As President-elect Donald Trump announces that he plans to take the USA out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement as soon as he takes office, the EU is moving in the opposite direction – looking to widen its arrangements with trade partners.
It already has what is known as a Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement with Tunisia, that has been in force since 1998, but now it is considering replacing this with a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA).
Before going any further down this road, however, the European Commission has invited traders and other businesses to submit comments on its plans.
Through aquestionnaire, it invites detailed views on the trade, investment and broader economic relationship between the EU and Tunisia.
“We are also specifically interested in practical experience in doing business with and in Tunisia,” the Commission explained, “so some questions are more technical.”
The existing Association Agreement already includes a Free Trade Area dismantling custom duties for industrial products and partially liberalising trade in agricultural and fisheries products.
The purpose of the DCFTA is to increase market access opportunities for both sides and to improve the business environment in Tunisia by supporting its economic reforms. Besides further liberalisation of trade in agricultural and fisheries products, it also aims to liberalise trade in services and investment.
The deadline for submitting comments is 22 February 2017.
Exporting activity is at its highest level on record (since Q3 2007)
Export index rises by 2.85% in Q2 2013 and is 2.94% higher compared with Q2 2012
Exporters’ confidence in future turnover and profitability remains high
The latest DHL/BCC Trade Confidence Index report – which measures UK exporting activity (Export Index) and business confidence (Confidence Index) – shows that exporting activity is at its highest level since 2007. Responses from more than 1,700 businesses show that export orders and sales have increased, with confidence levels in both future turnover and future profitability also remaining high. More businesses have taken on new staff in the second quarter of this year, with many expecting to hire further in Q3.
The index number, which is calculated from the volume of export documents issued to businesses by Chambers of Commerce, now stands at 118.12. This represents an increase of 2.85% on Q1 2013 and is 2.94% higher compared with the same quarter last year.
The key findings from the report are:
Export orders for service sector businesses increased for 50% of firms to the highest figure on record. 44% of manufacturing firms increased their export orders resulting in the highest figure since Q1 2012
Nearly half of exporters (48%) said their export sales increased in Q2 2013, compared to 10% who said that they decreased
42% of manufacturing firms reported an increase in export sales – up from 36% of firms in Q1
In the services sector, 52% saw export sales increase – up from 44% of firms in Q1
More than half of exporters (51%) believe that their profitability will increase this year, and 60% believe they will see an increase in turnover
Nearly a third of firms (31%) said that they expected to increase staff this year, up from 28% in Q1 2013
The number of businesses claiming that raw material costs were adding to price pressures fell from 42% to 33% in Q2 2013. However, when broken down by size, it appears that micro firms within the service sector are still experiencing price pressures, with 46% citing this as an issue compared with only 25% in the previous quarter
Commenting, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:
“For the first time on record, these results are positive across the board. Export sales and orders have gone up, confidence is high and expectations around profitability have increased. Even more businesses have taken on new staff this quarter, with many expecting to hire again next quarter which is really encouraging. This is a tribute to UK exporters who are working tirelessly to drive growth and lead the economic recovery. “But we mustn’t take our foot off the gas. We still need more companies to take the plunge on international trade and for those who export already, to try and diversify into new markets. For this to happen, businesses need real, on the ground support to help them take their goods and services overseas. We must seize this momentum and strive towards an economy that is more than just ‘ok’, but which is truly great and outperforms our competitors.”
Commenting on the report’s results, Phil Couchman, CEO of DHL Express UK and Ireland, said:
“These historically positive results show how buoyant the SME spirit is, even in challenging times. But we must not lose sight of the reality, which is that not nearly enough small businesses in the UK are even testing the waters of international trade. “In order to encourage them, we must collectively smooth their path by providing local insight, guidance and global expertise, enabling them to sell their wares to the world. Currently, there are a number of opportunities for exporters within high growth markets – Croatia’s accession to the EU this month means increased opportunities for international trade due to the simplification of export and import customs legislation. “Our exporters require support from the government, from trade bodies, and fellow businesses to invest in new markets, if they are to lead the country back to sustainable economic growth.”
