Pretty Dutch doll houses, Amsterdam - ECCSL...- Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2017 setting a framework for energy labelling and

NEWSLETTER_EN05/August/2017 AUGUST 2017 (date of issued: 4/9/2017)

Pretty Dutch doll houses,

Amsterdam

Power of Lobbying is the

sum total of the collective effort

by an organization, trade union

or an association making an

effort to influence the

government on any policy or

regulatory issue that hinders the

growth of an industry. The

rationale of being a member of a

trade association or a Business

Chamber is to protect and

nurture the industry and to

ensure its continuity as a

thriving industry.

The governments are prone to

impose regulatory mechanisms

and taxing business

organizations in keeping with

the social and economic

imperatives of a country. No

single individual can change

policy decisions. A responsible,

well informed, likeminded

citizens and organizations could

make a collective effort at

influencing the policy reviews

mostly through generating

sufficient public opinion

through advocacy and media

initiatives.

The Business Chambers can

play a very crucial role in

raising awareness among the

population and it can galvanise

the industry stake holders and

demand a fresh look at policy

decision. The skill of marshaling

the facts and figures and

undertaking independent

industry research would

certainly carry much weight in

business advocacy and it could

build a new case for

reconsideration by policy

makers. It is therefore important

for industry lobby groups to

continuously monitor the

developments within the

industry through discussion

and consultations.

When the industry is together it

resolves its own problems

through discussion and

dialogue. The success of

collective lobbying does

therefore depend on the level of

interaction among the

likeminded business entities

often under an umbrella of an

influenctial business chamber.

Where there's a will there's a

way.

Power of Lobbying - The Importance of being together

ECCSL is on its way to build a rapport with Catalonia

Trade & Investment

Catalonia Trade & Investment is the

Catalan Government’s agency for

foreign investment and business

competitiveness. It promotes

innovation, internationalisation,

trade and funding of Catalan

companies and startups. It also

organises trade missions in countries

chosen strategically for their

business and technology

cooperation opportunities. In

addition, it offers specialised one-

stop-shop services to international

investors and corporations,

attracting foreign direct investment

to Barcelona and Catalonia.

Headquartered in Barcelona,

Catalonia Trade & Investment

operates from 39 offices around the

world, covering 110 markets.

Its South Asian office is

headquartered in Mumbai and

takes care of the regions of Sri

Lanka, India, Pakistan,

Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan

and works extensively in

assisting companies with their

investment projects, finding the

right business partner, sourcing

most competitive supplier or

locating the state of the art

technology you need in

Catalonia. In the last 30 years,

the agency’s track record

includes 5,500 investment

projects managed, €8.8 billion

attracted in inward investment

and 44,560 jobs created.

The initial discussion on this

strategies partnership will take

place on 8th September 2017 with

the visiting delegates from

Catalonia Trade & Investment,

South Asian office. This

collaboration will focus on the

development of Renewable

Energy, Smart Cities,

Biotechnology, Technological

collaborations, Innovation, IT and

other potential sector. This

initiative will lead to enhance the

membership services and

visibility of ECCSL.

By Srinath Fernando

GM, ECCSL

By Srinath Fernando

GM, ECCSL

The economy of Sri Lanka continues to see mixed signals

from various sources without a clear direction on the macro-economic underpinnings of the economy. The international organizations believe that Sri Lankan economy would grow at a modest pace of 4.5% this year. The country has been plagued with many natural disasters owing to flooding and drought in some areas of Sri Lanka. This would certainly have an adverse impact on the rural economy/ agricultural sector and the resultant impact on the GDP growth rate. The salient feature in the economic activity was the sealing of an agreement between China Merchant Holdings and Sri Lanka Port Authority

to manage the loss making Port of Hambantota. The government’s initiative to manage the Port of Hambantota under Public Private Partnership (PPP) won plaudits from various Chambers of Commerce and other industry and trade associations across the country. The Port development project would expect to generate an infusion of US$ 1.12 billion which would eventually raise the foreign currency reserves and stabilize the rupee which had been under pressure for a year or so. Though some have argued that this was a sellout but real facts show that

