping and pro ducing batteries and sys tems ‘Made in Germany’. Mr. Wolfgang Erbe, General Manager: “Join ing the EU pavilion was a choice of convenience to us: everything is arranged, there is some funding from EU and joining as a group makes sense as well. I am also very positive about the presentations on the fi rst day where everyone could present their product. The quality of the visitors is good, although the diversity of people makes it somewhat hard to fi nd the persons that are really interested in your industry. In any case, showing our presence here is the main thing and next time, I think we will even have a bigger booth.”

“Renewable energy started to be an interesting fi eld not so long ago, so in the next 10 years, we should be doing well in business. Malaysia is a base to expand in the region as Malaysia is now the biggest in renewable energy in this region. The government is pushing this very well, and puts money in it. Other than Australia, I don’t see another country being so aggressive in this.”

Wolfgang Erbe, General Manager Hoppecke, Germany

170 X EU Matchmaking170 pre-arranged meetings were set up between EU exhibitors at the pavilion and Malaysian companies. An elaborate screening, based on the profi les of all companies, which preceded the match-making session 6 weeks before IGEM led to a very benefi cial process for all companies involved. Carlos Moura, Managing Director, Aicep Portugal Global: “The matchmaking session gave us very good results, we met local business partners which are already represented in Jakarta and Vietnam so the sales perspective is very good.”

The matchmaking lunch was sponsored by TNT.

170 Pre-arranged Matchmaking Sessions

Sukha Chew, Chan Swee Hua from TNT and David Jones, EUMCCI.EUMCCI.


‘Green Technology from Europe’ PublicationDistributed 2000 booklets, containing the program of the EU presence to IGEM, profi les of the EU companies but also the position paper of EUMCCI’s Energy, Environment and Green Techno logy Committee (EEGT) were given to the high quality audience of IGEM.

program of the EU presence to IGEM,

GREEN TECHNOLOGYFROM EUROPE

Many high quality Malaysian enterprises and also the international society is hereRafal Szczepkowski, Second Secretary, Trade and investment Promotion Section, Embassy of the Republic of Poland: “We like to join and support EU activities and fi nd it important to be present here. Poland joined EU in 2004, after waiting for a long time and now we are EU, we have to be here at IGEM as well. As EU, I believe we have to talk one voice with each other and Malaysia. On the forum, we have our own opinion; we can support ideas here and persue trendy innovations. Also, together with EU we are able to present ourselves with out mini mizing our indepen dency.”

“Our participation in IGEM is very good, there are many high quality Malaysian enter prises and also the international society is here, I met people from Pakistan and Turkey. One of the Polish companies met a Malaysian organization who would sell tech nology to Poland to save energy in heavy industry.”

Rafal Szczepkowski, Second Secretary, Trade Rafal Szczepkowski, Second Secretary, Trade and investment Promotion Section, Embassy and investment Promotion Section, Embassy of the Republic of Polandof the Republic of Poland

IGEM is a true kick start for the sectorCarlos Moura, Managing Director, Aicep Portugal Global: “IGEM is here for the fi rst time and I think it is beyond expectations. In one word: Fantastic. We were also happy to see that the bigger companies joined the exhibition and our pavilion; I think that that improved the quality of the exhibition and of the visitors.

I think IGEM is a true kick start for the sector, a steppingstone, showcasing that Portugal has really done a lot in the past 15 years, especially in Green and Renewable Energy. Portugal is a small country and presenting us as EU together will enlarge our visibility and credibility.”

“Next year, we hope to get more Portuguese companies in, and it would be great is other EU countries would join too, plus SMEs as they benefi t most from this event.”

35 EU exhibitorsPortugal, Poland, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Germany, France, Denmark and Austria were represented as EU member states in the three EU Pavilions. Big companies, well known in the fi eld and in Malaysia presented themselves at the exhibition, such as Q-Cells, Siemens, Alstom and Phillips. Also SMEs, the entrepreneurial heart of EU, joined the common initiative from Portugal, Denmark, Germany and many more besides.

Green Technology from EuropeThe EU workshop showcased the most cutting edge and pioneering SMEs from all around the European Union and attracted attention from many visitors to the exhibi-tion. His Excellency, Vincent Piket, the EU Ambassador to Malaysia opened the work-shop by stating that “today is a high point in the EU’s green tech cooperation with Malaysia.” His Excellency stressed the importance of EU business engaging with developing countries and the importance of the presence of EU companies at IGEM. He said, “We are ready to support their climate actions and their technological develop-ment. And we want to promote green business dynamics. Because one thing is clear: if business doesn’t buy into green growth, if the consumer does not under-stand the advantage of green consumption, then government policy will fail.”

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Biogas, Waste to Energy, Solid Waste Management and Planning & Mapping.

The DANIDA Pavilion displayed the past 16 years of cooperation between the Danish and Malaysian government on environ-mental development. During the years various greentech projects have spurred innovative solutions and technology for the benefi t of the environment, people and companies. The projects are now carried out on commercial terms and in the DANIDA Pavilion visitors have the opportunity to gain insight on the tech-nologies applied and developed throughout the years of cooperation.

In addition to the strong promotion at the exhibition, the Danish Embassy planned networking receptions, matchmaking meetings and technical seminars for the Danish companies.

The Race of Green Technology in AsiaThe United Nations, European Union, North America and countries such as Japan and Korea have enacted legislations and regulations to support green purchasing. These countries are also the world’s largest consumers of goods and services, and their consumption preference will severely impact on the way that goods are manufactured in Asia.

In realization of this new trend, Asia is also in the race to produce low carbon green technology and eco-products. Products such as paper, offi ce supplies, motor cars, offi ce automation equipment (computers, printers etc.), furniture, clothing, food, lighting equipment and household appliances; as well as services including banking, construction, cleaning, printing,

Malaysia Legislates for a Green EconomyDistribution and Cooperation Agreement Signed at IGEM 2010

Aura-Lite (M) Sdn Bhd, a major distributor of green products for the sustainable home, and U.K.-based manu facturer of innovative eco-products RainWater Harvesting Ltd signed a long term distribution and coope-ration agree ment. Under this agreement Aura-Lite will distribute rainwater harvesting equipment, across ten countries in the ASEAN area, from the British company and will cooperate in the development of new products and services. Aura-Lite launched at the IGEM show a range of products from RainWaterHarvesting.co.uk including underground tanks, fi lters, pumps and rain management systems.