Commenting on this latest good news, Tracey Howard, International Trade Director of Norfolk Chamber said: “These latest results mirror what we have been seeing in Norfolk. Our small International Team here in Norwich have processed more export documents during Q2 than we have ever seen before. Lots of positive comments are coming from our exporting members, so the feel good factor is back! We are doing all we can to encourage more local firms to start exporting and hope to see them all coming through very soon.”
Learn how to elevate your business visuals with Canva. Join our beginners workshop for business owners and discover the power of this user-friendly design tool.
Create stunning graphics, engaging social media posts, and professional marketing materials in just a few clicks.
Equipment: Pens and note paper will be available.
Lunch provided: Refreshments will be available throughout the duration of this course.
Course Content:
introduction to Canva
basic design principles
designing consistent branded materials and templates
crafting social media graphics
image and video editing features
creating marketing collateral (for print and online)
saving, exporting and printing your designs
managing team projects and sharing designs
Q&A session: addressing specific questions and challenges
hands-on practice: guided exercises to practice using Canva
As a solopreneur, it can be all too easy to get caught up in the hustle of life, ricocheting between building our companies, family responsibilities, and a plethora of other things vying for our attention. Taking time for ourselves is third, fourth or fifth place at best, and so we neglect our own well-being.
Sometimes self-care can feel like yet about a chore to add to our list of responsibilities and often not considered essential – however, taking care of yourself is crucial for long-term success. Taking time to improve on your skills and investing in yourself is worth it – you will never know until you try.
This event will help you understand the links between work, health, and wellbeing, and explore the importance of self-care, providing practical tips to help prioritise your wellbeing and give you the chance of feeling your best now and in the long run.
Invest in yourself and your future – so you can flourish and be the best version of yourself.
Speaker
This knowledge session will be led by Emma Lewis, Managing Director of Eudaemonia.
Emma is a Psychologist with extensive experience working clinically, operationally, and strategically as a Senior Leader across large organisations. She is passionate about people and empowering others to be the best they can be, and this is what motivates her with her own business.
Who is it for?
Anyone is welcome at this event, and it is open to both members and non-members.
Refreshments
Tea, Coffee and Pastries.
Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements.
Cancellation policy
If you have booked tickets for this event and can no longer attend, please notify us at hello@norfolkchambers.co.uk.
The Department for International Trade in Jordan is looking to support British companies working in:
garments and textiles
chemical (paints, fertilisers etc)
manufacturing/engineering/electrical
As well as other sectors – please see here.Companies working in these sectors can benefit from relaxed rules of origin in Jordan, as well as low-cost setup opportunities.
In July 2016 the EU and Jordan agreed to simplify the rules of origin that Jordanian exporters use in their trade with the EU under the Association Agreement. This is intended to make it easier for Jordan to export to the EU, encourage investment and create jobs for Jordanians and Syrian refugees.
For exporters to be able to use these alternative rules of origin, production must:
take place in one of 18 designated industrial areas and development zones in Jordan
use a minimum proportion of Syrian refugee labour in the production facilities (initially 15% and increasing to 25% in year three)
If you are intersted in this opportunity and would like more details,please contact Jan Wimaladharma at DIT in Amman.
Norfolk freelance advertising photographerJoe Lenton has been selected for the UK team for the 2024 World Photographic Cup. His image of a Skeleton Watch created for Vision & Time is representing the UK in the commercial section of the competition. Joe is thrilled to be part of the team, which is comprised of some of the UK’s finest photographers. As well as being assessed individually, the images receive scores that go towards the nation’s total number of points. The country with the highest number of points will be awarded the World Photographic Cup at a ceremony in Texas in April.
Joe is a specialist in product photography, working with local, national and international clients. He is passionate about creating outstanding images and also loves helping other photographers to achieve excellence.
2024 also sees the launch of “Focused Professional”, his in-depth photography mentoring service that helps photographers to build businesses that suit their personality and passion. His experience as a qualified international judge and international level photographer are available to help others achieve their dreams too. Fingers crossed for the UK in April…!
