GPCCI celebrates 10th anniversary
In 2008, the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (GPCCI) was established with 27 founding member companies who felt the need to create a bilateral chamber representing their business interests. Ten years later, the Chamber counts close to 300 members — German and Philippine businesses alike — making GPCCI an expert in bilateral business relations between the two countries promoting businesses, products and services. Over the years, GPCCI has helped numerous companies explore business opportunities by improving its service portfolio and establishing itself as the face of market entry solutions and membership advocacy.
GPCCI AS AHK PHILIPPINEN: A MEMBER OF THE NETWORK OF GERMAN CHAMBERS ABROAD
In 2015, GPCCI became an official member of the network of German Chambers Abroad, widening its range of services and placing the organization in the forefront of the economic relations and foreign trade. AHK Philippinen focuses on three main tasks:
1. Official representation of German companies promoting foreign trade
2. Member organization advocating and creating the platform for its members’ interests
3. Service provider to companies through business consulting for market entry and expansion
INITIATIVES AND FIELDS OF COMPETENCY
GPCCI upholds its advocacies through initiatives in six Fields of Competency. These include Connecting Businesses, Trade Policy, Business and Society, Education and Training, Maritime and Logistics, and Energy and Environment.
In Education and Training, GPCCI particularly promotes the German Dual Training approach with learning in two venues — school and company. GPCCI encourages and facilitates the dialogue between the academe and the private sector to help bridge the skills mismatch often observed. The Chamber also acts as quality assurer, for example in the PAVE Program, a pilot project of the Porsche Training and Recruitment Center Asia and Don Bosco Makati wherein underprivileged youth are trained based on industry demands to become Automotive Service Mechatronics. The Honorary Consulate of the Philippines in Stuttgart supports the project by bringing training absolvents for on-the-job training directly to Porsche AG in Germany for a threemonth period.
We believe that a social market economy is an effective contribution to employment and prosperity which eventually leads to inclusive growth, for example by being equipped with relevant skills that help Filipino workers find gainful employment. The role of business in society must include responsible management through selfregulation, thereby adding to the economic and social development of a country. GPCCI aims to provide a platform to advocate and strengthen the voice of honorable businesses, encouraging a discussion on the tensions and solutions that arise when the principles of the UN Global Compact and economic self-reliance are combined.
GERMAN-PHILIPPINE TRADE RELATIONS
Germany remains the Philippines’ biggest economic partner in the European Union: In 2017, imports from Germany to the Philippines increased by 9.6 percent while the exports from the Philippines to Germany increased by 13.6 percent, which ranks Germany the seventh as Philippine export destination.