From l. to r.: Oliver Harrison, John Pearson, Vivien Life, HE Simon Featherstonem, Marcus Bicknell En. Mohd Jamil B. Abd., Rachel Koh and Kelvin Lau at the siging of the contract

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hotels, transportation and electricity supply are currently being subjected to green procurement by the government.

Opportunities for Malaysian SMEs in biomass productsOne of the exhibitors under EU Pavilion was Biomass SP. Their role is to help Malaysian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) planning to tap regional as well as international markets for biomass products but lacking skills and expertise in pursuing their ventures to apply for training and coaching under a €1 million (RM4.1 million) European Union(EU)- funded project.

Provided under the SWITCH-Asia Pro-gramme, the EU-funded project aims to develop the biomass industry based on the principle of consumption and production via the enhancement of supply chain and uptake of biomass utilisation by local SMEs. The project aims to improve biomass supply chain in the country by promoting tie-ups among the industry, research institutions and universities to address the inconsistent biomass supply in Malaysia and unlock its wealth creation potential.

At the same time, the project will help selected SMEs implement sustainable pro-duction models to achieve economic growth, social well-being and address the issues of industrial pollution. Towards this end, Biomass-SP will be launching a signifi cant four-year initiative called the EU-Malaysia Biomass Entrepreneurs Nurturing Programme which offers complimentary coaching services to 50 selected biomass SMEs from all around the country.

The Biomass-SP secretariat will be holding briefi ng sessions to introduce Biomass-SP to Malaysian SMEs and outline how they can benefi t from the project. The secretariat (reachable at www.biomass-sp.net) will be holding briefi ng sessions in seven states, namely, Perak, Kedah, Pahang, Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Sabah and Sarawak between now and September.

The Biomass-SP is jointly organised by the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology, Association of Environ-mental Consultants and Companies, Euro-pean Biomass Industry Association and Danish Technological Institute with the support of the Ministry of Science, Tech-nology and Innovation, and the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water. Source: Business Times

Rachel S.C. Koh, Business Development Director of Aura-Lite said “We are excited by the prospects in the Asian market for products for the sustainable home. We are pleased to have these excellent rainwater products from RainWaterHarvesting.co.uk to add to our existing eco-offering and we look forward to developing them in cooperation with our new British partners.”

DANIDA Pavilion with 16 years of Malaysian-Danish cooperationAt IGEM 2010, 17 Danish and Malaysian partner companies show cased greentech solutions, services and know-how at the at one of the largest pavilions under the DANIDA programme. Further, Denmark was also present with 3 companies at the EU Pavilion.

In the pavilion, the presented technical solutions were centred on Waste Water Treatment, Biodiversity, Landfi ll Gas &


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Such action will need to have a strong focus on policies to accelerate innovation and early deployment of new technologies and infrastructure, creating a competitive edge for European companies in key sectors of the future, including energy effi ciency, green cars, smart grids, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and renewable energy. The EU is committed to a new energy strategy to encourage the development of carbon-free energy technologies such as wind power, solar power, hydropower, geothermal energy and second generation biomass.

However, much more remains to be done and the EU is raising the bar in all relevant fi elds, domestically and internationally.

Source: www.ec.europa.eu

Since the 1970s, the European Union has put in place a network of measures to protect the environment. The European Union policies have led to a steady improvement in a number of areas, such as the quality of air and water.

Sustainable development, climate change and renewable energy are all enshrined in the EU’s most recent policies. Tackling environmental issues is a priority for the EU. For example, December 2008 saw the formal adoption of the historic climate change and energy package, whereby the EU has committed to the most ambitious mandatory climate and energy targets in the world:

reducing its greenhouse gas emissions 20% from 1990 levels,

improving its energy effi ciency by 20% and meeting 20% of its

energy needs from renewable sources, all by 2020.

The EU plays a leading role in the fi ght against climate change and

will continue to strive for a legally binding and robust international

agreement as well as provide fast-start funding for developing

countries’ actions on climate change. The EU has enacted stringent

environmental standards and ambitious goals in areas ranging from

biodiversity conservation to industrial chemicals. In March 2010 the

“EU target for biodiversity beyond 2020” was adopted. The EU was

also the fi rst to introduce the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) – the

largest, multi-national emissions trading scheme in the world.

EU Climate Change Priorities

The EU’s fi ght against climate change goes hand-in-hand with an ambitious energy policy. The goal is to spark a new industrial revolution that will deliver a sustainable, low-carbon economy whilst increasing Europe’s energy security by reducing reliance on energy imports. This will strengthen the EU’s competitiveness, boost the economy and create new jobs.

The most convincing leadership that the EU can show is concrete and determined action to become the most environment-friendly region in the world. The Europe 2020 Strategy has defi ned sustainable growth – promoting a more resource effi cient, greener and more competitive economy – as a priority.

The EU’s fi ght against climate change goes hand-in-hand with an ambitious energy policy. The goal is to spark a new industrial revolution that will deliver a sustainable, low-carbon economy whilst increasing Europe’s energy security by reducing reliance on energy imports. This will strengthen the EU’s competitiveness, boost the economy and create new jobs.

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Snapshots from IGEM

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3rd Place for EU for Most Creative PavilionThe EU Pavilion is awarded the third prize for Most Creative Pavilion at IGEM 2010.

Business came to a standstill for a moment at Friday 14th October when exhibitors and visitors at IGEM made beeline to the Awards Ceremony and Welcoming Cocktail to know who had won the awards for Best Booth, Most Creative Pavilion and Dare to Dream Challenge. The fi rst and second prize winners were Japan and the Danish DANIDA.

EUMCCI - a true team!We would like to take the opportunity here to thank our partner MGCC, who did a tremendous job in arranging the business Matchmaking sessions, the EUMCCI team, a job very well done and our sincere thanks to all of you!

Andrew McFarlane, Diana Gonzalez, Mary Lopez, Ai Li Koch, Paul Kelleher, Annika Figaj, Schvonne Choo and Timmy Quasem.