On Friday 3 October over 40 Norfolk Chamber Members attended our business breakfast to get the unique opportunity to ask their local MP, Henry Bellingham, MP for North West Norfolk, questions on the future in their local area.
The breakfast took place in the Ballroom at Dukes Head Hotel with our host for the morning, Heather Garrod, President of the West Norfolk Chamber Council taking the delegates through the agenda.
Members heard from sponsor, The Skills Service, on the work they have been doing to get better training for young people and how businesses can help. To follow this Norfolk Chamber’s Nova Fairbank highlighted to the delegates our Business Plan for Norfolk following feedback from the membership on what they wanted to see. There is still a chance to have your say on this in ouronline consultation.
Breakfast and a chance to discuss what more needed to be done followed this as delegates had their chance to voice their opinion. After breakfast, Henry Bellingham gave the delegates the larger picture of what is to come for businesses.
A Q&A session then took place with various questions from delegates to better understand the opportunities and plans for the coming year.
To view photos of the event, visit ourFacebookpage orGoogle+page
Come and join Chambers East for the launch of our new manifesto. This manifesto will steer our lobbying at all levels of government to champion the voice of business, come and share your views and feedback with us so we can continue to advocate on matters that are most important to local business.
Who are Chambers East?
Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce, Essex Chambers of Commerce and Suffolk Chamber of Commerce are together Chambers East.
We are ideally placed to campaign on behalf of businesses on a local, regional and national level.
Our members employ nearly 300,000 people and our joint campaigning work is on behalf of all businesses in our region.
We are accredited to the British Chambers of Commerce and we have over 485 years of combined experience in supporting our local business communities.
A survey by the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) has shown that British companies are confident about trade with China in the aftermath of the UK leaving the EU.
Over half (56%) of the 266 respondents said that Brexit would create either “many more” or “more” business opportunities with China generally, while 44% stated that a free trade agreement (FTA) between the UK and China would generate more opportunities for their own companies.
A significant majority (88%) of respondents think that it is either “very important” or “important” to achieve an FTA, and almost three-quarters (73%) believe it is possible to do so in under five years.
Ensuring a simpler approach to dispute resolution, simplified UK and Chinese visa rules and the strengthening of intellectual property rights should be among the main aims of negotiations on such an agreement, respondents suggested.
Removing tariffs, standardising and digitising trade documents, and reinforcing protection for foreign investors in joint ventures (JVs) were also seen as key issues.
Reduced tariffs were seen as being positive for their particular sectors by an overwhelming majority (95%) of those surveyed.
Based on the survey results, the CBBC has made a number of recommendations to further support UK-China trade and investment in the coming years. They include establishing a China-specific taskforce within the UK Government to assess the parameters of an FTA.
The taskforce should, it said, include key members of the UK business community with expertise on UK-China trade and investment.
Other industry taskforces should also be created, comprising leading UK companies who can make recommendations in their specific sectors. The CBBC wants to see working groups set up with relevant Chinese stakeholders from both government and business.
Further details of the CBBC survey can be found atwww.cbbc.org.
Public comments are now being invited on Norfolk County Council’s draft vision to develop the former RAF Coltishall site which envisages the creation of hundreds of jobs, new housing for local people and new tourism opportunities.
The County Council is launching a public consultation today (Wednesday 24 July) to gather views on its new ‘Development Vision’ for the former airbase which outlines strategies for a number of key themes such as employment, enterprise & investment, accessibility, heritage and green infrastructure.
The consultation asks for feedback on the proposed plans by September – and invites people to make suggestions on what further opportunities should be considered.
The Vision includes concept maps and illustrations of what the site might look like if plans come to fruition over a number of years and details how the site’s important site’s rich heritage could be brought back to life.
George Nobbs, Norfolk County Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Development, said: “This is one of the most exciting development projects that the County Council has ever taken on. RAF Coltishall, as it used to be known, is held in great affection by those who served there, by local residents and by the people of Norfolk as a whole. That’s why I and my colleagues are determined to treat the site with the utmost respect.
“This is not a collection of industrial units or a site for intensive development. Our aim is to make it a living breathing part of the local community that everyone involved can be very proud of. RAF Coltishall deserves no less.”
