An ECCT delegation headed by ECCT Chairman Giuseppe Izzo and CEO Freddie Höglund travelled to Brussels, Belgium for its annual Open Door Mission to the European Commission (EC) and other institutions. The objective of the annual trip is to exchange information on bilateral EU-Taiwan regulatory and economic developments and promote the expansion of trade and business development in Taiwan and the EU.

ECCT delegation

• Giuseppe Izzo, Chairman
• Henry Chang, Vice Chairman
• Freddie Höglund, CEO
• Irene Feng, Director
• Thomas Kuiper, Supervisor
• Vivienne Lin, Director, Automotive, EEE and Retail & Distribution committees
• Sammy Su, Director, Low Carbon Initiative (LCI)
• Huang Yu-lun, Committee Officer, Healthcare committees
• Duncan Levine, Publications Editor

During the mission, the ECCT delegation met with a number of senior officials from the EC and several other important industry associations and other organisations including the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), Wind Europe, BusinessEurope (the pan-European federation of European industries), the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), Cosmetics Europe and the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE).

The ECCT delegation was warmly welcomed by EC officials and other institutions at all meetings. After 25 years of annual Open Door Mission visits to Brussels as well as frequent interaction whenever European delegations visit Taiwan, the ECCT’s reputation is well established in Brussels and the chamber is often praised for its efficient organization and informative position papers. By keeping the door open for communication and updating European officials on issues important to ECCT members, many of these issues are raised during bilateral discussions between EU and Taiwanese officials and eventually resolved.

Over the course of three days, a number of meetings were arranged with senior European officials from the Directorate-General for Trade, Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), the Directorate-Generals for Energy (DG ENER), Environment (DG ENV), Agriculture (DG AGRI) and the European External Action Service (EEAS).

At the meetings the ECCT delegation briefed Brussels-based delegations on the major issues listed in the ECCT's 2020 Position Papers and requested assistance from and cooperation with the EC to try to resolve issues facing European businesses in Taiwan during their discussions with the Taiwan authorities, in particular, the adoption of international standards and the removal of non-tariff barriers facing European firms doing business in Taiwan.

The meetings also afforded participants the opportunity to exchange views on Taiwan's recent economic and political developments and how to enhance cooperation and business ties between the EU and Taiwan.

Several meetings were held to discuss future cooperation. For example, at the meetings with GWEC, Wind Europe and DG ENER, delegates discussed the forthcoming second edition of the Global Offshore Wind Summit, which will be jointly arranged by the ECCT’s Low Carbon Initiative and GWEC from 21-23 April in Taiwan. Following the outstanding success of the 2019 summit and the rising importance of wind energy in Taiwan, this year’s summit promises to attract even more attendance and international media attention than last year’s summit.

The delegation also received important insights into recent political and economic developments in the EU from its meetings with the European Centre for International Political Economy ECIPE and BusinessEurope.

On the second evening of the trip, as has become an annual tradition, delegates met with Ambassador Harry Tseng and a delegation from Taiwan's representative office in the EU and Belgium, which was also attended by former Head of the EETO in Taiwan, Madeleine Majorenko, who is now Head of Division, Integrated Approach to Security and Peace – Concepts, knowledge management and programmes, for the European External Action Service (EEAS). During the meeting the ECCT delegation gave a briefing on its meetings and received an update from the representative office on the current status of EU-Taiwan trade and investment relations. The meeting was followed by a dinner where delegates exchanged ideas on future challenges and opportunities facing Taiwan.

Given the high level of delegations, excellent information exchanges, comprehensive planning meetings and the consequent exciting schedule of activities in the pipeline for the year ahead, ECCT delegates described this year’s Open Door Mission as extremely productive and successful.

Who the ECCT delegation met with in Brussels:

European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE)

Attended by:

• Hosuk Lee Makiyama, Director

European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA)

• Paul Greening, Emissions & Fuels Director
• Petr Dolejsi, Mobility & Sustainable Transport Director
• Jonathan O’Riordan, International Trade Director

Business Europe

• Luisa Santos, Director
• Maurice Fermont, Adviser, International Relations Department

Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC)

• Ben Backwell, CEO
• Joyce Lee, Policy & Operations Director

Wind Europe

• Giles Dickson, CEO
• Diletta Zeni, Advisor – Energy & Climate Change, Wind Europe
• Lizet Ramirez, Offshore Wind Analyst

Directorate-General for Agriculture (DG AGRI)

• Elena Panichi, Deputy Head of Unit

Directorate General for Trade (DG TRADE)

• Adeline Hinderer, Head of Unit, Far East
• Sylvia Baule, Deputy Head of Unit, Investment
• Balazs Gargya, Policy Officer

DG TRADE (on Agriculture and SPS issues)

Attended by:

• Wolf-Martin Maier, Policy Officer
• Stéphane Andre, Policy Officer, Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE), European Commission

Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW)

• Vladimir Zuberec, International Relations Officer, International Affairs
• Salvator D’Acunto, Head of Unit, Food and Healthcare Industries, Biotechnology, Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry
• Timo Pesonen, Director-General, Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
• Nada Alkhayat, Policy Assistant – Scientific / Biotechnologies Health Technology and Cosmetics
• Gordon Buhagiar, Policy Officer, Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing Systems

DG GROW (Medical Devices & Cosmetics)

• Erik Hansson, Deputy Head of Unit, Health Technology and Cosmetics
• Roman Mokry, Policy Officer, Health, Technology and Cosmetics

DG GROW (Automotive)

• Elitza Stoyanova-Podvarzachova, Legislative and Policy Officer, Automotive and Mobility industries
• Alberto Ascani, Policy Officer, Road Transport (DG Climate)

DG GROW (Plastic Strategy)

• Paolo Sandri, Plastics Strategy Coordinator, Policy Officer, Chemicals

Taiwan Representative Office in the EU and Belgium

• Dr Harry Tseng, Ambassador
• Eugene YJ Chen, Director, Economic Division
• Peter CL Chou, Minister, Deputy Representative
• Weng Shih-chun, Economic Secretary, Economic Division
• Jennifer PC Hsieh, Economic Secretary, Economic Division
• Richard KH Liu, First Secretary, Political Division

European External Action Service (EEAS)

• Jonathan HATWELL, Head of Division, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Mongolia
• Monika Solis, Desk Officer, Taiwan and China, Division China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Mongolia
• Ioannis Giogkarakis-Argyropoulos, Adviser to the Managing Director Asia and Pacific

Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT)

• Petri Koistinen, Principal Administrator, Policy Outreach & International Affairs Unit
• Silvia Viceconte, Head of Sector, Multilateral and Economic Cooperation, International Affairs

Cosmetics Europe

• Gerald Renner, Director, Technical Regulatory Affairs

DG Energy

• Klaus-Dieter BORCHARDT, Deputy Director General, Responsible for the coordination of Energy Policy, Energy Union and External Policy
• Matthie Ballu, Policy Officer, Renewables
• Sebastien Occhipenti, International Relations Officer, International Relations & Enlargement