Events


The VIP Table Question and Answer Session prompted a lively discussion

In Conversation with Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu KoonLots done, lots more to do – that was the message being put across by YB Senator Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon at a recent event organised by EUMCCI co-organised with bila-teral chambers.

Speaking to an audience comprised largely of those from the business community with an interest in the future of Malaysia, he outlined the Government Transformation Programme, its successes so far, its aims and the meaning behind the slogan: ‘people fi rst, performance now’. The real success, outlined Tan Sri Dr. Koh would be not just in setting clear targets and plans for delivery, but in seeing rapid results.

For example, he revealed a 36.9% decline in street crime, a comprehensive ranking of all primary and secondary schools and the online publishing of 3,680 Government contract awards, all in the fi rst six months of this year. But success doesn’t come easily –

much of Tan Sri’s speech related to how this is more a ‘journey’ of transformation that involves multiple aspects, such as reversing the trend of the currently declining FDI infl ows, identifying the Rakyat’s views and needs and learning from the successes or failures of past initiatives and experience.

Aside from merely identifying the needs and requirements of Malaysia and its

people, and then trying to go about fulfi lling them, Tan Sri made sure to emphasise how much importance he places on transparency and measurability – taking steps such as implementing a GTP roadmap, a special ‘Delivery Task Force’, and Key Result Areas for each Minister aside from the overall six National Key Result Areas.

Following the talk, there was a Q & A session, during which a number of challenging questions were posed by members of the audience.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable discussion and undoubtedly, all present will look forward to seeing the plan he spoke so clearly about, come to fruition and continue to bring the rapid results that we’re already coming to expect.

by A. McFarlane

Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon (l.), Jean Francois Jadin (r.)

INTRADE Malaysia 9-11 November

INTRADE Malaysia 2010 is an international

marketplace for enhanced networking,

business matching, exchange of ideas and

inspiration amongst the trade community

of different countries, especially those who

are seeking to venture into the global

export market.

INTRADE 2010 is the gathering of almost all

segments of industries at one interactive

destination. No matter which industry

sector you specialize in, you can be one of

the quality international exhibitors at INTRADE Malaysia 2010 to meet trade buyers from all parts of the world, strengthen your networking and explore business opportunities through direct interaction with your trade counterparts here.

The recent years has produced advance-ments in global trade, with hew complexity in understanding future trends, negotiating, business arrangements, establishing rela-tionships with new government and private sector leaders, and developing strategies to ensure long-term success and prosperity for businesses. Now more than ever, global businesses need to meet as one big

marketplace, as cross-border trade becomes the norm of business. Traditional trade ventures are now prepared to venture into modern day global trade, and new trade ventures are constantly evolving.

INTRADE Malaysia fi lls this need for a good global trade platform so that global trade leaders, small and medium enterprises as well as new entrants to the global market converge to share, to network, to exchange ideas, and to strengthen linkages as they collectively response to market changes.

For more information: www.intrademalaysia.com

Events


From a consumer per-spective panel member Dato’ Dr Nirmala Menon, CEO and President of ING, raised the question, whether a consumer has the choice to get a certain speed-level paying a certain amount or will there be just one speed-level or nothing? In Europe consumers usually have the choice between a couple of packages whereas they can decide which one fi ts their personal needs.

How can Broadband be defi ned? The OECD * defi nes Broadband as “having download data transfer rates equal to or faster than 256 kbit/s” while the United States (US) Federal Commu-nications Commission (FCC) as of 2010 **defi nes ‘Basic Broad-band’ as data transmission speeds of at least 4 megabits per second (Mbps). These are just two of a variety of defi nitions existing. Down to the present day there is no standard defi nition available. The panel was asked to give its own defi nition of broadband independent from the already existing offi cial per spectives mentioned above. A consensus is having a certain speed level which is at least fast enough to provide the user with a stable and reliable connection.

Mr Afzal Rahim, CEO of Time.Dot spoke about affordability of rolling out fi ber and costs related to infrastructure, which is linked also to the lack of local content. To invest in infrastructure is a huge challenge and not many are able to afford such enormous investments. Malaysia must fi nd a way to regulate this issue if it does not want to face the risk of creating mono-polies. There could be a lack of competition and the reason for that is simply the extraordinary costs of construction. Which areas will be developed fi rst? The digital

The Hazel Room of One World Hotel was fully booked when His Excellency, Mr Vincent Piket, the EU Ambassador, held the opening speech for this event which was co-funded by the EU and part of a broader EU initiative to promote cooperation with Malaysia in the services sector.

The Malaysian government strongly believes Broadband is an important driver of the economy and has set a 50% Broadband household penetration target by end 2010 among key initiatives of the National Broadband Agenda. This ambition was also expressed by Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, CEO MDeC in a breakfast talk organized by the EUMCCI ICT Committee in August.

EUMCCI took the lead in hosting a roundtable discussion with industry players, exploring the business impacts and oppor-tunities that result from this strategic direction. This session aimed to stimulate ideas on new ways to encourage take-up, generate revenue and benefi t communities from the Broadband rollout. It also served as a platform for dialogue with regulators over challenges of the Broadband programme and potential opportunities for local Malaysian and foreign companies.

The dialogue included key industry players who have international experience in economies that are more mature in relation to Broadband penetration and were able to share industry experiences where the effi ciency and penetration of broadband has enabled signifi cant GDP growth for the economies concerned.

Why does Malaysia need Broadband? That depends on from what angle you are looking at this issue.

Mr Henrik Clausen – DIGI’s Telecommunica-tions CEO – reminded the audience that for a better and more effi cient cooperation within governmental institutions – for example between the EU and Malaysia – the exchange of very large data fi les is needed. Broadband ensures a fast and stable connection and would hence shorten the time of transmission such large data fi les.

Hi-Tea Panel Discussion:Broadband as an Enabler for Growth

divide is quite wide in rural areas and hence the development at the beginning will be in more urbanised areas.

Another question was raised, related to competition; is there enough competition present to guarantee a fair progress? Based on the high costs of rollout only two or three big players having the fi nancial power to invest in infrastructure. Right on time Malaysia is awaiting a new Competition Act which will come into force in January 2012, which will have a positive effect on a fair competition in this sector.

