By Alyssa Nicole O. Tan, Reporter
GERMANY is encouraging business delegations to explore Philippine partnerships in renewable energy (RE) and environmental technology, the German Embassy in Manila said.
In an e-mail, the embassy said other industries it deems promising for collaboration are consumer-related services and goods, and business process outsourcing.
It said its approach is to connect small and medium enterprises from both countries via the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI), noting that such companies make up 99.4% of Germany’s economy. The corresponding number for the Philippines is 99%.
A virtual business initiation trip will take place in November on civil security technologies, organized by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
In March 2023, GPCCI will organize another business initiation trip on energy efficiency in buildings, including Photovoltaic hybrid and storage systems.
The first physical business initiation trip took place in late September, focused on recycling and waste management.
“We (conceive of) our role as a door opener, someone who makes the introductions to help companies settle on either side — either in Philippines or in Germany — and help them navigate this process. But in the end, it’s up to these companies to build partnerships and develop them,” the embassy’s First Secretary Kai Tomzig has said.
“Apart from these visits, both the embassy and GPCCI receive requests by German companies that are interested in the Philippines as a market and potential place for investment on a daily basis,” the Embassy said.
Other than strengthening small and medium enterprises and the industrial sector, the embassy’s economic priorities include enhancing post-pandemic recovery, boosting of new investments, shaping digitization, supporting innovative startups and advocating for renewable energy and energy transition.
“The Philippines are a promising market in the Asian-Pacific region,” the Embassy said. “German companies wish to invest in the Philippines for various reasons, including good business opportunities, attractive labor conditions, supplier diversification and other reasons.”
The embassy said it also expected more intensified collaboration in the fields of education and energy, noting that investing in renewable energies will help reduce the cost of energy production, as well as the effects of global warming on the planet.
It welcomed the Philippine government’s decision to lower investment barriers for foreign companies.
“Being the largest trading partner of the Philippines among the European Union member states, this might open up new avenues for the business sector in Germany,” it said.
The main fields of cooperation between the Philippines and Germany include climate and renewable energy, the peace process in Mindanao, the health sector, and human rights and the rule of law.