歐洲商會2020建議書主題 - 台灣經濟逆轉勝：動盪世局，抓住機運

 

歐洲在台商務協會（ECCT，以下簡稱歐洲商會）今(5)日發表2020年建議書。本年主題乃「台灣經濟逆轉勝：動盪世局，抓住機運」，該會呼籲台灣政府與其共同努力，克服各項削弱台灣進步成長之挑戰，並抓緊諸多當前經濟難得出現的機遇，點化逆境使其成為真金。

 

該會理事長尹容在發表建議書時強調，「只要天平測度能夠決定性地朝向台灣有利的方向傾斜，那麼，台灣未來篤定走向繁榮」。

 

在今天舉行的年度午餐會上發布這份建議書後，理事長尹容隨即將今年建議書遞交台灣政府當局，由國家發展委員會（NDC）主任委員陳美伶代表接受。本建議書是由該會所屬的30個產業及特別委員會之中的25個委員會分別提出建議，共計提出148項議題；其中，100項是以往所提出者，另外48項則為新議題。

 

尹容理事長在午餐會上向陳美伶主委及出席會員們提出報告時，特別道謝台灣政府在過去一年間32項議題上取得了顯著進展，這是過往5年來進展最大的一年。他針對建議書概論提出摘要說明，並強調該會成員們所面對的一些重要問題。

 

2020年建議書概論摘要

概論中強調，我們乃處在一個動盪VUCA的時代 ─ 即充滿激盪(V)、不確定(U)、複雜(C)與模糊(A)的時代。世界各國政府、企業與民眾正面對多重挑戰 ─ 包括地緣衝突、環境及經濟。與此同時，社會趨勢與科技進步卻也出現多項難得的新機遇。

 

企業界為因應動盪世局VUCA的各項挑戰，正承受沈重的負擔。而台灣不利的法規環境，卻又是企業必須面對的挑戰。在此雙重負擔下，對外商在台之企業營運與經濟發展，可謂雪上加霜。

 

總之，台灣要在經濟上獲得持久的成功，就必須統合所有相關方面的策略與行動，克服種種逆境，抓住各項機遇，點化其成真金。以下，針對台灣政府能夠採取的行動，提出摘要說明，協助所有相關者克服各項挑戰，促使秤桿天平朝向對台灣有利的方向傾斜，以祈逆中轉勝。

 

與國際標準及最佳慣例接軌：該會眾多委員會成員在本年度建議書中，列出了各項台灣政府主管機構偏離國際標準及最佳慣例的具體案例。

 

例如，台灣有多種標準都與國際標準背道而馳，致使台灣本地電機工程與設備產業所提供的產品與服務，難以朝向更安全、更高品質升級轉型。再者，多項例證也顯示，在法規執行與流程上，缺乏透明度與一致性，對很多產業的發展形成不利影響。例如，不同的政府機關對於相同產品，課徵不同稅率的關稅，而產品標示規定也難以適從。此外，農化與零售產業的法規執行溯及既往，對之前原已通過安規的產品，卻要求適用新法規。這種作法，本應只在有損健康或造成安全傷害之虞才會發生。另外，新法令在執行時，應賦予業者足夠的寬限期。

 

總結而言，惟有與國際標準及最佳國際慣例接軌，並對外籍企業提供公平的競爭環境，才有助提升本地企業在國際市場上的競爭力，從而，促使所有利害相關各方，確能牢牢抓住難得的機遇。

因應技術與勞工不足：技術與非技術勞工雙缺，限制了台灣抓緊經濟機遇的能力。為因應此一問題，該會人力資源（HR）委員會建請進一步改革勞動法，以培養、吸引並留住人才。該委員會除了提出其他措施外，還要求台灣的勞動法規對於工作時間，應更具彈性。尤其是風能產業，必需被列入不受「一例一休」約束的產業名單之內，如此才能讓風能業者安排休假班表，以符合離岸工程工作之需。而該委員會並祈請主管機關放寬外籍專業人士的簽證規定，並讓服務業雇用更多外籍勞工，及加強保護外籍勞工。

 

同時，該會生活品質委員會要求台灣政府取消對外籍人士的不公平之歧視性待遇，尤其決定本地居住民之適法性時，在心態上應從「本國公民對外籍人士」，轉變成「納稅居民對非納稅居民」，才符合台灣整體之利益。

 