After these controversial issues one thing is determined for sure: High speed Broadband rollout is coming and Malaysia is getting ready for it. Mr Heinz Luck, Senior VP of DHL in Malaysia stated from a logistical point of view that “Our system cannot exist without reliable connection”. Enlightened by the panel discussion this evening, one could take the view that no system at all exists without connection.

by T. Quasem

H.E. Vincent Piket, the EU Ambassador

The panel discussion

Dato Dr. Nirmala Menon, CEO and President of ING

Even

ts


Business Opportunities in Regional Establishments in MalaysiaDoing Business in Malaysia becomes more and more attractive. On September 28, the Malaysian Industrial Development Agency (MIDA) informed the audience composed of MFCCI members about business opportu-nities in Malaysia to be globally competitive. Malaysia as pillar for doing business in Asia – MIDA is encouraging foreign companies to invest in Malaysia by having joint ventures with local companies or via FDI. Therefore MIDA has strategic centres in many parts of the world, e.g.: New York, Frankfurt, Paris, London, Shanghai, etc. where everyone will be informed about business opportunities in Malaysia.

MIDA – as an Agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) has

been established in 1967 under the Act of Parliament, 1965.

In order to achieve the mentioned aims and objectives MIDA established three different institutions;• Operational Headquarters• International Procurement Centre• Regional Distribution Centre

An operational Headquarter is a locally incorporated company that carries on a business in Malaysia to provide at least 3 of qualifying services to its offi ces or related companies in and outside Malaysia.• This scheme is designed to attract multi-

nationals to set up regional or global headquarters in Malaysia

• Intended for companies providing administrative

Secondly, A Regional Distribution Centre(RDC) intended for a Group of companies establishing a regional collection and consolidation centre for fi nished products, components and spare parts produced by its related companies for its own brand to be distributed to related and unrelated companies.

Finally, the International Procurement Centre (IPC) intended for companies establishing procurement and sale of raw materials, components and fi nished products from companies(related and unrelated)

Hiring the right employee with the most perfect skill sets and retaining them is the challenge every organisation faces. And what about the challenges Malaysia itself is facing?

EUMCCI HR Committee was the co-organiser of the event in Park Royal hotel, instigated by Kelly Outsourcing and Consulting Group (KellyOCG). Candy Lewandoswki, Vice President - Global Prac-tice Lead,Kelly OCG, presented the Global RPO report, a report about trends in the global talent market and its impact on Asia. Also, Mr Anthony Raja Devadoss, Regional Senior Director APAC, KellyOCG, held his presentation and Q & A with the audience, most of them members of EUMCCI, either working in HR companies or in HR departments.

Trends in recruitment and HRAfter the economic downfall, there have been signs of stability in the employment market but as yet, there is still no upswing. Globally, more than half of the hiring managers are still experiencing diffi culties in recruiting staff, a number that is virtually unchanged from last year. In Asia Pacifi c, there has been a signifi cant improvement

Recruiting and Beyond

over the past year, but still 50 percent report diffi culties.

One of the trends and big challenges in HRM today is retainment, as more HR departments are focusing on keeping the talent inside instead of external recruitment. However, the top recruiting challenge is a shortage of skilled staff, cited by 58 percent of respondents of a survey. The quality of candidates is the biggest factor slowing the hiring pro cess. There is no fi t between skills and new jobs offered today and unfortunately, the jobs that are lost, many of them are lost for good. Emerging markets feel this with greater pain than some of the developed markets.

Upgrading skills in MalaysiaMalaysia is moving its focus from manu-facturing to the services sector. This requires an upscale of the local education and the workforce. Meanwhile, as long as Malaysia’s current workforce is not ready for that, the country can only attract foreign profes-sionals and needs to retain these high qua-lity professionals. Malaysia tries to get in 700,000 foreign professional workers and meanwhile, thousands of Malaysian gra-duates are going to work abroad.

To get more balance in the professional workforce in Malaysia, among other things, wages should be raised to meet the wages abroad. Apart from the higher income in other countries that attracts local professionals to other economies, barriers in this market is the regulation which prohibits foreign employment locally.

Other trendsWith the Q&A session after the presenta-tion, several other trends were discussed. For example, the introduction of Recruit-ment Proces Outsourcing; the impact of social media; the salary pressure in Malaysia and generation Y entering the market.

A very interesting presentation with many thanks to the guests who asked questions you wouldn’t get answered elsewhere.

Minna Saneri, General Manager EUMCCI, Anthony Raja Devadoss, Regional Senior Director APAC, KellyOCG and Candy Lewandoswki, Vice President - Global Practice Lead,Kelly OCG

A network event by KellyOCG, co-organized by EUMCCI’s HR Committee

Events


EU Upcoming Events:

ICT Green PanelDate: 4 NovemberVenue: Double Tree by Hilton Time: 09:30 am - 12:30 pmRegistration and breakfast commerces at 08:00 am

Do’s & Don’ts of doing business in EuropeDate: 16 NovemberVenue: TPM Bukit Jalil Time: 09:00 am - 11:00 am

On 28th August, interested guests of EUMCCI’s ICT Committee attended the breakfast talk with Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, CEO MDeC. The 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP) clearly prescribes the role of ICT as the bedrock for the nation to develop into a high-value economy. ICT is one of the national key economic areas contained in the 10MP. The imprint of ICT can be seen in the entire blueprint of the plan.

The Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) advises the Malaysian Government on legislation and policies, develops Malaysia-specifi c practices, and sets standards for multimedia operations in the country. The role of MDeC is acting as both a strategic driver and a strategic advocate and facilitator, towards providing an ICT based platform for reaching the goals of Malaysia in the next 10 years.

Investments in Malaysia will be in ICT instead of manpower, which is part of the aim for growing into a knowledge-based economy. Datuk Badlisham explained that ICT will help bring more remote parts of the country closer to each other and will help to develop them, together with the areas that are developing at a rapid pace already. In August 2010, 37% of the country had broadband availability; Datuk Badlisham hopes to make that 50% by the end of this year, and up to 75% within the next 5 years.