it is more of a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in partnership with Government of Sri Lanka. This project will carve out an investment zone in and around the Port of Hambantota and any investor from any part of the world could invest in this zone. The project is also expected generate employment avenue for many Sri Lankans. The project would entail constructing, inter alia, a container terminal, bulk cargo terminal, LNG/LPG terminal, a Tank farm, and a dry-dock etc. Tourism is a major source of revenue for the government and there has to be a holistic approach to further develop the industry. The industry stake holders believe that there is a shortage of skills required in the hospitality industry. This must be addressed either with a new strategy to attract local nationals for the hospitality industry or a special visa regime to bring in labor from

overseas. All in all economic governance is on the right track despite some public demonstrations against policy matters by Trade unions as is the case with any democracy around the globe. It would be prudent for the government to have wider stake holder consultations so that no union is left out of discussions and there would not be any need to demonstrate against policy decisions.

ON THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY – JULY/AUGUST

Europe is very much sensitive about food safety, which is why applying various legal and other

buyer requirements on fresh

agricultural products.

But, there are also opportunities

to distinguish yourself

These are few tips to get a broader knowledge about the buyer

requirements, regulations, and standards for fruits and vegetables in

Europe.

Legal and non-legal requirements Limited use of pesticides

Control of food imported to the EU

Marketing standards

Fresh fruits and Vegetables to Europe

- Use the EU Pesticide Database to find out the maximum residue levels (MRLs) that are

relevant for your products.

- Apply integrated pest management (IPM) to reduce the amount of pesticides. IPM is an

agricultural pest control strategy, which is also part of a GlobalGAP certification. It uses

natural control practices such as importation of pests’ natural enemies. The fewer chemicals

you use, the better your marketing position will be for export to Europe.

- Check if your buyers have additional requirements on MRLs and pesticide use

- Familiarize yourself with the procedures. Failure to follow the right procedures could cause

decrease and delay of orders, increase costs, and result in actions by EU enforcement

authorities.

- Make sure that the accompanying documents (such as bill of lading) correspond exactly with

the food products contained in the consignment, including indicated volumes, classes and

sizes, number of pallets and boxes and the names of growers.

- There are specific marketing standards (MS) for the following fresh fruit and vegetables:

apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, lettuce, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, sweet

peppers, table grapes and tomatoes. These products must be accompanied with a certificate

of conformity with each consignment. A sample certificate of conformity can be found on

page 115 in Annex III to EU Regulation No 543/2011.

- Check which standards are applicable to your product and make sure your products and the

necessary documentation are in order.

- Check out the Codex Alimentarius published by the Food and Agriculture Organization

(FAO) with marketing standards for fresh fruits and vegetables.

Labelling and packaging

Plant Health

Contaminants

Additional requirements Certification as guarantee

Quality specifications

- Make sure that all mandatory information is mentioned, but also think of other useful

information such as logos of importers or certificates.

- For pre-packed fruit and vegetables for consumers, read the full regulation concerning

labelling for foodstuffs at the EU Export Helpdesk.

- If a phytosanitary certificate is needed for EU entry, arrange one with your Department

of Agriculture, Sri Lanka and ask your EU importer for specific requirements.

- Find the relevant contaminant levels in the annex of Regulation (EC) 1881/2006. Check if your

food product is included in one of the product groups. Be aware that the particular product

may not be mentioned specifically but can be included in a product group. For instance,

mango may not be found, but fruit can.

- Find out more about prevention and reduction of lead contamination in the Code of Practice

published by the Codex Alimentarius.

- Check the European Commission’s factsheet on food contaminants: " Managing food

contaminants: how the EU ensures that our food is safe".

- Read more on the different Food Safety Management Systems and hygiene standards at the

Standards Map or consult the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). It contains a benchmark for

relevant additional standards.

- Become familiar with GLOBALG.A.P.

- Buyers and EU regions may have different preferences for certain management systems, so

before considering certification against one of the standards, check which one your buyer

prefers.

- Agree with your buyer on important topics:

o Delivery and payment terms

o Specifications

o The certification scheme(s) that will be used

o Be on top of quality

- If you are not sure, do not send your products, but rather look for (local) alternatives. If you

decide to ship your products anyway, be transparent about the quality and discuss this on

beforehand with your buyer.

