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Semi-Annual Meeting for the German presidency of the Council of the EU
On December 16th, the Israel EU Chamber of Commerce and Industry has organized its semi-annual meeting for the German Presidency to the Council of the EU on the topic: Israel and the European Union: Economic: Recovery through the Green Deal?
We thank Dr. Wasum-Rainer, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Israel, and Mr. Emanuele Giaufret, Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Israel
We had the chance to hear from very special speakers Mrs. Veronika Grimm, a member of the German Council of Economic Experts, and Mrs. Galit Cohen, Senior Deputy Director General at the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
Please follow he link to find the presentation of Mrs Galit Cohen: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6762323423461949440
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The European Commission presents the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy (F2F) “representing a vision with aspirational targets”
On 20 May 2020, the European Commission (hereinafter, Commission) presented the much-awaited Communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - A Farm to Fork Strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system. The Farm to Fork Strategy (hereinafter, F2F Strategy) was originally supposed to be presented on 29 April 2020, but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This article intends to provide a first overview on the F2F Strategy.
Background and context
As part of the EU’s Communication on the European Green Deal, adopted on 11 December 2019, the F2F Strategy is intended to illustrate the objectives and actions necessary to secure a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system. The F2F strategy is intended to combine both regulatory and non-regulatory initiatives to attain its objectives. The European Green Deal cannot be achieved without addressing the issue of food sustainability and the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Common Fisheries Policy will be key tools to support the strategy.
The different parts of the European Green Deal are interlinked and mutually reinforcing. In particular, the F2F Strategy is connected with and intended to directly contribute to the new Circular Economy Action Plan, the 2030 EU Biodiversity Strategy, the Forestry Strategy, the EU Climate ambition and the EU Industrial Strategy to reach zero pollution. In the context of the EU’s commitment to the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals (hereinafter, SDGs) and their implementation, the F2F Strategy aims at playing an important role.
While used throughout the F2F Strategy, the term “food system” is not defined therein. Outside of the F2F Strategy, it has been defined as a complex web of activities involving the production, processing, transport, and consumption of food. Issues concerning the food system include the governance and economics of food production, its sustainability, the degree to which food is wasted, how food production affects the natural environment, and the impact of food on individual and population health.
Issues the F2F Strategy aims to address
Although the transition to more sustainable food systems, including through the CAP and the Common Fisheries Policy, is ongoing, the Commission acknowledged in the Roadmap of the F2F Strategy that it needs to accelerate, given the multiple challenges food systems in the EU and globally are confronted with. The recent Special Report on Climate Change and Land prepared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stresses that it would be impossible to keep global temperatures at safe levels unless there is a transformation in the way the world produces food and manages land. The report estimates that 25 to 30% of global greenhouse gas (hereinafter, GHG) emissions are attributable to the food system. Food systems greatly contribute to the pollution of air, soil, water, and to GGHGgreenhouse GHG emissions, as well as to biodiversity loss. At the same time, extreme weather events due to climate change are severely affecting agricultural and seafood production with serious consequences for the livelihood of farmers and fishers, as well as of coastal and rural communities.
Summary of the F2F Strategy’s content
The EU’s objectives with the F2F Strategy are to reduce the environmental and climate footprint of the EU food system and strengthen its resilience, ensure food security in view of climate change and biodiversity loss, and lead a global transition towards competitive sustainability from farm to fork, covering every step in the food supply chain from production to consumption and feeding into the Commission’s circular economy objectives. The F2F Strategy consists of three main parts, each of them addressing a multitude of matters and potential initiatives. The first part, “Building the food chain that works for consumers, producers, climate and the environment”, includes a first section on “Ensuring sustainable food production”, which addresses matters like rewarding farming practices that remove CO2 from the atmosphere contributing to the objective of climate neutrality, a circular bio-based economy, the reduction of the overall use of chemical pesticides by 50% by 2030, the reduction of fertiliser use by 20% by 2030, the reduction of GHG emissions, the transition towards more sustainable livestock farming, the reduction of overall EU sales of antimicrobials for farmed animals and aquaculture by 50% by 2030, better animal welfare, the protection of plant health, ensuring seed security and diversity, and a commitment to dedicating 25% of EU agricultural land to organic farming.
Section 2 of the first part on “Ensuring food security” addresses matters like climate change and biodiversity loss constituting imminent and lasting threats to food security and livelihoods, as well as the importance of critical staff, such as agri-food workers and importance to mitigate the socio-economic consequences impacting the food chain, and the development of a contingency plan for ensuring food supply and food security to be put in place in times of crisis. The third section of the first part on “Stimulating sustainable food processing, wholesale, retail, hospitality and food services practices” proposes, for example, the development of an EU Code of Conduct for responsible business and marketing practices. Commitments from food companies to take concrete actions on health and sustainability are to focus, inter alia, on reformulating food products in line with guidelines for healthy, sustainable diets, as well as on reducing their environmental footprint and energy consumption by becoming more energy efficient.
