BILATERAL FORUM AUSTRIA – PHILIPPINES

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A bilateral forum for business leaders from Austria and the Philippines will be held on Friday, April 26, 2024, at the Wirtschaftskammer Österreich, Wiedner Hauptstraße 63, 1045 Wien. The event marks an important highlight in the Austrian-Philippine Friendship Week and takes place ahead of the planned trip of WKO Secretary General Karlheinz Kopf to Manila from May 13 to 17, 2024.

A significant milestone in Philippine-Austrian relations was the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Recruitment of Qualified Professionals from the Philippines in October 2023. This memorandum lays the foundation for an increased exchange of talent and know-how between Austria and the Philippines. It helps to intensify cooperation in a number of areas – business, culture, and society.

The Philippines has recorded impressive growth figures in recent years, making the country an increasingly important economic partner in Asia. With a GDP increase of 7.6% in 2022 and a projected 5.4% and 5.5% last year and in 2024, the Philippines is currently proving to be one of the most dynamic economies in Southeast Asia.

This dynamism not only offers opportunities for the Filipino population but also opens up a wide range of possibilities for international partnerships and investments. In 2022, the Austrian export industry recorded the second-highest results in trade relations with the Philippines, with exports of goods amounting to EUR 170 million. Exports of electronic goods and machinery, which form the backbone of Austrian exports to the island state, were particularly significant. The electronics, machinery, and ICT sectors are also the focus of the bilateral Austria-Philippines Forum. Leading Philippine companies from these sectors will travel to Vienna to meet Austrian company representatives and explore business partnerships as part of the forum.

Dan LACHICA, President of the Semi-Conductor and Electronics Industries Association of the Philippines, will be talking about electronics and manufacturing in the Philippines and possible models for private-sector cooperation.

An overview of the Austrian economy and bilateral economic relations between Austria and the Philippines will be elaborated by Elisabeth WEISSENBÖCK, Head of Directorate Foreign Economic Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy, and Sylvia VANA, Head of Department for Siting and Business Services, Industrial Policy, Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy.

Klaus BERNHARDT, Head of Research & Innovation, Energy, Trade Association for Electrical and Electronics Industry, Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, and Paul PRESLMAYER, Consultant Research & Innovation, Trade Association for Electrical and Electronics Industry, Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, will talk about the Austrian electrical and electronic engineering industries.

The bilateral forum will be held in cooperation with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Philippine Embassy in Vienna.