Source: CBI

- Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 of the European Parliament

and of the Council of 4 July 2017 setting a framework for

energy labelling and repealing Directive 2010/30/EU (Text

with EEA relevance.)

Direct text access: pdf


and of the Council of 14 June 2017 on cross-border

portability of online content services in the internal

market (Text with EEA relevance.)



and of the Council of 14 June 2017 on the prospectus to be

published when securities are offered to the public or

admitted to trading on a regulated market, and repealing

Directive 2003/71/EC(Text with EEA relevance.)



and of the Council of 14 June 2017 defining characteristics

for fishing vessels



and of the Council of 14 June 2017 on money market

funds (Text with EEA relevance.)



and of the Council of 17 May 2017 on the establishment of

a Union framework for the collection, management and

use of data in the fisheries sector and support for

scientific advice regarding the common fisheries policy

and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 199/2008



and of the Council of 14 June 2017 on the European Union

trade mark (Text with EEA relevance. )


- Regulation (EU) 2017/852 of the European Parliament and

of the Council of 17 May 2017 on mercury, and repealing

Regulation (EC) No 1102/2008 (Text with EEA relevance. )



of the Council of 17 May 2017 on mercury, and repealing

Regulation (EC) No 1102/2008 (Text with EEA relevance. )



of the Council of 17 May 2017 laying down supply chain

due diligence obligations for Union importers of tin,

tantalum and tungsten, their ores, and gold originating

from conflict-affected and high-risk areas



of the Council of 17 May 2017 on establishing a Union

programme to support specific activities enhancing the

involvement of consumers and other financial services

end-users in Union policy-making in the area of financial

services for the period of 2017-2020 (Text with EEA

relevance. )



of the Council of 5 April 2017 on in vitro diagnostic

medical devices and repealing Directive 98/79/EC and

Commission Decision 2010/227/EU (Text with EEA

relevance. )



of the Council of 15 February 2017 on certain procedures

for applying the Stabilisation and Association Agreement

between the European Union and the European Atomic

Energy Community, of the one part, and Kosovo * of the

other part



of the Council of 15 February 2017 establishing a

framework for the provision of port services and common

rules on the financial transparency of ports (Text with

EEA relevance)


This is an excerpt from the EUR-Lex website

EU Regulations

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32017R1369&rid=1














The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence

from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a

leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements

and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French

occupation, a Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in

1815. In 1830, Belgium seceded and formed a separate

kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War

I, but suffered German invasion and occupation in World

War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural

products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU) and

participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999. In October 2010, the former Netherlands

Antilles was dissolved and the three smallest islands - Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba - became

special municipalities in the Netherlands administrative structure. The larger islands of Sint

Maarten and Curacao joined the Netherlands and Aruba as constituent countries forming the

Kingdom of the Netherlands.

IMPORTANT FACTS

Conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands

Population: 17,016,967 (July 2016 est.)

Location Western Europe, bordering the North Sea,

between Belgium and Germany

GDP (purchasing power parity): $870.8 billion (2016 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 2.1% (2016 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP): $50,800 (2016 est.)

Exports: $480.1 billion (2016 est.)

Exports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment,

chemicals, mineral fuels; food and

livestock, manufactured goods

Exports - partners: Germany 24.5%, Belgium 11.1%, UK 9.3%,

France 8.4%, Italy 4.2% (2015)

Imports: $422.3 billion (2016 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment,

chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing

Imports - partners: Germany 14.7%, China 14.5%, Belgium

8.2%, US 8.1%, UK 5.1% (2015)

Source: World Factbook

36%

33%

31%

Sri Lanka's Exports

2014 2015 2016

27%

37%

36%

Sri Lanka's Imports

2014 2015 2016

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

BILATERAL TRADE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SRI LANKA AND THE

NETHERLANDS

The bilateral trade relations between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands, the volume stands at US$

321 million (the Netherlands exports to Sri Lanka = US$ 113 million and imports from Sri Lanka

to the Netherlands = US$ 208 million). The main exports from the Netherlands to Sri Lanka are

Iran and Steel, Machinery and agricultural products. The Netherlands imports from Sri Lanka are

apparels, rubber finished products, tea and fish. Sri Lanka is a very popular destination for Dutch

tourists. In 2016, Dutch arrivals grew 22.9% year on year to 11,990 tourists.