Section 4 of the first part on “Promoting sustainable food consumption and facilitating the shift to healthy, sustainable diets” intends to empower consumers to make informed, healthy and sustainable food choices. Here, the Commission announced that it would propose harmonised mandatory front-of-pack (FoP) nutrition labelling (the long-awaited report on the thorny matter of FoP nutrition labelling was published together with the strategy) and would consider proposing the extension of mandatory origin or provenance indications to certain products, taking into account impacts on the single market. The Commission also commits to examine ways to harmonise voluntary green claims and to create a sustainable labelling framework that covers the nutritional, climate, environmental and social aspects of food products.
In section 5 of the first part on “Reducing food loss and waste”, the Commission commits to reducing the per capita food waste at retail and consumer levels by 50% by 2030 and to revising the rules on the “use by” and “best before” dates (as consumers’ misunderstanding and operators’ misuse of date marking frequently results in food that can still be consumed being thrown away). The final section of the first part addresses “Combating food fraud along the food supply chain”, in which the Commission announces to strengthen the powers of control and enforcement authorities. The second part of the F2F Strategy on “Enabling the transition” addresses research, innovation, technology, and investments, as well as advisory services, data and knowledge-sharing, and skills.
Global transition to sustainable agri-food systems
In the third part of the F2F Strategy on “Promoting the Global Transition”, the Commission states that the EU would support the global transition to sustainable agri-food systems, in line with the objectives of the strategy and the SDGs. Through its external policies, including international cooperation and trade policy, the EU intends to pursue the development of “Green Alliances” on sustainable food systems with all its partners in bilateral, regional and multilateral fora. This is to include cooperation with Africa, neighbouring countries, and other partners and is to have regard to distinct challenges in different parts of the world. To ensure a successful global transition, the EU intends to encourage and enable the development of comprehensive responses benefiting people, nature, and economic growth.
The F2F Strategy and the EU’s trade policy
The F2F Strategy notes that in its trade policy, the EU should contribute to enhance cooperation with and to obtain ambitious commitments from third countries in key areas such as animal welfare, the use of pesticides, and the fight against antimicrobial resistance. The Commission states that it would strive to promote international standards in the relevant international bodies and encourage the production of agri-food products complying with high safety and sustainability standards, and would support small-scale farmers in meeting these standards and in accessing markets (in this context, see the article in this issue of Trade Perspectives on proposals for greater linkages between sustainability commitments and economic benefits in trade agreements).
Translating the F2F Strategy into legislation
A Commission official reportedly clarified that the F2F Strategy “represents a vision and targets are not directly anchored or linked in legislation”. The official spoke of “aspirational targets” that would be developed over time and then translated into detailed legislative initiatives, taking also into account the different starting points of each EU Member State. An Annex to the Commission’s Communication presents indicative timetables (from the fourth quarter 2020 until 2024) for specific measures of the F2F Strategy, which will all need to be taken forward in line with the better regulation principles, including evaluations and impact assessments, as appropriate.
The sustainability of food systems is indeed a global issue and the current food systems will have to adapt to face diverse challenges. With its F2F strategy, the EU intends to set standards and targets in priority areas for the EU as a whole. In addition to new policy initiatives, it appears that enforcement of existing legislation, notably for animal welfare, pesticide use and protecting the environment, is essential for the envisaged transition.
Accompanying the F2F Strategy, the Commission published a number of related documents, including a report on animal welfare legislation, a report on the sustainable use of pesticides directive, and the long-awaited report on FoP nutrition labelling. In the Biodiversity Strategy, which was presented the same day than the F2F Strategy, the Commission proposes a far-reaching EU Nature Restoration Plan to increase the share of protected areas to 30% of the EU’s lands and seas by 2030, including 10% under a strict protection status.
Through the publication of these various documents, the Commission has published a lot of “food for thought” that stakeholders now need to “digest”. It remains to be seen when parts of the Commission’s vision will be translated into legislative proposals. The indicative timetable annexed to the F2F Strategy appears to indicate that there is still some time, but in reality the “race to the buffet” has already started and all stakeholders need to be prepared to be able to advance their policy objectives.
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Marketing products to Europe? A new regulation that you should recognize
"For products from manufacturers established in the EU, whether sold online or in brick-and mortar shops, the EU manufacturer will be the responsible person. Any distributors in the supply chain do not have to undertake additional action or verification as a result of Article 4. Their obligations in this case remain those that they have under the applicable sector-specific legislation.
Products from manufacturers outside the EU that are sold in brick-and-mortar shops in the EU will already have been placed on the EU market by an importer, who will be the responsible person. The manufacturer may also have appointed an authorized representative in the EU. Brick-and-mortar shops therefore do not have to undertake additional action or verification as a result of Article 4, nor do any other distributors in the supply chain. Their obligations in this case remain those that they have under the applicable sector-specific legislation.