Malaysia will promote ICT in all industries. Datuk Badlisham: “ICT is the backbone in all National Key Results Areas and I would also like to see SMEs be involved more in ICT.” This way they can communicate and expand their business by doing business with more companies than the ones in their immediate surroundings. In order to make online business easier, Datuk promotes

‘The ICT sector bedrock in Malaysia’Breakfast talk with Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, CEO MDeC

creating a virtual mall, an online platform for information sharing, collaboration and doing business.

Following a question from one of the attendees of this breakfast talk, Datuk agrees that education is necessary to be able to use the ICT tools in Malaysia properly. It will take time to create an accredited university level programme. The many private and governmental universities can develop a programme here in Malaysia and even compete in providing the best course, according to Datuk Badlisham. However, there are already educational programmes to fi ll the gap in the short term, and talent can be recruited from other industries, not only the technical sector. Short term ‘Braingain’ also needs to be supported from abroad with foreign knowledge workers, Datuk said.

Datuk Badlisham encourages the private sector to clearly articulate their issues and invest in communication with the govern-ment for a better mutual understanding and collaboration.

The Breakfast talk was hosted by EUMCCI’s ICT Committee at Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur.

EUMCCI is the co-organizer of the BMCC’s Corporate Christmas lunch, which you are invited to join, to kick off the festive season in style at the 5-star Crowne Plaza Mutiara Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

We are bringing you all the delights of a traditional British Christmas without the dreary weather. Come along for a gourmet Christmas lunch experience…think turkey, roast potatoes, stuffi ng and traditional Christmas pudding…..

Will you fi nd the silver penny and win a prize?

Have your fi rst mince pie of the season and toast this Christmas with a cup of mulled wine, straight out of Delia’s (Smith’s) cook book. We may not be able to give you the Queen’s speech but put on your party hat and join us for an unforgettable afternoon of fun with your colleagues and team mates.

The event will start with a mulled wine reception at 12.30pm followed by a three course seated festive lunch with free fl ow wine and beer included in the price.

Date: 10th December 2010 from 12.30pm onwards

Venue: Crowne Plaza Mutiara Kuala Lumpur

Members price: RM150

Non-members: RM 220

Book a Table of 10 with your company branding;

Members: RM1,400, non-members: RM2,100

Registration: www.eumcci.com/events2.html

Christmas Corporate lunch with BMCC and EUMCCI Datuk Badlisham Ghazali

Even

ts


Professor Wyn Rees, a Professor in the School of Politics and International Relations for Nottingham University, recently gave a lecture on Counter-terrorism and Demo-cracy to a audience at the University of cracy to a audience at the University of cracyNottingham Malaysia Campus. The talk was one in a series of lectures planned by the University this year to celebrate their ten years of existence in Malaysia and part of the EU-funded MY-EU Link project.

Professor Rees commented that since 9/11 and the subsequent US led ‘war on terror’, the word ‘terrorism’ has become a part of everyday life. No longer is it used alone as an effective tactic by weak and disillusioned minorities to inspire revolutions and create political change, it has now become the talking point on every street corner, in every bar and café, and lecture hall from Washington to Baghdad and beyond. As an asymmetric form of confl ict, it confers coercive power with many of the advan-tages of military force at a fraction of the cost. Due to the secretive nature and small size of terrorist organizations, they often offer opponents no clear organization to defend against or to deter.

Professor Rees talked about the nature of contemporary terrorism and whether contemporary democracy is more, or less, vulnerable to it than other forms of govern-ment. The challenge, according to Professor Rees, which has been put forward by many

people, is that democracies are inherently weak and vulnerable and therefore not equipped to deal with terrorism. However what Professor Rees, a specialist in Interna-tional Security, argued was quite the oppo-site. He suggested that democracy was in fact the most effective way to deal with what he called the ‘age of sacred terror’ that we now live in.

The Professor acknowledged that the very nature of democracies – plurality of choice; freedom of expression and assembly; the separation of the executive from the legis-lature and judiciary along with an inde-pendent media and a proper rule of law – would seem to allow terrorist organisations to get their message out more effectively than they would otherwise be able to be in non-democratic states. Professor Reese then highlighted the key area in which democracy was better equipped to deal with terrorism - namely legitimacy. Legiti-macy is the key in a smoothly run, well functioning democracy. Without legitimacy a democracy cannot and will not function properly. The Professor used the example of the creating of extra judicial powers by the US government in the wake of 9/11, with particular reference to Guantanamo Bay, an act which created massive problems and a loss of legitimacy for the US in terms of its worldwide credibility in light of torture claims at the US prison on the island of Cuba.

Professor Rees highlighted the international cooperation between democratic states as another key factor in the fi ght against terrorism in the twenty-fi rst century. The ability of a democracy to work with like minded states has become increasingly important as terrorism does not know boundaries or borders – it can, and invariably does, move fl uidly across interna-tional borders with relative ease. Professor Rees fi nished his interesting lecture by concluding that democracies are in fact the best and only effective way to deal with terrorism. Although democracies are cum-bersome, they are also resilient. Counter-terrorism must be patient. It is not a problem, according to the Professor, that can be fi xed overnight. Success in this area will be small, but will come over time. It is a battle of ideas that civil societies, religious communities, political leaders, and educa-tion all have a huge part to play. The Pro-fessor concluded with a line from a famous speech delivered in the House of Commons by Winston Churchill in 1947; “D emocracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” The Talk was attended by the head and the deputy and the members of the EUMCCI Defence & Security committee, diplomats, academics and the general public.

edited by P. Kelleher

Talk on Counter-Terrorismand Democracy

by Professor Wyn Rees co-organised by University of Nottingham in Malaysia and EUMCCI Defence & Security Committee

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launched in November 2008 with a vision to promote high impact boards within the fi nancial sector specifi cally, and to develop world class directors who are advocates of best practices and excellence in corporate governance.

To date, more than 200 directors of Malaysian fi nancial institutions have bene-fi ted from the FIDE program and have become catalysts for change in boardroom practices within their organizations. FIDE is

currently the only governance initiative in the region that focuses exclusively on the fi nancial sector. Under the Governance Centre at ICLIF, FIDE will expand its outreach to include participation of directors of fi nancial institutions from outside Malaysia, covering Asia Pacifi c countries, Middle East and African regions.