The Netherlands, the sixth-largest economy in

the European Union, plays an important role as

a European transportation hub, with a

persistently high trade surplus, stable industrial

relations, and low unemployment. Industry

focuses on food processing, chemicals,

petroleum refining, and electrical machinery. A

highly mechanized agricultural sector employs

only 2% of the labor force but provides large

surpluses for food-processing and underpins

the country’s status as the world’s second

largest agricultural exporter.

The Netherlands is part of the euro zone, and as

such, its monetary policy is controlled by the

European Central Bank. The Dutch financial

sector is highly concentrated, with four

commercial banks possessing over 80% of

banking assets, and is four times the size of

Dutch GDP.

In 2008, during the financial crisis, the

government budget deficit hit 5.3% of GDP.

Following a protracted recession from 2009 to

2013, during which unemployment doubled to

7.4% and household consumption contracted for

four consecutive years, economic growth began

inching forward in 2014. Since 2010, Prime

Minister Mark RUTTE’s government has

implemented significant austerity measures to

improve public finances and has instituted

broad structural reforms in key policy areas,

including the labor market, the housing sector,

the energy market, and the pension system. In

2016, the government budget returned to a

surplus of 0.3% of GDP, with economic growth

of 2.1%, and GDP per capita finally surpassed

pre-crisis levels. The Dutch government projects

steady but modest economic growth of 2.1% in

2017 and unemployment decreasing to 4.9%.

Top ten Export products

Product

code

Product label Sri Lanka's exports to Netherlands (USD ‘000’)

Value in 2014 Value in 2015 Value in 2016

'TOTAL All products 243,670 220,342 208,334

'61 Articles of apparel and clothing accessories,

knitted or crocheted

31,232 33,682 47,278

'62 Articles of apparel and clothing accessories,

not knitted or crocheted

59,256 60,083 42,205

'09 Coffee, tea, maté and spices 21,833 17,125 22,492

'40 Rubber and articles thereof 13,507 15,700 17,745

'03 Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other

aquatic invertebrates

18,769 11,283 14,019

'87 Vehicles other than railway or tramway

rolling stock, and parts and accessories

thereof

2,985 7,745 7,991

'20 Preparations of vegetables, fruit, nuts or other

parts of plants

5,809 6,031 7,948

'53 Other vegetable textile fibres; paper yarn and

woven fabrics of paper yarn

4,778 4,331 5,821

'06 Live trees and other plants; bulbs, roots and

the like; cut flowers and ornamental foliage

4,262 3,935 5,505

'15 Animal or vegetable fats and oils and their

cleavage products; prepared edible fats;

animal ...

3,257 2,907 4,761

Source: Trade Map

Top ten Import products

Product

code

Product label Sri Lanka's imports from Netherlands(USD ‘000’)

Value in 2014 Value in 2015 Value in 2016

'TOTAL All products 83,585 115,634 113,308

'73 Articles of iron or steel 1,790 28,659 41,513

'84 Machinery, mechanical appliances, nuclear

reactors, boilers; parts thereof

20,357 11,609 10,849

'40 Rubber and articles thereof 6,667 8,522 7,521

'90 Optical, photographic, cinematographic,

measuring, checking, precision, medical or

surgical ...

10,720 3,953 5,011

'85 Electrical machinery and equipment and parts

thereof; sound recorders and reproducers,

television ...

5,506 3,144 4,967

'54 Man-made filaments; strip and the like of

man-made textile materials

2,684 2,493 4,718

'18 Cocoa and cocoa preparations 1,817 3,486 4,567

'39 Plastics and articles thereof 2,546 3,180 3,276

'30 Pharmaceutical products 3,664 3,710 2,896

'32 Tanning or dyeing extracts; tannins and their

derivatives; dyes, pigments and other

colouring ...

2,343 2,768 2,749

Source: Trade Map

Upcoming ECCSL Events

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Upcoming International Events

Documents

Pretty Dutch doll houses, Amsterdam - ECCSL...- Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2017 setting a framework for energy labelling and