For products from manufacturers outside the EU offered for sale online (or through other distance sales), there are different scenarios depending on the type of supply chain:
A conventional supply chain with an importer and distributor(s): the importer is the responsible person. The manufacturer may also have appointed an authorized representative in the EU.
A fulfillment service provider in the EU handles the product: the fulfillment service provider is the responsible person, unless the manufacturer has appointed an authorized representative in the EU, in which case the latter will be the responsible person instead. Contrary to importers and authorized representatives, fulfillment service providers do not automatically have the connection with the manufacturer in order to fulfill the tasks of responsible person. Therefore, fulfillment service providers will need to make arrangements with their clients to ensure that, before providing the fulfillment service, the former receive from the latter, or directly from the manufacturer, the means to fulfill their obligations as responsible person.
The product is shipped from outside the EU directly to the end-user: an authorized representative in EU is the responsible person. If the manufacturer has not appointed such authorized representative, the product cannot be offered for sale to EU end-users. In order to sell it to EU end-users through this supply chain, the economic operator offering the product for sale will need to ensure that the manufacturer appoints an authorized representative in the EU for the product concerned. Only after this is arranged can the product be offered for sale to end-users in the EU. "
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Coronavirus and its Impact on EU Financial Regulators
Our CEO, Ella Rosenberg, has expressed her opinion on the slow response of the EU financial regulators in regards the recent Covid- 19 crisis on Finance Magnates, the leading financial news publication.
During the past few days, there has been a disarming increase in the spread of the Coronavirus throughout the EU, which has led to many novel situations that businesses have never faced prior to the spread of the virus.
It is only natural that enterprises are currently facing many unclear situations, and certain questions arise that are not in the normal course of business. Within the financial sector, the issue of on-going work with financial regulators has been raised in multiple governmental levels and also on the EU level.
The EU Commission has issued guidelines that are divided into the medical, mobility, and economic sphere.
Within the economic guidelines, the overall baseline is that companies that are under a Member State Regulatory Framework (EMIs, Crypto Exchanges, PIs, EMDs…) are obliged to continue their financial reporting to the Regulator regardless of the virus outbreak.
This guideline is also applicable to on-going reporting on suspicious transactions to local FIUs and for application forms for licenses. Deadlines should be met, and currently, there are no new instructions on allowing mitigated and extended deadlines.
ESMA has yet to issue specific financial guidelines on the impact of the outbreak of the virus in the EU, despite many issues that have not been clarified within the sector. The sector is in dire need of specific guidelines on how to deal with the unchartered regulatory waters, which can be regarded as the first health-related crisis that impacts the advancement of the 4th Industrial Revolution within the new decade.
Currently, as for technical and logistical questions, the local Member State Regulators are still anticipating instructions from ESMA.
It is in these troublesome times that the most inevitable question begs the inescapable conclusion – in the era of globalization, regulatory institutions are not able to simply follow their own specific sector, and collaboration on a grander scale is needed between the European Medicines Agency (EMA), European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and the EU Commission, for the better safeguarding of the economic union.
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Why a Groundbreaking But Little-Known Injunction Confirms BTC as an Asset
Our CEO, Ella Rosenberg, has expressed her opinion on a recent injunction in the UK on Finance Magnates, the leading financial new publication.
The English commercial Court has ruled on whether Bitcoin could be considered as property.
Recently the English Commercial Court has established in AA v Persons Unknown and Others, re Bitcoin, that Bitcoin shall be deemed an asset and not a service, breaking from the ambiguity that has surrounded regarding the definition of digital assets.
The case involved an insurance company based in Canada that was subject to ransomware via a cyberattack. The company itself held its own insurance from a UK insurance company, which paid the ransom fee in Bitcoins. The UK insurer then traced the Bitcoins to Bitfinex exchange, which led the UK insurer to issue a proprietary injunction for the possession of the Bitcoins.
The Most Diverse Audience to Date at FMLS 2020 – Where Finance Meets Innovation
A proprietary injunction entails that the respondent is not able to deal or trade with the assets that the claimant has claimed proprietary interest upon.
The English Commercial Court has held that cryptocurrencies should be viewed as a crypto asset, and by that, it sides with the UK Jurisdiction Taskforce (UKJT) Legal Statement on Crypto Currencies.
The approach taken by the Commercial Court can be seen as a spearheading the global approach when it comes to the definition of digital assets, which might lead to harmonization in the field of Fintech and digital assets in the EU and will define cryptocurrencies either as an asset or as a service.
As currently there is no unification or harmonization in the field of cryptocurrencies in the EU, this step, as minor of an injunction as it seems, is paving the first steps for the harmonization of the definition of cryptocurrencies in the EU.
The EU should see this injunction as an opportunity, rather than a hindrance, especially in light of Brexit, whilst enabling the EU Commission to tackle the area of cryptocurrencies in legislative form rather than action plans.
