economic relations, witness the official inauguration of the German Philippine
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI) and hand over an original piece of the Berlin Wall gifted to the people of the Philippines in remembrance of the EDSA Revolution.
MANILA – From October 06 to October 09, the Parliamentary State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and former German Minister of Justice Mrs. Brigitte Zypries will be visiting the Philippines accompanied by a high ranking business delegation from Germany. Mrs. Zypries will hold bilateral talks with the Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert Del Rosario, discuss commercial and economic issues of mutual interest and witness the inauguration of the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI) as a full-fledged member of the German chamber network (AHK). “Germany is the Philippines’ most important trade partner in Europe with a bilateral trade volume of 5 Billion Euro and there are strong indicators that the figures for 2015 will be even higher. With more than 240 members already, the German Philippine Chamber of Commerce had a brilliant start as it provides excellent services to German and Philippine companies”, says German Ambassador Thomas Ossowski.
On 08 October, Ms. Zypries will hand over an original piece of the Berlin Wall to Secretary Del Rosario at a function held at the National Museum. “This part of the Wall is a gift by the Senate of the City of Berlin to the Philippine Government and the Philippine people in remembrance of the peaceful EDSA Revolution which happened just a few years before a peaceful revolution by the people of East-Berlin tore down the Berlin Wall that divided Germany. I also thank the German shipping company Kuehne & Nagel who have brought this 2 ton piece safely from Berlin to Manila free of charge”, explains Ambassador Ossowski.
The official establishment of the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI) as a member of AHK had been announced last year during the visit of President Aquino to Germany. After concluding the respective government agreement, its inauguration will be celebrated with a grand reception in Manila on 07 October hosted by German Ambassador Thomas Ossowski and Parliamentary State Secretary Brigitte Zypries. In the short time span, GPCCI has shown a remarkable growth rate and grown into a chamber with a membership of more than 240 German and Filipino companies. They have been keen to join the new Chamber which provides tremendous support. (Eagle News Service/Embassy of Germany)