解決這項問題的第一步，台灣政府應將已擬妥且已被廣泛接受的解決方案，即刻付諸實施。此即，對於外僑居留證（ARC）及外僑永久居留證（APRC）編碼格式，與中華民國國民身分證編碼格式，應使之相容一致。如此方能使居住本地的外籍人士與中華民國民身分證持有者一樣，可以全面使用台灣地區之公共及民間所提供的網路服務。
加速能源轉型：從利用碳基燃料產生能源，轉型到低排放及零排放的替代性能源，對解決氣候變遷威脅，至關重要。台灣擁有豐富再生能源的完備條件，能源轉型乃是台灣另一項難得的機遇。台灣政府體認到再生能源的多重利益，也正擁抱此一趨勢，此點值得讚揚。不過，該會風能及能源與環境兩委員會共同建議，應進一步改革能源政策，包括解除能源市場管制，允許再生能源設置、銷售及使用的多種商業營運模式能夠儘速落實。

 

此外，應增加對電網基礎設施的公共投資，容納再生能源能量，並調整台灣電力公司與風電開發業者之間的標準化購電協議 (PPA) ，以及風電開發業者與經濟部之間的「管理合約」，在台電公司未能如期完成電網連結時，所造成的電力減購，當對風能開發商給予補償。

 

此外，台灣政府也應放寬對風能產業在地化的要求。而同時，放寬在海邊、公路、鐵路、港口與工業園區沿線設置在岸風力渦輪，並修改舊渦開更新法規，允許開發商在汰舊換新渦輪時，勿須再經過審查及批准程序。在本年度建議書中，電機工程與設備委員會也還要求台灣政府研擬計畫，建立能源貯存系統，這是降低再生能源波動性，所不可或缺的平衡工具。

 

抓緊智能移動的機遇：運輸產業擁有多項難得的商機，以提昇運輸效率、品質與舒適度，並藉由減少排碳量，因應氣候變遷，以及降低汙染，改善人體健康。

 

該會智能移動委員會建議，採行一套全面性計畫，包括提供具吸引力的獎勵措施，建立全台性的電動車充電網，為充電站訂出一套明確且與國際標準一致的標準，以及方便消費者操作及付款的電動車充電系統。該委員會建請依循挪威等國的範例，藉由對電動車提供購車補貼，並免除電動車的貨物稅、奢侈稅及其他稅捐，使終端消費者購買得起電動車。

 

因應人口結構變化：台灣已是全世界出育率最低、人口老化最快的地區之一。這種現象尚無簡單的因應之道，況且，也非台灣所獨有。除了透過醫療照顧、幼童照料及教育支持等政策，減輕年輕婦女及其雙親的負擔，鼓勵生育以外，主管當局猶須考慮其他作為，包括設法讓民眾在職場待得更久。

 

此外，該會健康照護與保險兩個委員會建議，台灣政府允許更多藥品及服務能適用共同負擔 (自付額) ，並鼓勵更多型態的民間醫療保險產品，分散健保成本負擔。在年金改革方面，資產管理委員會則建議，主管機關參卓其他國家的成功範例，鼓勵本地居民在自己的所得中，撥出更多錢來作為年金，並對勞工提供更多樣的年金計畫。
落實數位化、人工智慧、物聯網、5G及其他創新領域的諸多機遇：數位化、物聯網 (IOT) 及人工智慧 (AI) 對台灣而言，這些挑戰既是潛在的威脅，同時也可能是機遇。該會銀行與科技委員會建議，台灣政府制定更有彈性的法規，刺激金融科技 (FinTech) 的發展，例如採用類似於歐盟第2號支付服務指令（PSD2）的作法，開放支付服務，並開發出一套既安全且開放的應用程式介面（API）與資料庫。通訊、媒體與內容委員會建議法規應更明確，支持5G發展，包括降低使用費率，降低5G頻率底價，延長5G設備的租稅抵減期限。

 

製藥委員會倡議台灣政府採取更多行動，以提高台灣被承認為多區域臨床試驗 (MRCT) 的機會，包括當實驗申請者已符合特定門檻時，得以豁免製售證明等各項法規要求，並縮短食品藥物管理局 (FDA) 對新藥申請的平均審核時間等。

 

掌握食品業轉型的點金機遇：全球食品業正發生全方位的轉變，因為消費者對於食品之品質有著更安全、更有益健康，以及不致危害環境等方面的強烈要求。台灣「有機農業促進法」於2019年5月30日生效，顯示政府支持有機食品轉型，該會對此咸表歡迎。然，台灣政府還能做得更多更好，藉由租稅與其他獎勵措施，支持台灣本地農民從傳統農業向有機農業轉型。