New Governance Centre Established in ICLIF

Konecranes Lifting Business

Taylor’s University College is now Taylor’s University

Bank Negara Malaysia has announced that the Financial Institution Director’s Education program (FIDE) will now be fully managed and delivered by the International Centre for Leadership in Finance (ICLIF), under its newly formed Governance Centre. With this development, ICLIF will be renamed The ICLIF Leadership and Governance Centre.

The FIDE program has been developed under a collaborative effort between Bank Negara Malaysia, Perbadanan Insurans Deposit Malaysia (PIDM) and ICLIF and was

Konecranes Smarton Solutions

Taylor’s University is upgraded to university status by the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia. Formerly known as Taylor’s University College, it is one of Malaysia’s oldest and most reputable private higher education institutions with a track record dating back to its inception in 1969.

The certifi cate was presented by YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Minister of Higher Education to Professor Dato’ Dr Hassan Said, President and Vice Chancellor of Taylor’s University in Putrajaya on 29 September 2010. Also present were Emeritus Professor Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Syed Jalaludin Syed Salim, Taylor’s Chairman and Dato’ Loy Teik Ngan, Group CEO of Taylor’s Education Group.

Professor Dato’ Dr Hassan expresses, “We are happy to receive University status which will further enhance our standing and enable us to better compete globally. It is indeed a mark of recognition and trust from the Ministry of Higher Education and fur-ther reiterates our acceptance as a res-pected institution of higher learning.

As one of Malaysia’s oldest and most repu-table private education institutions, Taylor’s plays a strong role in developing our nation’s human resource capital. Currently, we have a 65,000-strong alumni which continues to grow annually, and many of the graduates are now leaders in their respective fi elds. We will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Higher Educa-tion towards placing Malaysia as the

Regional Hub and Centre of Excellence in Education.”

According to Professor Hassan the Malaysian education system must continue to be re-evaluated and improved to create the workforce of the future. This will ensure that excellence is rewarded and talented graduates who excel in strategic and creative thinking as well as entrepreneurial and leadership skills are nurtured so that they can drive success in the decades ahead.

Konecranes has been in the lifting business over 80 years and has been established in Malaysia since 1976, offering various productivity-enhancing lifting solutions to many different industries worldwide.

As of 1st September 2010, Konecranes combined the current SAP and NEA regions to one. The new Asia-Pacifi c (APAC) Region will be headed by Mr. Ryan Flynn who has been Senior Vice President and Head of Konecranes’ operations in Northeast Asia (NEA) region since 1st September 2009, and also a part of Konecranes Extended Management Team.

Recently Konecranes Malaysia has secured a level 2 Service Maintenance Agreement with Bluescope Steel. This agreement con-

tinues to develop our partnership with Bluescope Steel as a key account throughout the region.

Konecranes is constantly developing evolu-tionary technologies to provide solutions for customers. Our recent innovations include:

SMARTON (Industrial Crane):- Combining exactly the right features

(e.g., sway control) for client’s applica-tion, SMARTON will make ordinary cranes obsolete.

RopeQ and RailQ:- Ground-breaking technology of RailQ

makes inspection more accurate, requires 75% less time to conduct and provides a customized 3D report.

- RopeQ technology increases safety, lowers rope cost and, using our magnetic-inductive inspection method, ensures wire ropes are safe for jobs.

RXH electric chain hoist:- Easy maintenance and provides good

value. Its effi cient single speed lifting fulfi lls all basic lifting needs.

Presentation of the certificate by the Minister of Higher Education

Mem

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Mal

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The future EU-Malaysia Free Trade Area will provide a long-term, stable legal framework for the relations between two equal partners. It will remove tariffs on the near totality of goods, will open up trade in services (beyond the level of commitment undertaken by both the EU and Malaysia in the WTO), will boost bilateral investment by providing a legally secure framework for our trade relations, thus providing legal certainty and predictability to our respective economic operators.

Bilateral FTAs must be compatible with and supportive of the rules of the World Trade Organisation. This means that they must be trade creating, not trade diverting.

The EU remains a staunch supporter of ASEAN integration. Negotiating bilateral FTAs with individual ASEAN members is a way to pave the ground for an EU-ASEAN Region-to-Region FTA. It is like producing the bricks, the building blocks that can later form a bridge. In this spirit, bilateral FTA negotiations with Singapore were launched in December last year. Malaysia is thus the second ASEAN country to open FTA negotiations with the EU.

The EU is Malaysia’s fourth largest trading partner (behind Singapore, China and the

The Government announced that it will implement the Feed-in-Tariff mechanism under the Renewable Energy Act, to allow electricity generated from renewable energy by individuals and independent providers to be sold to electricity utility companies.

The Feed-in-Tariff forms part of the Act that is expected be tabled before the Parliament in November. It is part of the Government’s plan to boost renewable energy contri-bution to Malaysia’s electricity-generation mix from less than 1% in 2009 to around 5.5% by 2015 and to 11% of all electricity generated nationwide in 2020.

“The national utility would be obliged to buy renewable electricity at above-market rates set by the Government over a specifi c

EU and Malaysia kick off FTA talks

Implementing the Feed-in-Tariff Mechanism

USA). Malaysia is the EU’s second individual trade partner in ASEAN (behind Singapore, but ahead of much larger and more populous countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines). Bilateral trade in goods reached 23 billion euro in 2009. Although EU exports grew by 1.2% on average per year between 2005 and 2009, Malaysia has consistently recorded a trade surplus of about 5bn Euros with the EU over the same period. Bilateral trade in services was approximately 4.5 billion euro in 2008.

What are the benefi ts to Malaysian compa-nies and industries, once the FTA is concluded?The FTA will give Malaysia preferential access to the EU, the world’s largest market. The EU with its half a billion of largely prosperous consumers is without doubt an attractive destination for Malaysian exports. Trading with the EU gives access to this immense, closely-knit market, in which goods, services, capital and people roam freely without borders.

The FTA would provide a long-term, stable trade relation between Malaysia and the EU as two equal partners. The gains of an FTA can be huge. A study conducted in 2006 indicated that Malaysia would be a clear winner. Malaysia’s GDP would be boosted

period of time from the day the system is connected to the grid,’’ an analyst said. ‘’The utility would be authorised to pass on this cost to all electricity consumers through their regular electricity bills.’’

