Femoza report 2014

FEMOZAREPORT OF ACTIVITIES 2014

Many Free Zones started 2014 with better feelings after few years of shadows due to the economic crisis, we have clear that global economy means to export as the only way to go on, when your are collapsed because your usual markets are narrow and limited, take a look to new, open and broad horizons and Free & Special Economic Zones are the right option, to help you, keeping your products into market under competitive basis.

WORLD FREE & SPECIALECONOMIC ZONES FEDERATIONFÉDÉRATION MONDIALE DES ZONES FRANCHES


Unfortunately we started 2014 with very sad news, we lost our loved Honorary President and Femoza’s founder

Mr Peter F Ryan, he pass away in January.Mr Ryan, have been, probably, the personality most involved in

Free & Special Economic Zone in decades. He created, developed and launched the successful UNIDOS’s

Export Processing Zones program in the 70’, with 120.000 jobs in two years,

Mr Ryan devoted 40 years to defend, support and help free zo-nes development worldwide. Peter, God bless you, Free Zones

community has an important debt with you.

FEBRUARY Femoza bet for a Free Zone Forum in Tangier, at Mogador Hotel, it was attended by 104 Dele-gates, keynote speakers from Europe and Uni-ted Arab Emirates introduced very professional presentations, about how to attract FDI and Free Zones Incentives programs.

Nonetheless we missed, interest from local Institutions, the event attract the attention of many companies and delegates, and finally, it was a successful one, probably the day after everybody learnt that Free Zones is a very motivating topic which attract itself a lot of interest.

APRILThe Executive Committee Board, debated and approved a major decision, to establi-sh Regional Committees in order to su-pport Free Zones Projects, with legislation, management, training programs, meetings, networking with investors and the coming, Femoza’s In-vestment Promotion Agency. The Commit-tees would be formed by staff of the Zones as a new scenario to open Femoza to the Regions.



JUNE Femoza was invited to participate at the ASCAME Logistic Committee held in Barcelona. After the President Mr Serefattin Asut opening speech, meeting was very active, the Egyptian and Palestinian delegations, introduced proposals and actions to be taken, to face logistics needs in the Mediterranean Region.

On June 13th Femoza participated as guest in the Tunisia Investment Forum held in Tunis and attended by more than 1.300 delegates

JULYFollowing the commitments with the Femoza Executive Committee Board, we startworking on the Femoza’s Investment Promotion Agency, especially focussed to Free & Spe-cial Economic Zones, the most crucial issue was to know about which are the best practice in FDI, so Femoza’s works already in a rapport “Best Practices in FDI attraction” it would be completed and edited fall 2015 and important new tool for our affiliates, UNCTAD, initially offered it support to the project.

In SEPTEMBERStarted one of the most 2014 active season.

September 18th and 19th in Beograd, we held the South-East Europe Free Zone Conference, organized in close cooperation with our partners Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Serbia, Free Zones Administration and Serbian Free Zones Group.

The event was a tremendous success; with a very professional management by Pirot Free Zone as operative organisation, the true soul of the event, supported by local Public and Private Organisations and 15 private sponsors.

We received Delegates from most of the Eastern European Countries, as Croatia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Belarus, Poland, Montenegro, etc. and Turkey, the event was crowned with a Gala Diner, sponsored by the Company NIS.



During the event the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia and the Gomel Raton Special Economic Zone, Belarus, signed partnership agreements with Femoza; in fact Gomel Raton in Belarus would be the host for the coming North-East Europe Free Zone Congress scheduled on March 19th and 20th 2015 with a very attractive main topic: “Business Globali-sation and Direct Foreign Investment, Eastern Europe “The New Investment Corridor”

OCTOBEREarly October, through our Board of Advi-sers, we signed a technical assistance con-tract with ABRAZPE, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , for a Business Plan and Operating Program for the ZPE, Zona de Processamento de Exportaçao de Parnaiba, Piaui, Brazil.

On October 13th we supported and participated in the Training Seminar organized by BLI Business Location International in Brussels.Professor Marcel de Meirleir, BLI CEO’s organises regular training Seminars, for Free Zones and IPA’s interested to improve better their FDI attraction systems, with a very professional and practical presentations based on his long experience it is a matter to put Theory into Practise.During the Executive Committee Board, held in October 14th, PhD Dragan Kostic, by unanimous decision was awarded with the most high Femoza’s distinction Member of Femoza Gallery of Honour, for his 30 year dedication to Free Zones in Serbia and Internationally.



Geneva 14th to 16th October, we participated in the World Investment Forum, organized by UNCTAD, during the event we kept meetings and we reached commitments with different Governments and Free Zones to help them with a review of the FDI and Free Zones Program.