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The Slow Response of the EU Financial Regulators to the COVID-19
Our CEO, Ella Rosenberg, has expressed her opinion on the slow response of the EU financial regulators in regards the recent Covid- 19 crisis on Read Dive, the leading tech news publication.
The Corona Virus has hit the global economy in various ways. Yet, the most undebatable issue is not the extent of the crisis, but the mere fact that it was unexpected. The International Monetary Fund (hereinafter) has even deemed this crisis the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
This unpleasant surprise has caused some regulatory hiccups in the EU, not only within the Commission and Council, but also for the administration that is responsible for various issues in the EU. The EU Agencies, such as ESMA and even the ECB, have been very slow in their response to the crisis, and to that effect have managed to confuse the local Member State regulators to a great extent.
All of the regulators in the EU, especially on the Member State level are of vast importance, be that as it may, the financial regulators are on the forefront of the battle against the financial recession that is expected to hit soon. These financial regulators, especially in the Baltics, are currently facing an unprecedented situation.
On the one hand they owe their regulated entities, from crypto exchanges to EMIs and other financial institutions are in need of specific instructions in these dire times, and some will even argue ad-hoc guidance, whilst on the other hand the Member State Regulators have been facing a weathering silence for the first period of the pandemic.
The same financial regulators have been trying to cope with the demand on ah-hoc guidance by the financial institutions by receiving instructions from higher administration in the EU.
Both the European Securities and Monetary Authority (hereinafter- ESMA) and the European Central Bank (hereinafter- ECB) have both struggled with the correct and suitable guidelines to issue to the local regulators, which has led to confusion not only within the corridors of both Institutions in Paris and Luxembourg, but also with the direct lines of communication to other local regulators.
The first publicly made document of instructions was published on March 27th, almost a month into the crisis, which dealt only with the issue of financial reporting under the Transparency Directive by ESMA.
Secondly, ESMA has issued a Q&A on alternative performance measures under the Corona Crisis, yet this Q&A was issued only on April 17th. Three days after the Q&A was issued by ESMA, the Bank has issued a notice on the Market Abuse Regulation in light of Covid-19.
The ECB in comparison has been more active than ESMA. The ECB sees the importance of maintaining a healthy financial market with avoidance of fragmentation as pivotal for the Union as a whole, but also to the trade relationships that the EU has with other states. The ECB does not want to reach a situation in which Association Agreements are not executed, which will eventually leave the Euro unsettled.
The ECB has taken three major steps in combating the current financial distress. It has granted more liquidity to European banks, relaxed the criteria for credit, and non-performing loans in order to avoid a credit crunch and has launched a new pandemic fund of the sum of 750 million Euros for the purpose of increasing the total assets acquired by the ECB.
These measures have not been taken for granted by the Member States, although it has not been considered enough.
The Bank of Lithuania, for instance, maybe considered one of the few regulators that have managed to triumph the latest regulatory developments successfully, but not with ease. One of the issues that the Bank has tackled is the issue of investor protection in these uncertain times by ironing out the Market Abuse Regulation criteria in Lithuania, which is especially relevant for upcoming financial institutions such as Electronic Money Institutions (hereinafter- EMIs).
EMIs which are licensed under the Bank of Lithuania received specific instructions for new reporting and compliance criteria, in addition to instructions regarding decisions issued by management boards of the financial institutions, annual and interim reports, financial reporting, submission of documents and trading in regulated markets. Noncompliance with the relevant new framework will deem the EMI unregulated and will trigger inspection procedures by the Bank.
It is in the hands of the financial regulators in the EU to determine how the Corona crisis will be viewed upon in future centuries, either as a second financial depression, or as a promising new era, not only for crypto currencies, EMIs, crypto currency exchanges and financial institutions, but for the classical banking industry. A banking renaissance does not only begin with bottom-up initiatives, but also with strong navigation of markets. Some regulators have managed to triumph in a spectacular manner, such as the Bank of Lithuania, but the real test is of the regulated entities which need to adhere to a new regulatory framework and new regulatory criteria.
Some may argue that this navigation should be conducted by the spear-heading enterprises in the market, yet this navigation, especially in times of uncertainty, should be handled on a governmental level by the EU financial regulators.
The rapid uncertainty of the current climate may also pose a pivot to a swift recovery in 2021. The only question which remains is, are the EU financial regulators up to it?
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Israeli center mentors 85 EU innovation centers online
Eilat Tech Center remotely trains European innovation organizations on promoting startup growth during the coronavirus crisis.
Israeli center mentors 85 EU innovation centers online
Eilat Tech Center remotely trains European innovation organizations on promoting startup growth during the coronavirus crisis.
The Eilat Tech Center (ETC) in southern Israel is teaching innovation centers in 25 European Union member states how to promote startup growth in the coronavirus era.
