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< Back Coronavirus Hong Kong: airport to conduct rapid testing for overseas arrivals from May 9 to speed up entry procedures SCMP 5 May 2022 "All overseas travellers flying into Hong Kong’s airport will be required to undergo rapid testing in addition to a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening from Monday, in a move authorities have said would enable the early identification of Covid-19 cases. Decision comes two days after European Chamber of Commerce calls Hong Kong’s airport entry process a ‘nightmare’ in letter to city leader" SCMP describes the letter, amongst other efforts the European Chamber of Commerce has made in providing recommendations to ease travel restrictions and better facilitate business in Hong Kong. View Source Previous Next

< Back Is Hong Kong Ready to Charge for Beverage Packaging? 23 March 2021 5/F, 95 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong Breakfast event on building a Producer Responsibility Scheme (PRS) for beverage packaging in Hong Kong The European Chamber of Commerce and Dutch Chamber of Commerce, together with the Drink Without Waste, a coalition of beverage manufacturers and importers, waste handlers and recyclers, institutions, retailers and NGOs, is pleased to invite you to a breakfast event on building a Producer Responsibility Scheme (PRS) for beverage packaging in Hong Kong. The government has recently announced a public consultation on building a PRS to address the rising amount of beverage packaging waste going to landfills. All members of the public are encouraged to share their opinions prior to the submission deadline on 21 May 2021. Paul Zimmerman, Chair of the Single-Use Beverage Packaging Working Group, will share the key findings from research commissioned by the Working Group, their proposal for an industry-led Packaging Exchange, as well as the Working Group’s response to the public consultation. Mr Zimmerman will be joined by Helga Vanthournout, Founder of Wealth of Flows, and William Davies, General Manager (Sustainability) of Swire Coca-Cola Limited, at the panel discussion. With the recent publication of Government’s Municipal Solid Waste Blueprint, this new consultation, and several policies and investments in the pipeline, solid waste management and Hong Kong’s take on it should be of interest to us all. Join us for this exciting session and learn about the journey of a very diverse group of stakeholders that set out to not just undergo, but shape this debate. The event will be conducted in English. Date: 23rd March 2021 Time: 8:30AM – 10AM HKT Fees: Members – Onsite HKD160, Online HKD70; Non-Members – Onsite HKD200, Online HKD120 If you have further enquiries or need assistance, do not hesitate to contact Emma ( marketing@eurocham.com.hk ). Previous Next

< Back Asean nations left ‘exposed’ by global minimum corporate tax seen forging closer ties with China SCMP 22 Jul 2021 The global minimum corporate tax – agreed upon by a Group of 20 finance ministers this month – is set to re-chart the course of international investment flows, creating new uncertainties for Southeast Asian nations that have been striving to lure foreign capital and financial expertise. Final agreement on the 15 percent minimum-tax plan, originally agreed to by Group of 7 (G7) developed economies in early June, is not expected until October. It could also be years before it takes effect. But its adoption may force nations in the fast-developing Southeast Asian region, still struggling to overcome the impact of coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, to rely more on their domestic consumer markets and their supply of cheap labor for future economic growth, according to analysts. Read the full article here . Previous Next

< Back Covid-19 – More workers added for vaccine priority and ambush lockdown return The Standard 11 Mar 2021 Some 1.3 million workers from various industries can start making appointments for coronavirus vaccines after they were also given priority by the government. These include teachers, public transport drivers, restaurant staff, couriers, construction workers as well as people working in gyms, beauty parlours, and wet markets. The government said more people were given priority because there are sufficient jabs and these workers are at a higher risk of contracting Covid-19. Meanwhile, the government imposed an ambush lockdown on a block in Tsim Sha Tsui on 8 March. It had been two weeks since the last ambush lockdown. The Standard Previous Next

< Back Leading business chambers in Hong Kong urge incoming leader to scrap quarantine for travellers, provide pandemic exit plan SCMP 17 May 2022 "Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce says John Lee should make normal travel with mainland China priority, while European Chamber of Commerce hopes city can provide mainland with example of how to reopen to world." In an interview with Laura Westbrook from SCMP, our Chairman, Frederik Gollob spoke about the need to scrap quarantine for travellers coming into Hong Kong. View Source Previous Next