 

此外，主管機關應釐清法規，對台灣未生產的歐盟有機食品，提供更便捷進口程序，並簡化文件要求。在塑膠廢棄物問題方面，主管機關應採取整體性作法，提供獎勵措施，既能達成減少廢棄物的目標，並同時透過更佳的管理及增加回收物，使塑膠品能保留在價值鏈中，提高循環利用率。為了更妥善利用食品廢棄物，主管機關自應協助零售業者裝設食品廢棄物處理設備，並研擬全面性計畫，將產生的有機堆肥分配給本地農民。

 

追求貿易協定：該會持續支持台灣政府在追求國際貿易協定上的種種努力，尤其是歐盟─台灣雙邊投資協定（BIA），並對於台灣仍致力於開放，且尋求更進一步的國際合作，咸表歡迎。該會相信BIA一旦實現，加上BIA還能解決各項非關稅障礙，將對歐洲與台灣的經濟成長及就業創造都有好處，而歐洲與台灣能互蒙其利，這也是另一項能夠「抓住機運」的例子。

 

結論：

2020年建議書概論所提出的結論是，台灣政府既已展現出解決困難問題的意願，而在解決諸多難題方面，也獲致重大進展。惟，面對眼前諸多挑戰，台灣還有更多工作亟待克服改進。

因此，該會要求台灣政府持續與歐洲商會進行建設性且全面性的諮商，並攜手合作，抓住當前各項重大的經濟機遇，造就共同的經濟與社會繁榮，並使秤桿天平朝有利於台灣的方向傾斜。

 

前往布魯塞爾，履行門戶開放任務

該會除了向台灣政府提出建議書之外，並將以這份建議書向歐盟執委會、歐洲議會及歐洲委員會做簡報。為此，該會將組成代表團，成員包括理事會理事、監事、各委員會主席及幕僚人員，於12月底時訪問布魯塞爾，履行一年一度的「門戶開放任務之旅」，期間，將舉行一系列雙邊會議，目的乃針對台灣當前的政治、投資與法規環境，與歐洲執委會廣泛地交換最新資訊。

 

關於歐洲在台商務協會

 歐洲企業一直是台灣最主要的外商投資來源，其直接投資規模超過550億美元。歐洲在台商務協會 (歐洲商會) 的創建宗旨，在於促進歐洲企業在台之利益。歐洲商會的會員約有900位，分別來自400家公司與機構。透過30個產業與特別委員會形成的關係網，歐洲商會已成功因應不同產業的特殊議題，為各級政府提供改善台灣經商環境的具體建言。歐洲商會每年均提出一系列的建議書，內容涵蓋各委員會提出有礙自身產業進一步發展的議題，亦針對一般議題與各產業的特有問題，向台灣政府提出多項改善經商環境的建言。建議書亦協助歐洲執行委員會、歐洲議會與歐盟各會員國政府瞭解台灣的經商環境。

 

 

2020 ECCT POSITION PAPERS – “TIPPING THE SCALE IN TAIWAN'S FAVOUR : CAPITALISING ON OPPORTUNITIES”

 

The European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan (ECCT) today released its 2020 Position Papers. Through the theme “Tipping the Scale in Taiwan's Favour :  Capitalising on Opportunities”, the ECCT called upon the government to work together with the ECCT to overcome the challenges that are weighing down Taiwan's chances for progress and fully capitalise on the numerous economic opportunities of the modern era. “As long as the scale is tipped decisively in favour of the opportunities, Taiwan's future prosperity will be assured,” said ECCT Chairman Giuseppe Izzo at the launch of the papers.

 

The launch was held at an ECCT Premium Event lunch today, where Chairman Izzo officially handed over a copy of the chamber’s annual publication to the Taiwan government, represented by Chen Mei-ling, Minister of the National Development Council (NDC). This year's publication includes separate submissions from 25 of the ECCT's 30 industry and support committees and raises 148 issues, 100 from previous years and 48 new issues.

 

In his presentation to NDC Minister Chen and ECCT members at the launch, Chairman Izzo congratulated the government on making progress 32 issues from the previous year, the highest level of progress in five years. He went on to give a summary of the Position Paper Overview and highlight some of the major issues facing ECCT members.

