European Business Association (EBA), Pyongyang

European Business Association (European Chamber of Commerce), Pyongyang.
Press release on the occasion of its founding ceremony on April 28, 2005:
All of the foreign business people who are resident in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and who represent European enterprises have today jointly founded the European Business Association (EBA). The ten European, one Hong Kong and one Mongolian business managers include the heads of four European invested joint ventures (in banking, overseas shipping, pharmaceuticals production and consumer goods manufacturing) in the DPRK and the representatives of several medium- and large sized European companies.
During a short founding ceremony the EBA members approved the statute and elected Felix Abt, resident chief representative of a large European manufacturing and trading group, president, Guenter Unterbeck, resident chief representative of the German enterprise that introduced and operates internet in the DPRK and Valentin Dimitrievich Pan, resident chief representative of the Russian railways, vice presidents.
As a representative of the European embassies to the DPRK the Romanian Chargé d'Affaires Eugene Poppa took to the floor to underline the significance of the association designed to lay the ground for both European and North Korean companies to do business with one another more smoothly in the future.
Acting Chairman Kim of the Association for the Promotion of the International Economic and Technological Exchange (APIETE) as well as chairman Jang of one the largest manufacturing and trading groups of the country expressed their welcome on behalf of DPRK enterprises to this new association to substantially further economic ties between European and Korean enterprises.
EBA president Abt stressed the need for European companies to catch up with Chinese and other Asian companies. In fact, out of the total DPRK foreign trading volume of 3.11 billion USD in 2003 over two third was mainly with China and to a much lesser degree with South Korea and Japan according to the South Korean government. The trade with the EU accounted for less than 10 %. In 2004 foreign trade with China increased by 35,4 %.
Although the European Union increased its exports in the first 6 months of 2004 by 17,2% to 132,0 Mio. USD and its imports by 11,3 % to 17,7 Mio. USD compared to the first semester 2003, Europe's overall share is further declining.
In its press release EBA says it is pleased to note the sharply increasing interest of Chinese and other Asian companies in investing in and doing business with the DPRK.
It regrets the comparatively weak interest by European companies which is mainly due to a lack of awareness of the promising business and investment potential of the DPRK.
The EBA will therefore contribute to encourage European businesses to invest and do more business in the DPRK. It sees itself as a bridge builder between Europe and the DPRK to substantially increase trade between the two.
The members expressed their hope that the EBA will grow quickly in numbers over the coming years as a consequence of its work aimed at enhancing economic cooperation between Europe and the DPRK.
The event was attended by officials of the DPRK, senior managers of DPRK companies and ambassadors and other diplomats of the European embassies to the DPRK including the ambassador of the Russian Federation. A visiting Polish government and business delegation headed by deputy minister Witold Gorski was also present. They mentionned that the first Polish joint venture in the DPRK is operating successfully.
(The video film was made by Juergen Nyhuis)
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KCNA, North Korea's official news agency reported:
EBA Starts to Work in Pyongyang
May 12, 2005 (KCNA) -- The European Business Association (EBA) has started to work in Pyongyang. It, jointly founded by all of the foreign business people who are resident in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and who represent European enterprises, will contribute to encouraging European businesses to invest and do more business in the country. According to its press release, it sees itself as a bridge builder between Europe and the DPRK to substantially increase trade between the two.
Its founding ceremony took place at Koryo Hotel in Pyongyang on April 28.
During the event the members of EBA expressed their hope that it will grow quickly in numbers over the coming years as a consequence of its work aimed at enhancing economic cooperation between Europe and the DPRK.
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1 year later - EBA Pyongyang celebrated its first anniversary. More on this here: http://eaca.asia/site/etc/press_review.htm?mode=view&num=644&page=30&...
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[MrBusinessguy]

A de facto European Chamber of Commerce in North Korea gives confidence to both European and non-European foreign investors and businesses interested in North Korea. No doubt more foreign companies would dare to do business with North Korea if there were no politically motivated and arbitrary wholesale embargoes and sanctions that cause harm to any legitimate business. I have a high respect for foreign businesses who are already there and no respect for the wiseacres just criticizing them.

[truthtellerization]

Brainwashed and brainwashing Western media who love to talk about brainwashed North Koreans make everybody believe that it's impossible to do business in North Korea. The existence of the European Business Association has become a serious challenge to them. European business people actually doing legitimate business in North Korea know of course better than journalists who have never been there.

[alexkvaskov]

@dtp5150 Yeah just like all the repressive regimes western nations propped up and made deals with.

West Germany, a capitalist, liberal democracy was the largest trade partner of the USSR. All of western Europe made deals with the Soviet Union on the sale and transport of oil and gas, despite all the hate and mud their own media agencies poured on the USSR.

[dtp5150]

why would anyone do business with north korea. the government keep its citizens living in a repressed bubble. it is morally and ethically wrong to do business with north korea.

[MrBusinessguy]

On flickr.com I've just seen this: "The Chamber of Commerce of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the European Business Association in Pyongyang to boost business cooperation between North Korean and European companies"

[MrBusinessguy]

Well, wiseacres know of course which countries are 'good' and which are 'bad'. Nixon normalized the relations of the 'good' United States with then Mao Zedong's 'very bad' China while he and his successors continued economic war on small and 'bad' North Korea. North Korean enterprises are refused even simple bank transfers for legitimate business transactions forcing them to use 'underground' channels which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy for the hypocrites.

[4K4K1K0]

»and no respect for the wiseacres just criticizing them.«

Well, the idea is that 'supporting a bad country is bad'.

[4K4K1K0]

»make everybody believe that it's impossible to do business in North Korea.«

I wonder what makes you think that. Business-oriented media is reporting on investments in 'stricter' countries every now and then.

[PyongyangPainters]

The foundation of the European Business Association in Pyongyang was a historical milestone and was meant not only to catch up with a very strong presence of Chinese enterprises in numerous business fields in North Korea but also to build bridges between North Korean and European enterprises and to facilitate trade and investment between them.