SJCC in Spring 2019

Impulse Event Japan / EU-Japan EPA / Jean-Paul Clozel

Dear SJCC Members and friends

The Chamber successfully began the New Year with the traditional Shinnenkai on 14 January, kindly supported by JT International.

Now I would like to inform you about some future events and important issues affecting Swiss companies:

EU-Japan EPA and its Impact on Swiss Companies

On 1 February 2019, the EU-Japan EPA came into effect, giving EU-based companies better market access to Japan than Swiss companies. Our competitors in the EU will pay lower tariffs for agricultural products, some industrial products, and receive better access to public procurement.

In the light of this discrimination against Swiss companies, the Chamber is inviting the governments of Switzerland and Japan to negotiate an update to the Swiss-Japanese FTEPA dating back to 2009. National Councillor Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter, President of the Parliamentary Friendship Group Switzerland-Japan, has requested the Federal Council to initiate these negotiations.

Impuls Event Japan on 7 March 2019

This seminar will focus primarily on the EU-Japan EPA and its impact on Swiss companies. Top-level speakers will include:

• Luis Portero, Policy Coordinator of Trade Relations with Japan, European Commission, Brussels
• Hiro Inoue, Director General, JETRO Brussels
• Ambassador Markus Schlagenhof, Delegate of the Federal Council for Trade   Agreements, SECO
• Simeon Probst, Partner, Customs, Trade, and Indirect Taxes, PWC

The seminar will also feature topics such as the ICT Industry in Japan as well as a case presentation of the whys and hows of setting up a subsidiary in Japan by Ricardo Rodriguez from Fischer Connectors.

For further information and to register, click here.

Jean-Paul Clozel (Idorsa, Actelion):  Guest Speaker for AGM on 9 May

The Chamber’s AGM will be held on 9 May 2019. Our guest speaker will be the extraordinary and remarkable entrepreneur and researcher, Jean-Paul Clozel, co-founder and CEO of Idorsia (co-founder and former CEO of Actelion). Following the Johnson & Johnson acquisition of Actelion, Jean-Paul and his wife launched the spin-out biotech company, Idorsia.

I invite you to register as soon as possible for this high-level event: SJCC Dinner Presentation with Jean-Paul Clozel.

It will be a great pleasure to see you again at the Chamber’s forthcoming events.

Yours sincerely

Martin Herb
SJCC President