 

Summary of 2020 Position Paper Overview

The overview notes that we are living in VUCA times – volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. Governments, businesses and citizens the world over are facing multiple challenges - geopolitical, environmental and economic. At the same time, social trends and advances in technology are opening up multiple new golden opportunities. Dealing with the multiple demands of the VUCA world is already a heavy burden for corporations. Having to do so in an unfavourable regulatory environment further hampers their business operations and Taiwan's economic development. Conversely, the best approach to achieve lasting economic success is for all stakeholders to align their strategies and actions to overcome the threats and capitalise on the opportunities. The overview goes on to give a summary of actions the government could take to help all stakeholders to overcome the challenges, capitalise on the opportunities and tip the scale in Taiwan's favour.

 

Aligning with international standards and best practices

 ECCT members from a number of committees list issues in their papers where Taiwan authorities have deviated from international standards and best practices. For example, several of Taiwan's standards are not aligned with international standards, which is hampering the ability of the Electrical Engineering and Equipment industry to upgrade to products and services that are safer and of a higher quality. Moreover, there remain instances of a lack of transparency as well as inconsistencies in the implementation of regulations and procedures, which are hampering the development of several industries. For example,different government agencies impose different levels of commodity taxes on products and have inconsistent product labelling requirements. In addition, both the agro-chemical and retail industry have reported retroactive implementation of new regulations on previously-approved products. This should only be justified if they pose health or safety hazards. Otherwise there should be a sufficient grace period for the implementation of new regulations. In summary, aligning with international standards and best practices would level the playing field for foreign companies and help make local companies more competitive in the international market, thereby making it much easier for all stakeholders to capitalise on opportunities.

 

Addressing the skills and labour shortage

The shortage of both skilled and unskilled workers is weighing down Taiwan's ability to capitalise on economic opportunities. To address this, the ECCT's Human Resources (HR) committee has recommended further labour law reforms to develop, attract and retain talent. Among other measures, the committee recommends, further flexibility in Taiwan's rules on working hours. In particular, the wind energy sector needs to be added to the list of industries exempt from the weekly regular leave day requirements so that businesses in the sector may arrange workers’ calendars to make them suitable for offshore construction work. The HR committee also calls for looser visa requirements for foreign professionals, allowing more foreign labor in the service sector and better protection for foreign laborer. Meanwhile the ECCT's Better Living committee calls for removing the remaining instances of unequal and discriminatory treatment of foreign nationals, which includes making a shift from the “national vs foreigner” mindset to a “tax resident vs non-tax resident” mindset when it comes to deciding who is eligible for government benefits. A first step towards resolving this issue would be for the government to implement an already-proposed and accepted solution to make the number format of Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (APRC)identity cards compatible with those of ID numbers provided to ROC nationals. Doing so would allow foreigners to use the full range of public and private online services currently only available to ROC ID holders.

 

Speeding up the energy transition

 The transition away from fossil fuel-generated energy to low and zero emissions alternatives is essential to address the threat of climate change. It also represents another golden opportunity for Taiwan given the island's perfect conditions for tapping into abundant renewable energy sources. The government, to its credit, has already acknowledged the multiple benefits of renewable energy and is embracing this trend. However, the ECCT's Wind Energy and Energy& Environment committees recommend further reform of energy policies, including a deregulation of the energy market, to permit and allow the implementation of multiple business models for the installation, sale and use of renewable energy.

 

In addition, the committees urge more public investment in grid infrastructure to accommodate renewable energy capacity and adjustments to the standard “Power Purchase Agreement” (PPA) between Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) and wind developers and “Administrative Contracts” between wind developers and the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) to deal with curtailments in the event of delays in ensuring grid connections. In addition, the Wind Energy committee calls for a loosening of localisationrequirements for its industry. The committee also urges the opening up of coastal areas, highways, railways, harbours and industrial parks for the installation of onshore wind turbines and new repowering rules to allow developers to replace old turbines with newer versions without having to repeat approval and permitting processes.

 

In its paper, the Electrical Engineering & Equipment committee calls on the government to develop a blueprint for building energy storage systems, which will be needed to act as a balancing tool to reduce the volatility of renewable energy.

 

Capitalising on mobility opportunities

here are multiple golden opportunities in the transportation sector for business to improve the efficiency, quality and comfort of transport as well as ways to address climate change by reducing carbon emissions and improving human health by reducing pollution. The ECCT's Mobility committee recommends developing a comprehensive plan, which includes attractive incentives, to build a nationwide electric vehicle charging network, clear and internationally-aligned standards for charging stations and consumer-friendly operating and billing systems for electric vehicle (EV) battery charging. It also recommends following the example of countries like Norway, which has achieved great success in increasing consumer adoption of EVs by offering subsidies and exempting EVs from commodity, luxury and other taxes to make them more affordable to end consumers.