OSK Research head Chris Eng said certainly, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) would not want to pay and the higher tariff would probably be passed on to the consumer. It would probably be cost-neutral to TNB as higher fees collected would be utilised by the national utility company to pay producers who uses renewable energy to produce electricity.

To a question, Eng said consumers may need to pay an additional 1% to 3% more for electricity. Eng said the excess electricity

by 8% by 2020 with an ambitious and comprehensive FTA. The wider the scope of the FTA and the deeper the liberalisation is, the more the gains, especially in the services area are.

What are the priority areas the EU would like opened up under the FTA? Bilateral trade deals must be compatible with and supportive of the multilateral trading system (WTO). This means that they must be trade creating, not trade diverting. To make sure that this is the case, FTAs must cover “substantially all trade” and bring about a real integration of the economies of the negotiating parties. This means that they must cover also sensitive areas where liberalisation and opening to competition are more diffi cult, for political and economic reasons.

This is all to say that the EU priority is negotiating an ambitious, far reaching FTA, covering trade in goods, technical standards, services, investment, rules on intellectual property and competition and gradual opening of the public procurement markets. Moreover, the concept of sustainable development will be factored into all aspects of the agreement.

Source: www.delmys.ec.europa.eu

produced by individuals who had solar panel installed in their homes would fl ow back into the TNB grid. He said TNB may have to change the electric meter at individual houses going forward to facilitate such power generating capability.

Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui said: “Once the act is passed, we will be setting up a new agency, Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA), to oversee the implementation of renewable energy and then only we can make decision on the Feed-in-Tariff mechanism.”

Source: www.thestar.com

Malaysia N

ews


The Transport Minister will head a study group tasked to determine whether the controversial ‘cabotage policy’, in force for 29 years, should be removed. The cabotage policy, introduced in 1981, mandates that only Malaysian fl agships can carry cargo between domestic ports. Exporters and importers in Sabah and Sarawak, led notably by the Federation of Sabah

Study on the controversial ‘Cabotage’ PolicyManufacturers (FSM), want the policy removed, blaming it for the higher prices of goods in the two states compared to the peninsula and arguing that the policy is stifl ing the two states’ economic growth, particularly in the manufacturing sector. FSM claims that the price difference of goods between Sabah and the peninsula was as much as 20%, blaming the cabotage

“Malaysia should be proud of their previous achievements”. PM Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib proudly declared that Malaysia is one out of 13 countries worldwide that maintained an annual growth rate of 6% over the last 25 years. Since 1970 Malaysia has reduced hardcore poverty by a substantial amount and has also become an important trading partner both inside and outside Asia. To sustain this level of economical develop-ment, the PM came up with Malaysia’s new Economic Transformation Programme. The ETP builds on the direction outlined in the tenth Malaysia Plan to develop a markedly different approach to delivering Govern-mental objectives. One of the most important objectives Malaysia is focusing on is its desire to transform into a high-income nation by 2020.

Malaysia, like most nations around the world, is facing an economical slowdown. This is mainly based on sluggish economic performance throughout the last decade, primarily due to Malaysia’s slow labour productivity growth, it’s current market position, an unsustainable fi scal position and the increasing global competition for markets, capital and talents. THE ETP is the Government economic agenda in response to these challenges.

Targets to achieve until 2020• GDP per capita from USD6,700 in 2009

to more than USD15,000 in 2020• 3,3 million new jobs• Transformation of Kuala Lumpur/Klang

Valley into world class city• 131 Concrete Entry Point Projects• 6% Growth rate until 2020

The starting point of the ETP will be the implementation of concrete changes in

specifi c sectors and areas of the economy. That is why the 12 National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs) were selected. The 12 NKEAs are the core of the ETP.

These NKEAs are expected to make substantial contributions to Malaysia’s

economic performance, and they will receive prioritised public investment and policy report.

A bold new approach has been taken to develop the ETP. It is the fi rst time that any effort of this kind has been undertaken in the history of Malaysia, or of any other developed nation.

The ETP will be led by the private sector; the Government will primarily play the role of a facilitator. Most of the funding will come from the private sector (92 percent) with public sector investment being used as a catalyst to spark private sector participation.

The effectiveness of any transformation programme often lies in the details. The ETP presents a departure from norms because it is focused on actions – rather than theoretical principles and ideas. The Government has identifi ed 131 entry point projects (EPPs) that concretely outline actions required to grow the economy. The

EPPs and other business opportunities identifi ed under each NKEA are anchored to how much they contribute to GNI; they were selected based on rigorous economic and fi nancial analysis. Any public spending will be allocated on the basis of maximising GNI per ringgit expenditure.

Finally, the ETP was designed to be rigorous and transparent, with a new ETP unit under PERMANDU (Performance Management and Deli-very Unit within the Prime Minister’s Department) being tasked to monitor and report progress to

Government leaders, the business commu-nity and the rakyat.

In conclusion, the programme focus on how to become a high income nation and what steps has to be undertaken to reach this target. By 2020 all necessary steps should have been taken to lead Malaysia to be a strong economic nation. Based on the World Bank’s current defi nition of high-income nations, Malaysia must achieve per capita income of about RM48, 000 or USD 15,000 by 2020. Therefore, achieving high income status by 2020 will require an annual real growth rate of about 6 percent in the next 10 years.

After the PM’s ambitious presentation there is no doubt that the Government is focused on reaching their targets within the next 10 years.

Source: www.bernama.comedited by T. Quasem

Economic Transformation Programme – A Roadmap for Malaysia

12 National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs)

1) Oil, Gas and Energy (a)2) Palm Oil (a)3) Financial Service (a)4) Tourism5) Business Services6) Electronics and Electrical

7) Wholesale and Retail (a)8) Education9) Healthcare10) Infrastructure11) Agriculture12) Greater KL/Klang Valley

(a) Largest NKEAs

policy as a key contributing factor. The Minister announced that he will meet representatives from shipping and freight forwarding fi rms, manufactures, as well as government agencies offi cials and business groups before making a decision on a review of the national cabotage policy.