Representatives of 85 innovation organizations attended the kickoff session on March 31, led by Or Haviv, CEO of the Eilat Hub and a partner in its parent company, Arieli Capital.
Participants came from Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Switzerland; as well as Israel, the United States, Ghana and Mexico.
They represented groups such as hubs, accelerators, shared workspaces, government bodies, academic institutions (including Oxford University) and companies specializing in online training. About half the participants represented innovation groups in the field of health.
Haviv presented the case study of an Italian nanotech company that took part in the Eilat acceleration program that succeeded at the outset of the coronavirus crisis to finalize a $350,000 deal with an international agritech company.
ETC has a history of collaborative programs in Europe. These include the first joint Italian Israeli innovation program launched in January in Eilat for accelerating startups founded and backed by the Italian Embassy and Intesa Sanpaolo, a leading Italian banking group.
ETC also has a cooperation program between the municipalities of Nice and Eilat for the advancement of smart cities initiatives.
As a result, representatives of the European Innovation Hub in Israel asked the directors of ETC to hold online training sessions for innovation centers in the EU to assist them in transferring over to a digital work model.
“At a time when the whole world has changed its work patterns to remote based operations and when teams of companies are spread out around the world and working from home, the geographical distance of the Eilat Hub, as the most southern innovation ecosystem in Israel, turned into an advantage overnight,” Haviv commented.
Sharon Gindi, director of business development at ETC, said: “One of the most significant results of the coronavirus crisis is the strengthening of cooperation between countries in general and between high-tech organizations specifically. There is a worldwide understanding today of a shared fate and only strong cooperation and the transfer of knowhow will enable us to find solutions.”
Below, Haviv gives us his golden rules.
10 golden rules for remotely promoting the growth of companies
- Don’t micromanage
- Become a generalist with a team of experts
- Backbrief in a way that doesn’t lose the messages relating to mission, timeline, task and purpose.
- Scale – master outsourcing
- Be attentive to redundancy
- Collaborate
- Keep your ”why” alive, it’s your fuel!
- Be holistic and give back
- Keep the organizational fabric alive
- Communicate.
https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-center-mentors-85-eu-innovation-centers-online/
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The European union in action in response to the Coronavirus
Since December 2019 a new form of coronavirus has appeared in China and is paralyzing the world. Europe quickly became the epicenter of the pandemic, with Italy and Spain as the most affected countries. In addition to the health disaster, the economy is at the forefront of this global paralysis. The European Union is thus seeking to strike a balance in ensuring the security of European citizens while preserving the Union's valuable economic achievements.
On March 19th, The European Commission has stated for a Temporary Framework for State aid measures to tackle Coronavirus’ effects on the economy. This enables Member States to use the full flexibility foreseen under State aid rules to support the economy at this difficult time.
However, at the European level, the measures introduced nationally to slow down the spread of the outbreak had also slowed down one of the basics pillars of the EU: the free circulation of goods. To ensure the main axes of the EU traffic, the so-called ‘green lanes’, are unblocked the EU has issued four objectives to decongest European roads. From then on, crossing borders should not exceed 15 minutes and will concern all types of goods without exception. It is also expected that the Member States will suspend the restrictions implemented over the free circulation of goods. Reduce the administrative burden for transport workers of all nationalities is also intended to ease the traffic.
On March 26th, the EU has also emphasized the importance of ensuring a strong EU-wide approach to foreign investment in this period of crisis. Member States are asked to give a specific intent to prevent capital flows from non-EU countries. The Commission encourages a Member States cooperation regarding the foreign investment that could have an effect on the EU single market.
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Croatia’s presidency of the Council of the EU: ‘a strong Europe in a world of challenges’
From 1 January to 30 June 2020, Croatia holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The country is responsible for driving forward the Council's work on EU legislation, ensuring the continuity of the EU agenda, orderly legislative processes, and cooperation among member states.
Their priorities were based on four pillars:
- A Europe that develops: a balanced and sustainable growth for better conditions and opportunities for EU citizens;
- A Europe that connects: to create a network economy to ensure cohesion and cooperation among EU citizens;
- A Europe that protects: a democratic society and internal security for a safer Europe;
- An influential Europe: to take a leading role on the international stage.
Facing Coronavirus pandemic, the semi-annual seminar of the Israeli-EU Chamber of Commerce and Industry to host the new presidency of the Council has been postponed, pending a more favorable situation.
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Political guidelines of the European Commission (2019-2024) – President Ursula von der Leyen
For the 5 next years, the New College of Commissioners presided by President Ursula von der Leyen will work on six pillars that will lead the mandate:
- A European Green Deal: The main objective fixed by the new Commission is to become the first climate-neutral continent by the end of 2050. Taxation measures will be extended to new sectors and other fiscal measures will be created in order to control and reduce the environmental impact of European economic activities. A strong investment for the circular economy and clean technologies will be supported by private investment such as the Europe Investment Plan. For the next decade, the Sustainable Europe Investment Plan will invest €1 trillion to climate investment.
