Hamdi Al-Tabbaa, Chairman of the Jordanian Businessmen Association stressed that the establishment of the Jordanian-Belgian Business Council during the coming period will open new horizons for the consolidation of Jordanian-Belgian economic relations. Al-Tabba’a said during his meeting with Belgian Ambassador to the Royal Court Hendrik Defield at the embassy’s headquarters that the association is constantly working to strengthen relations with their business counterparts in the world. He also reviewed the projects and investment advantages in the Kingdom in many vital sectors, reviewing the association’s role in Consolidating bilateral relations, developing business and opening up to commercial and investment laws and regulations.
Al Tabba’a praised the success of the Investment and Business Conference which was held in May this year in the Belgian capital Brussels on the implementation of the Simplification of Rules of Origin Agreement between Jordan and the European Union countries, stressing the importance of Belgium to the EU as the permanent headquarters of its General Secretariat and the European Commission. Mentioning that The Association is in contact with its counterparts in France and Spain to attract European expertise to help define the requirements of the European markets, calling for the need to diversify Jordanian exports along with the clothing sector which is witnessing a remarkable activity.
For his part, the Belgian Ambassador Hendrik Defield emphasized the great role of Jordan in the region, especially the reconstruction projects in Syria and Iraq, and the ability of Jordanian companies to benefit from these projects. He also pointed out at the same time the strategic location and the investment advantages available in the Kingdom despite the limited resources. Calling for benefit from the agreement “Simplification of Rules of Origin ” and strengthen trade and economic relations between the two countries, the ambassador welcomes the call for the establishment of a Jordanian-Belgian business council in the near future, indicating that there will be an exhibition of Belgian food industries soon In the Jordan.
The president of Jordanian businessmen association discussed mechanism of benefiting from the Belgian experience in the medical field through the establishment of specialized medical universities, in addition to projects related to the energy sector, which is considered one of the most important sectors in which the Belgian side invests worldwide. And the establishment of a specialized vocational training institute to support the Jordanian labor market with competencies and skills of advanced level, considering that training is a prerequisite for entry into the labor market. In order to increase the Belgian investments in the Kingdom and raise the volume of trade exchange, which reached $128 million during the year 2016, where the share of Jordanian exports reached only $ 4 million, concentrated in the sectors of clothing, fertilizers and metals.