New

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17-2A, Jalan Perdana 4/8Pandan PerdanaCheras, 55300 Kuala LumpurTel: +603-9281 9698Fax: +603-9286 1628Email: [email protected]: www.belgazone.com

Chief Executive in MalaysiaMr Lucien De PryckerDirector/Professional Photographer

Brief Company ProfileBZone provides all kinds of industries high grade commercial and industrial photography, and on request, specialized DI (Digital Imaging) service for technical assignments to clients all over the world. Besides the commercials, our Find Art Photography is sold and distributed worldwide.

Belga-Zone Production Sdn Bhd

Lot 3831, Kuantan Port Industrial Area26080 Kuantan, Pahang Darul MakmurTel: +609-583 5505 Fax: +609-583 5506Email: [email protected]: www.logoplaste.com

Chief Executive in MalaysiaMr Luis Lampreia, Technical Director

Brief Company ProfileLogoplaste is an industrial group manufacturing rigid plastic packaging for the food and beverage, personal and household care and oil and lubricants sectors. The most up-to-date technologies in plastic conversion and competences in packaging design and engineering are used to deliver optimized industrial solutions.

Logoplaste

No.1, Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala LumpurMalaysiaTel: +603-2117 8000Fax: +603-2143 3352Email: [email protected]: www.berjayahotel.com/kualalumpur

Chief Executive in MalaysiaMr Adrian Chung, General Manager

Brief Company ProfileBerjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, a fi ve-star hotel under the hospitality arm of the public listed Malaysian conglomerate Berjaya Corporation, is a prominent landmark strategically located in the heart of the city’s banking, commercial and vibrant shopping district. With a total of 650 suites complete with international-standard amenities Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur is defi nitely an excellent setting where business complements leisure.

Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

33-01, Level 33, Menara Keck Seng203 Jalan Bukit Bintang55100 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaTel: +603-2116 5888 / +6017 206 6659Fax: +603-2116 5999Email: [email protected]: www.emergent-ventures.com

Chief Executive in MalaysiaMr Sunil K Tripathi, Country Manager

Brief Company ProfileEmergent Ventures (EVI) is one of the leading advisory fi rms in the fi eld of Climate Change Mitigation (Compliance-CDM, Voluntary). We work across a number of sectors such as Renewable Energy (bio-mass, hydro, wind), Waste to energy, Energy Effi ciency, Waste Heat Recovery, Plantations etc.

Emergent Ventures Malaysia Sdn Bhd

No.12, Jalan SS26/13, Taman Mayang Jaya47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, MalaysiaTel: +603-7880 3100Fax: +603-7880 3200Email: [email protected]: www.konecrances.com

Chief Executive in MalaysiaMr Jason ThomasGeneral Manager, Maintenance Services, SEA

Brief Company ProfileKonecranes has started its presence in lifting businesses for over 80 years, dealing with lifting equipments and services that signifi cantly improve productivity to a wide range of industries worldwide.

Konecranes MalaysiaSdn Bhd

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Level 24, Main Block, Dataran Kewangan Darul Takaful, No.4, Jalan Sultan Sulaiman50000 Kuala Lumpur MalaysiaTel: +603-2263 3888Fax: +603-2263 3855Email: [email protected]: www. iclif.org

Chief Executive in MalaysiaMr Rajeev Peshawaria, Chief Executive Offi cer

Brief Company ProfileICLIF is a full service provider of usable leadership development, organizational performance, corporate governance programs and advisory services that are designed to enable sustainable and responsible business growth.

The Iclif Leadership and Governance Centre

Jalan Broga, 43500 SemenyihSelangor Darul Ehsan, MalaysiaTel: +603-8924 8000Fax: +603-8924 8013Email: [email protected]: www.nottingham.edu.my

Chief Executive in MalaysiaProf Ian Pashby, CEO and Provost

Brief Company ProfileThe University of Nottingham is globally recognised as one of the world’s leading universities, celebrated for its commitment to the highest quality teaching and internationally renowned, world-class research.”

The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus

20th Floor, Unit A, Gurney TowerNo. 18 Persiaran Gurney10250, PenangTel: +604-370 4500Fax: +604-370 4510Email: [email protected]: www.mwgroup.net

Chief Executive in MalaysiaMr. Simon Burley, General Manager

Brief Company ProfileWe are a leading global provider of integrated facility engineering services for high technology manufacturing facilities and systems. We provide facilities engineering services including consulting, facility and clean room design, construction and project management, process equipment hook-up, upgrades and retrofi ts, as well as facility operation and maintenance services to a number of industries such as microelectronics, scientifi c and research, life sciences and photovoltaic.

M+W High TechProject Sdn Bhd

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a) Diethelm Travel Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. · For Ticketing Email [email protected] Phone 03-2715 7878 PIC 8 consultants at service

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b) Mayfl ower American Express Travel Services Sdn BhdOffi ce Suite 13-1, 13th Floor

21 Jalan Pinang 50450 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Tel : 603-2167 5777 Fax : 603-2163 2500 Email : callcentre2@mayfl ower- amex.com

GLOBAL BUSINESS ADVISORY (GBA) is a one-stop solution provider specializing in human capital develop-ment, company formation & company secretarial, employ-ment permits, corporate advisory, tax & accounting, intellectual property, property marketing & fi nancing, strategic business alliances, joint-venture partner search and mergers & acquisitions.

GBA specializes in company set-ups in Malaysia including partner search and mergers & acquisitions and we ensure a sound platform for them to succeed. We provide exceptional personalized and quality services with clients ranging from SMEs to MNCs across all industries.

Our consultants possess multi-dimensional skills and experience from myriad exposures. At GBA we are always sensitive towards securing the best for our clients.

“Our sincere thanks to you for your commendable efforts in successfully providing various services to Petrolink recently, such as executive search, company formation, company secretarial, payroll administration & accounting services. Your collaborative effort has helped us prepare a good platform for the start-up of our operations in Malaysia & this region” – Petrolink, Oil & Gas.

“We are happy with GBA’s services in helping us set up our offi ce in Malaysia and will be pleased to recommend them to others” – to others” – to others” Carlos Lopez Montero, GMV Innovating Solutions.

Our contact information: 1.02A Level 1, Menara LYL, No.12 Jalan 51A/223, 46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.Tel: +603 7955 3970/012-213 6688 Fax: +603 7958 8972 E-mail: [email protected]

EUMCCI Review - October 2010

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