- An economy that works for people: Strengthen the social aspect of the European market is also a strong pillar of the program. The aim is to guarantee access to financing for innovation for SMEs and keep the euro area strong and competitive to the benefit of stability and growth. Special attention will be given to the social condition in the European Labor market to eliminate gender inequality and fight youth unemployment. A fair digital tax will be discussed to contribute to social security and education systems.
- A Europe fit for the digital age within safe and ethical boundaries. Regarding technology, a common action is needed to protect the sovereignty and define global rules, particularly over Artificial Intelligence. Fitting Europe with the digital age will concern the public sector, private companies as well as education and diplomatic tools.
- Protecting our European way of life by putting European citizen security and EU values at the heart of the Commission actions. It is going to reinforce EU external borders and promote a return to a fully functioning Schengen area.
- A stronger Europe in the world to strengthen prosperity at home and export EU values worldwide. The program emphasizes cooperation with its neighbors and partners such as Africa, Western Balkan, and the United Kingdom. It is also agreed to converge toward a European Defense Union by supporting research and capability development.
- A new push for European democracy to think about the future of Europe. It will involve more transparency, a full co-decision power in the European Parliament and tackle issues on disinformation.
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Dan Catarivas- New Chairman for the EU-Israel Chamber of Commerce
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Bulgarian Presidency of the EU- High level seminar
The Israel-EU Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with the Delegation of the European Union to Israel and the Bulgarian Embassy in Israel, held a festive reception at the Herzlielinblum Banking Museum in Tel Aviv entitled "Technological Talents in the Old Continent: Israel, Bulgaria and the European Union. The event was attended by Bulgarian Economy Minister Emil Kernikulov, who called on Israeli companies to visit the Balkan country and examine business cooperation. Minister of Economy of Israel Eli Cohen; Dimitri Mikhailov, Bulgarian Ambassador to Israel; Emanuel Geoffret, EU Ambassador to Israel and Lilach Asher Toplisky, CEO of Israel Discount Bank.
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Estonian Presidency of the EU- High level seminar
The semi-annual event of the Israeli-EU Chamber of Commerce, under the Estonian EU Presidency was hosted in Barclays-Rise Tel Aviv. The event was supported by the Delegation of the European Union to the State of Israel and the Embassy of Estonia in Israel. The event focused on technology and entrepreneurship and featured Estonia's unique proposal of e-residency and e-governance. Speakers included: EU Ambassador Emanuele Giaufret, Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology of the Republic of Estonia Ms Urve Palo, Minister of Science and Technology of Israel, Ofir Akunis and Mr Kaspar Korjus, the Managing Director of the Estonian e-residency project.
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Maltese Presidency of the EU- High level seminar
On the occasion of the Maltese Presidency of the EU, the Israel - EU Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Embassy of the Malta in israel organised the biannual economic high level seminar,in the Einav Center in Tel Aviv.
The topic of this yea's event was " The Maritime Sector and International Cooperation and/or Assistance".
The keynote speakers were Dr. Yoram Sebba, President of the Israel Chamber of Shipping; Captain Yigal Maor, Director General of the Israel Shipping and Ports Authority; Ambassador Lino Vassallo, Permanent Representative of Malta to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
The event hosted fifty ambassadors, commercial and economic counsellors, chairmen and directors of the bi-lateral chambers of commerce, distinguished members of the Israeli business community as well as representatives of Israeli government ministries and foreign trade administration.
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Slovak Presidency of the EU- High level seminar
On the occasion of the Slovak Presidency of the EU, the Israel - EU Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Tel Aviv organised the biannual economic high level seminar, hosted by the Head of the EU Delegation to the State of Israel.
The topic of this yea's event was "Challenges and opportunities in energy sector for Slovakia, Israel and EU".
The keynote speakers were Israeli Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources Dr. Yuval Steinitz and the First State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic Mr. Vojtech Ferencz, who is in charge of the energy issues.
The event hosted over a hundred european ambassadors, commercial and economic counsellors, chairmen and directors of the bi-lateral chambers of commerce, distinguished members of the Slovak and Israeli business communities, EU trade delegates from accross the mediterranean area, as well as representatives of Israeli government ministries and foreign trade administration.