NOVEMBER We organised a visit for a Gabon Government Delegation to visit UAE, a 4 days visit, they visited Rak Investment Authority, RAKFTZ and Jebel Ali Free Zone, the meetings were very professional, Delegates learnt more about Free Zones and all parts, agreed to maintain contacts and a future cooperation. During our stay in Dubai, FEMOZA reconfirmed once more our support to the UAE FREE ZONES DIRECTORY edited since 2000

We visited also Montenegro, where we kept meetings with the Government, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Port of Bar Free Zone and the Mayor of Cetinje, Femoza will pre-pare a proposal for a new Free Zone development and we offered to help the Government to review the Free Zones Law.



November finished with the traditional Mediterranean Week of Experts, on its 8th Edition.The Event held in Barcelona, received 1300 experts, 20 International Organisations and through 60 working sessions, they had the opportunity to meet and discussed about Medite-rranean opportunities during three daysFemoza organized a Mediterranean Free & Special Economic Zones Summit, with 110 Delegates from different Mediterranean Countries. After the opening ceremony the Gallery of Honour award was delivered to the new member PhD Dragan Kostic, by Mr Jean Claude Plana, from UNIDO. During the Event, Femoza accepted the “Challenge” launched by Dr Salvatore de Alfonso, Senior Project Manager, Union pour la Méditerranée, to join them in the program Free Zones and Logistics Platforms an opportunity for FDI projects in the Mediterranean Region

DECEMBERThis month was very important for us, 15th December 2014, 15th Femoza`s Anniversary, during these years many things happened …..Since our first meeting and presentation in Ema Invest Salon in Geneva in 1999, where a group of enthu-siastic people decided to bridge the gap about Free Zone knowledge and they created in the City of Geneva, under the Civil Code regulations a non for profit NGO named Fédération Mondiale des Zones Franches, with the support of two United Nations Directors Mr. Peter F Ryan from UNIDO and Mr. Francesc J Vendrell from UNCTAD, on 2003 we got the Status of Observer from both UN Divisions.

Femoza has been presence in more than 80 Countries, helping Governments, Free Zones and Special Economic Zones, especially in emergent Countries as Haiti where in 2002 we helped the Haitian Government to issue a Free Zones Law, reviewing Laws and FDI programs in Croatia, Bulgaria, Syria, Iran, Ecuador and Cuba.

Organising Conferences, Seminars and Training programs or simply attending Delegations in Geneva, answering questions, making proposals or linking Zones with Institutions, Femoza has been a door opener for many Zones and Institutions, we got recognition, credibility and prestige and we feel proud for it, as well as for out 15 years on the free zones stage.

Sometimes we been ignored, accused or slighted, for people that we helped before, many times as a courtesy, but we are not in this business, we prefer to remind somebody whorecompense us with an simple smile.


Last 2014 action, a very friendly Christmas lunch in Teresina, Brazil, with Directors, Staff and Employees of the Parnaíba Zona de Processamento de Exportaçao

20152015 starts with many projects almost already structured, to be achieved during first half-year; they will make us stronger to continue working for to attract investments, create jobs and to reach welfare through Free & Special Economic Zones.

The coming Northern-Eastern European Free & Special Economic Zones Congress in Gomel, Belarus scheduled on March 19th and 20th 2015, with the topic Business Globalisation and Direct Foreign Investment, “The European New Investment Corridor”With Union for the Mediterranean, we started a 24 months program with very important goals, to generate a Mediterranean Sea motorway, implement a Logistic Platforms net, permanent training programs; in order to grow up trade among the regional Countries, to build up controlled and qualified services, scale economies and improve labour force.

Early February an institutional visit to China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone and to Shanghai Waigaoqiao International Trading Operation Center, with the objective to reach a cooperation agreement to establish a Femoza Distribution Centre, in Shanghai, to help overseas products enter to the Chinese market.



2015To achieve one of the Strategic Plan issues

To create Femoza’s Regional Committees, operated by the Zones in the region; they would be part of Femoza and each one is able to introduce inputs, needs and challenges

We have already structured three Regions: Mediterranean – “Med Network”; Africa “Afrizones”; European Eastern Countries “Europe New Investment Corridor” and next one may be “Caribbean FDI Free Zone Promotion”.These committees will help to operate Femoza’s Investment Promotion Agency, and the issue of the “Best Practices in Free & Special Economic Zones and FDI”.

Monitoring Financial Plans for Free Zones and Industrial Procedures implementation

A major event, the African Free & Special Economic Zones Forum will be organized in autumn 2015; we are already dealing with two countries interested in hosting the event.

Since few months ago we deal with our partners in Switzerland and Belgium to create a supply chain for SME’s dealing with Gold, Stones and Minerals, helping them to reach the consumer market in better conditions and security.

Finally we are working with our partners LINKEZON and PR·ON·TO a new Worldwide Networking Portal, a link for FDI projects and Free & Special Economic Zones promotion tool.

Geneva, 31st January 2015

© fe

moz

a 20

15

www.femoza.org


Documents

Femoza report 2014