 

Dealing with demographic changes

Taiwan has one of the world's lowest birth rates and most rapidly-ageing populations. There is no simple solution to this phenomenon, which is not unique to Taiwan. Besides healthcare, childcare and educational support policies to ease the financial burden on young women and their partners in order to encourage them to have children, authorities could also consider ways to encourage people to stay in the workforce longer. In addition, the ECCT's healthcare and insurance committees recommend spreading the burden of healthcare costs by allowing-payments for more drugs and devices and encouraging more types of private health insurance products. In terms of pension reform, the Asset Management committee recommends emulating examples from other countries that have been successful in encouraging residents to set aside larger portions of their incomes for their pensions and offer a greater variety of pension plans for employees.

 

Capitalising on digitalisation,AI,IoT, 5G and other innovations

Digitalisation, IoT and AI have the potential to be either threats or opportunities for Taiwan. The ECCT's Banking and Technology committees recommend more flexible regulations that would stimulate the development of Financial Technology (FinTech) such as liberalising payment services similar to the European Union's second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) and developing a secure and open Application Programming Interface (API) and database. The Telecommunications, Media and Content committee recommends more regulatory clarity and support for 5G, including lower utilisation fees, a lower reserve price for 5G frequency and extended tax credits for 5G equipment. The Pharmaceutical committee advocates more action to improve the chances of clinical trials in Taiwan being recognized as multi-regional clinical trials (MRCT), including waiving regulatory requirements if trial applicants meet certain thresholds and reducing the Food and Drug Administration’s average review time for new drug applications.

 

Capitalising on the food transition

A profound shift is taking place in the global food industry, as consumers are increasingly demanding safe, high-quality food that is good for their health and does not harm the environment. The ECCT has welcomed the government's shift towards organic food through the Organic Agriculture Promotion Act, which came into force on 30 May 2019. However, more could be done to support local farmers in Taiwan to transition from conventional to organic farming practices through tax and other incentives. In addition, authorities should clarify rules, simplify the documentary requirements and facilitate the import process for organic products from the EU that are not available locally. On the issue of plastic waste, authorities should take a holistic approach that provides incentives that simultaneously aim to reduce waste and increase circularity by keeping plastic in the value chain through better management and increased recycling. To make better use of food waste, authorities could assist retailers by providing incentives to install food waste treatment equipment and drafting comprehensive plans for the distribution of the resulting organic compost to farmers.

 

Pursuing trade agreements

The ECCT continues to support the government's efforts to pursue international trade deals, especially an EU-Taiwan Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA) and welcomes Taiwan's commitment to remain open and to seek further international cooperation. According to the chamber, implementing a BIA, which also addresses on-tariff barriers, would be good for economic growth and for creating jobs in both Europe and Taiwan and is another example of an opportunity that can be capitalised for the mutual benefit of Europe and Taiwan.

 

Conclusion

The overview concludes that the government has demonstrated a will to tackle difficult problems and made great progress in resolving difficult issues. However, there is more that authorities could do to overcome challenges. The ECCT therefore urges the government to continue to engage in constructive and comprehensive consultations with the ECCT and work together to capitalise on great economic opportunities available in the modern era for mutual economic and social prosperity and thereby tip the scale decisively in Taiwan's favour.

 

Open Door Mission to Brussels

Besides presenting the position papers to the Taiwan government, the ECCT will also use the papers as the basis for briefing the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council. To this end, an ECCT delegation comprising board directors, supervisors, committee chairpersons and staff will visit Brussels at the end of December for its annual “Open Door Mission”, a series of meetings aimed at providing European officials with a comprehensive update on the current political, investment and regulatory environment in Taiwan.

 

About the ECCT

With over US$55 billion in direct foreign investments, European businesses are collectively the largest group of foreign investors in Taiwan. The European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan is the largest foreign nationwide business chamber in Taiwan and the principal organisation promoting European business interests in Taiwan. The chamber represents over 900 members from 400 companies and organisations. Through a network of 30 industry and support committees, the ECCT has been successful in addressing specific concerns and providing concrete recommendations to all levels of government to facilitate improving the business environment. The ECCT annually publishes a series of position papers that comprise issues identified by its committees as hindering the further development of their respective industries and provide recommendations to the government of Taiwan for improvement of the business environment on general issues as well as industry-specific problems. They also serve to keep the European Commission and parliament as well as the governments of individual European countries informed about Taiwan's business environment.