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Appointment of Chairman and CEO of the Israel-Greece Chamber of Commerce
Tel Aviv, 6 Septmebr 2016
The Israel Federation of Bi-National Chambers of Commerce and Industry is pleased to announce the appointments of Mr. Sabby Mionis as Chairman of the Israel-Greece Chamber of Commerce and of Mr. Cobi Bitton as CEO of the Israel-Greece Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Sabby Mionis is a respected philanthropist and International businessman who immigrated from Switzerland to Israel in 2006, after building an internationally recognized asset management company and selling it to a global private bank. Having been born and grown up in Athens, Mr. Mionis has a deep understanding of Greece and maintains strong ties with the Greek business community. He is well known in Greece not only for his business success, but also for his activism on behalf of Israel, against anti-semitism and his generosity to the local Jewish Community. He is the co-founder of the Israel Center for Better Childhood, a member of the ADL Israel Board, a member of the world Executive of ‘Keren Hayesod’, the co-chair of the Task Force on Anti-Semitism and a member of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency and 'Beit-Hatfutsot'.
Mr. Cobi Bitton, Founder & CEO of INTEGRITAS PEOPLE & BUSINESS (IPB), Mr. Bitton has extensive experience in business development in Israel and in international markets, including the private and public sectors. For the past 23 years, Mr. Bitton has been engaged in business development consulting and leading innovation processes in organizations and private companies around the world and in the past 5 years, extensively in Greece. Mr. Bitton is highly aware of both business and social cultures in Greece and succeeded in establishing a broad wide network of entrepreneurs, businessmen and opinion leaders. Mr. Bitton is a social entrepreneur and well experienced in the Israeli Startups eco-system, a mentor, a member of the board of Intervyo, SkySaver and KisLev, Israeli innovative companies.
Given the strengthening relationship between Israel and Greece, the newly launched Israel Greece Chamber of Commerce, under the leadership of Mr. Mionis and Mr. Bitton, aspires to act as the bridge between the two business communities and help Israeli companies expand their activities in Greece.
For more information please contact Mr. Cobi Bitton
Mobile +972-50-2668889
cobi@integritas.co.il
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Yair Levy - New CEO of the Israel-EU Chamber of Commerce
July 10, 2016, Tel Aviv
The Israel- European Union Chamber of Commerce and Industry has announced today the appointment of Mr. Yair Levy (33) as the new General Manager of the Chamber. Mr. Levy will replace Gil Oren, who leaves after 3 successful years in this role.
Yair Levy, a tech entreprenur and CEO of Salaryo Financial Technologies, earned his Masters of the London School of Economics (LSE) and a graduate degree of the University of Barcelona. He is fluent in English, Hebrew, French and Spanish.
Yair Levy sees great importance in strengthening economic relations between Israel and the European Union and its institutions, and his main goal is to help open up new markets in Europe for Israeli innovation.
Yair will assume his role in the following days.
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Hadera EnergyTech 2016 - conference and exhibition, 4-5 April 2016
Hadera Energytech Conference will cover a wide range of issues concerning energy and energy security while emphasizing innovation and technological entrepreneurship in the field. More information at the conference website
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CleanTech 2016 - conference and exhibition, 4-5 April 2016
CleanTech 2016 is the annual international event for Clean Technologies: environmental quality, infrastructures and green building, renewable energy and water technologies.
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B2B meetings with EU companies - Mission for Growth - 25.6.2014
From 24 to 26 June 2014 the European Commission will organise a "Mission for Growth", accompanying EU companies to Israel during a three day trip with the aim of promoting partnerships between EU and Israeli businesses in the fields of high-tech industry, advanced manufacturing, secure infrastructure, and tourism. The business trip will be led by Mr. Daniel Calleja, Director-General for Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission, and SME Envoy for the EU.
The "Mission for Growth: Israel" represents a concrete opportunity to foster cooperation between European and Israeli companies. Israeli high tech industry and innovation are world-class, and operate on world-wide basis. The potential to find business opportunities during this visit could be high.
Participating companies can take part in a Business-to-Business match-making event involving the relevant industrial sectors. Register here.
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Fresh AgroMashov Exhibition, 10-11 June, 2014, Tel Aviv
Fresh AgroMashov is an international exhibition of the world's leading players in the marketing of fresh agricultural produce. It is a summit of the world's leading players in agriculture and is intended to expand the existing marketing horizons and to conquer new and fascinating destinations worldwide. Thousands of visitors from all the major marketing destination countries are expected to do businesses in Tel-Aviv.
The exhibition offers a major platform for fresh agriculture produce to those seeking to increase the productivity of their business. Conference Website
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Israel Innovation Conference (MIXiii) High-Tech, Biomed - 20-22 May, Tel Aviv
The Israel- EU Chamber of Commerce and Industry is pleased invite you to attend the Israel Innovation Conference (MIXiii) organized by IATI and Kenes, where Biomed and High-tech will join hands. It will take place at the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds May 20-22, 2014. The previous conferences hosted over 7,000 industry players, engineers and scientists with approximately 1,500 participants from over 45 countries and an excess of 4,500 one-on-one meetings. More details on the Conference website
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Seminar: Europe and Israel in a Time of Change and Opportunities, 24.2
The Israel-European Union Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the EU Delegation to the State of Israel, in cooperation with the Israel Export Institute and the Manufacturers Association, are pleased to invite you to an evening seminar on new trends and opportunities for Israel in trading with the EU. The seminar will be held at the Export Institute, on 24/2/2014.