< Back Webinar - Relief Government Measures for SMEs Across Sectors 27 April 2020 Online The European Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce and Invest HK to launch the first Webinar of a series on ‘understanding government support and relief schemes’. In times of the ongoing health crisis, companies around the world are suffering financial drawbacks. The extent of the business and economic impact of Covid-19 is yet uncertain but in times of financial struggle, economic support is crucial to minimise the economic damage. Invest HK will present measures eligible for SME’s across areas of Business and Professional Services, Consumer Products, Financial Services and across additional sectors like tourism, hospitality, retail and creative industries. Guest Speakers: Dr. Jimmy Chiang is Associate Director-General of InvestHK. He is responsible for department’s investment promotion strategies in the areas of Business and Professional Services, Consumer Products, Financial Services and Tourism & Hospitality. Ms. Sindy Wong is the Head of Tourism and Hospitality at InvestHK. She is responsible for Hong Kong’s Food & Beverage Industry, and Global Meeting & Incentive and Travel Industry. Moderator: Mr. Jan Willem Möller , Solicitor at Tanner de Witt Solicitors, Chairman of the DutchCham SME Committee, Board member of the Dutch Chamber and the European Chamber of Commerce. Fee: Free (Chamber members)/ 100 HKD (Non-members) Previous Next

< Back Charging ahead with electric vehicles The Standard 19 Mar 2021 Hong Kong plans to increase charging stations to 155,000 by 2025 as it launched the first roadmap to popularise electric vehicles yesterday. Registration of new vehicles with internal combustion engines, including hybrids, will be stopped by 2035, under the Hong Kong Roadmap on Popularisation of Electric Vehicles. To encourage people to go electric, the plan will increase private electric charging facilities to 150,000 and public facilities to 5,000 four years from now. In September 2019, there were 2,506 public chargers, a document to the Legislative Council shows. Secretary for the Environment Wong Kam-sing said yesterday the government will look into potentially requiring all parking spaces in new private buildings to be equipped with charging facilities.The scheme would be a stepped-up version of an existing scheme, which encourages developers to install charging infrastructure for gross floor area concessions for car parks, Wong said. The government will take the lead to procure and replace small to medium private cars with electric vehicles. The Standard Previous Next

< Back COVID-19: An open letter from the European Chamber of Commerce on Hong Kong's "isolated island" under the epidemic BBC 31 Aug 2021 In light of recent developments in the COVID-19 situation in Hong Kong, the Government has made sudden changes to quarantine requirements for residents flying into Hong Kong. On 19 August 2021, as The European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, we felt it is our obligation to express our opinions in an open letter to the Hong Kong Government. Click here to view the full letter. In response to our open letter, several media outlets have published articles covering the content of our letter. In mid-August, an open letter from the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong to the Hong Kong government on epidemic prevention measures attracted media attention. This is not the usual measure taken by foreign chambers of commerce in response to the Hong Kong government's policy advice. The chamber's chairman, Frederik Gollob, told the BBC that it was "very extreme". In other words, there is no other way. As an international financial center, Hong Kong is connected to the world at one end and mainland China at the other end. After the large-scale vaccination of the new crown vaccine, many countries in Europe and the United States began to adopt the anti-epidemic model of "coexisting with the virus", while China is still strictly implementing the zero Covid model that it relies on for success. View Source Previous Next

< Back Covid-19 – Hong Kong, Singapore revisit travel bubble plan SCMP 31 Mar 2021 Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah revealed on Monday the government had sent a new proposal to Singapore to restore a planned travel bubble while writing to six other countries about resuming talks on such plans. A source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday the proposal touched on Hongkongers being vaccinated as a condition for joining the travel bubble scheme, a unilateral suggestion pending the Singapore government’s input. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Tuesday morning she had told her officials to look into the arrangements needed for bilateral travel. Read the full article here . Previous Next

< Back Quarantine putting international community off HK RTHK 20 Aug 2021 In light of recent developments in the COVID-19 situation in Hong Kong, the Government has made sudden changes to quarantine requirements for residents flying into Hong Kong. On 19 August 2021, as The European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, we felt it is our obligation to express our opinions in an open letter to the Hong Kong Government. Click here to view the full letter. In response to our open letter, several media outlets have published articles covering the content of our letter. An international business group has warned that Hong Kong's move to enhance quarantine as it attempts to keep out new strains of Covid-19 is leading some to question whether they can continue operating from the SAR at a time when much of the world is opening up travel. In an open letter to Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Thursday, the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong urged the administration to set out a clear exit strategy from the pandemic, continue to step up its vaccination programme and relax quarantine rules for vaccinated arrivals. View Source Previous Next

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< Back Coronavirus Hong Kong: everything you need to know about tighter social-distancing rules SCMP 11 Feb 2022 Everything you need to know about tighter social-distancing rules The Hong Kong government announced on Tuesday, 8 February the toughest social-distancing rules since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in a bid to contain a surging fifth wave of infections. Here is what you need to know about the new measures that will take effect on Thursday and details of the vaccine pass to be launched on February 24. Previous Next