For the seminar program press here
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Cybertech 2014, International Conference and Exhibition, 27-28 January
We are pleased to invite you to the International Exhibition & Conference for Cyber Solutions, which will bring together leading multi-national companies, over a hundred start-ups, private and corporate investors, venture capital firms, experts, clients and many more.
The event will be opened by the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, followed by global figures in this arena, with the participation of delegations from all over the world.
For more details on the conference and registration click here
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CleanTech 2014 - conference and exhibition, 18-19 February 2014
CleanTech 2014 is the 18th annual international event for Clean Technologies: environmental quality, infrastructures and green building, renewable energy and water technologies. The exhibition will take place at "Avenue"- Congress and Exhibition Centre, Air Port City, Israel. CleanTech Exhibition has gained the status of a high quality international business platform, where companies, researchers and professionals display their newest developments, novel technologies and outstanding quality services in the fields of environmental protection and green solutions, infrastructure, renewable energy, waste treatment, water technologies for treatment, desalination, harvesting, purification, filtration and more. During the exhibition, there are professional conferences, seminars and symposiums, in which executives come to learn. For more information go to the conference website
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Doing Business with EU Countries - Conference of the Forum for Expatriate Management - 13 November
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Israeli exports to the EU rose by 5% in the first half of 2013
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Go4Europe Conference (28.10.2013)
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B2B meetings with EU companies in WATEC - Mission for Growth (22.10.2013)
This Mission of Vice-President Antonio Tajani will target numerous industry sectors; however, innovative and environmental technologies will be crucial topics on the agenda since the Mission will be organised in conjunction with the Water Technology & Environment Control Exhibition and Conference in Tel Aviv 22-24 October 2013 (www.watec-israel.com).
The Mission has the objectives to help European small and medium sized companies to operate in Israel and to promote EU industry in targeted sectors by participating in matchmaking events with local entrepreneurs.
The main industrial focus will be on the following sectors:
• Environmental technologies: water management, water treatment, soil management, renewable energy, including solar panels, etc.; • Key Enabling Technologies, machinery and machine tools, ICT; • Raw Materials; • Space Technologies; • Homeland Security; • Processed Agricultural Products (PAPs); • Fashion & High-end industry; • Automotive Industry; • Venture Capital.
For registration: http://www.b2match.eu/m4g-israel
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International acception of European Directive on Human Rights in the structural changes period/Adv. Ido Eshet (12.04.2011)
The article was published in Hebrew.
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Minister of Tourisem Mr. Stas Misezhnikov shall be the key note speaker in the European-Israeli Chamber of commerce gathering in Israel
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New agreement will increase Israeli companies’ exposure to investors in European stock exchanges (30/03/2011)
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Export towards Europe from the Territories: With or Without Customs?/ Adv. Gil Nadel (14/03/2011)
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EU offers scholarships to the College of Europe for Israeli and other graduates from ENP countries (03/02/2011)
The European Union (European Commission/DG Education and Culture) is offering university graduates from European Neighbourhood Policy countries an opportunity to apply for scholarships for post-graduate studies for the 2011-2012 academic year, at the College of Europe, founded in 1949 in Bruges (Belgium) and considered “the oldest and most prestigious institute of postgraduate European Union studies”.2
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Tenth Meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council Statement of the European Union (22/02/2011)
Statement of the European Union
- The European Union warmly welcomes this tenth meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council. This meeting demonstrates the great significance the European Union attaches to its relations with the State of Israel and the importance of further developing our broad bilateral partnership. The EU reiterates the importance it attaches to the dialogue and cooperation with Israel.
http://ec.europa.eu/delegations/israel/press_corner/all_news/news/2011/20110222_01_en.htm
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European Commission decides that the State of Israel provides an adequate level of protection of personal data (08/02/2011)
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Israel-EU Chamber of Commerce and Industry meets to discuss innovation
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A common Contract Law as a solution to the economin crisis/ Adv. Asaf Shavit Shtriks (29/8/2010)
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Mother company liability to violation of associated companies in the sphere of anti-trust legislation \ Adv. Silvana Beri-Rendel (10\8\2010)
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In light of the Information Protection Committee's conclusions - it will be possible to transfer personal information of European citizens to Israel/Doron Goldbarsht (01/08/2010)
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Israeli advertising in European communication channels\ Adv. Yariv Kedem (25/7/2010)
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Registration of trademarks in the European communities in view of Israel's joining the Madrid Protocol\ Adv. Yariv Kedem (25\7\2010)
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Interview with the Chairman of Israel-EU Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Gad Propper
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"Big Money Behind Small Gold Medal"
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Israel-EU Chamber of Commerce - Daniel Frish 3, Tel-Aviv, 64731 Tel. 972-3-6951869
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