Possible opportunities to generate income which include reusing a number of the existing buildings for commercial use, returning some of the land for agriculture, creation of a large scale solar farm and areas for camping and caravanning with links potential links to the Bure Valley Railway. Providing new locations for business, some housing and the possibility of removing surplus hard standing areas for aggregate are also included.
The Council anticipates that the main runway would be retained and is clear that commercial aviation will not feature in its future plans. Proposed plans to extract some aggregate would be mainly from the Cold War runway extensions and a number of options are being explored such as the route the aggregate lorries could take to minimise disruption to surrounding villages, if planning permission is granted.
There are a number of accessibility proposals which the County Council intends to implement immediately which include making Lamas Road an access only HGV restriction through Badersfield and having a similar access weight restriction on The Faistead. There are other enhancements to access the Authority wishes to deliver which includes opening up Piggery Lane on the site to link it to community woodland trails (and possibly the road network beyond) as well as moving the main entrance to the base slightly to the east.
In response to views already submitted since Norfolk County Council bought the site some alternative regeneration options for different parts of the site have been included and the Authority welcomes feedback to further help shape its plans.
Some of the new ideas open for discussion include:
• An interpretation of the settlement of Batley Green, Scottow, which was lost when the RAF moved onto the land
• Potential for the main airfield area to be used for large scale open air events
• Private flying club, and/or Aero Homes
• Sustainable holiday park
At last night’s (Tuesday 23 July) Community Liaison Reference Group meeting (CLRG), members of the group had an early opportunity to view and feedback on the County Council’s ideas and earlier in the day members of the County Council’s Environment, Transport and Development Scrutiny Panel were also updated by officers.
Residents have until Tuesday 17 September to fill in the consultation online. The feedback received will be used to help form the finalised ‘Development Vision’ which will be adopted this autumn following further consideration by County Councillors. It is hoped that the public consultation will also be supported by a number of public exhibitions held in villages close to the former base. In addition, the Development Vision will be on display for viewing only from today until 17 September. The boards will be available to see in the site’s Guardhouse (near the entrance) Monday to Saturday between 10am and 2pm.
Within a business environment and whatever your role, we all have a responsibility to engage in business development activity to support, promote and develop the growth of the business we operate/work within. Networking in particular, can play a huge part in this process.
Networking and building professional relationships built on trust can raise the profile of a business significantly along with providing great opportunities to manage career progression for those working within it. Leanne and Matt will explore some of the key factors for success when developing new connections and growing your personal brand and will offer hints and tricks on how to approach networking environments with confidence and purpose.
Agenda
Delegate’s arrive for 11.45am to a light lunch and refreshments. The masterclass will start at midday and close at 14:00pm.
About our Presenters, Leanne and Matt
Leanne leads the highly experienced events team at Mills & Reeve, supporting the wider marketing team in business development and overall firm strategies. Having worked at Mills & Reeve since 2005, Leanne has established an outstanding reputation across the firm and is well respected for her innovative event ideas and excellent organisational skills.
As Head of Business Development at Mills & Reeve, Matt leads a national team responsible for developing profile with clients, professional networks and partnerships to identify and deliver new business for the firm. He works with lawyers coaching BD and sales skills along with supporting the firm on strategic projects aimed at delivering growth. With twenty years of experience in marketing and business development, Matt helps lawyers to think differently about business development and develop ways of approaching the market. He also presents sessions to younger professionals, future leaders and students where he focuses on personal brand, sales and networking skills. His aim is to build confidence for those at the very start of their career and others looking to step up to the next level.
Matt is also passionate about supporting the development of younger professionals, future leaders and students, so presents on personal brand and networking skills both internally and to a range of NextGen and business networks with the aim of giving confidence to those at the very start of their career and others looking to step up to the next level.
CWA Training, the training division of the College of West Anglia, is dedicated to helping your staff develop the right skills to improve their effectiveness, quality and productivity – key factors in improving the competitiveness of every business.
We have been providing training solutions for a wide range of clients for over 25 years. Our team of dedicated highly skilled and experienced industry professionals bring a wealth of knowledge to our range of accredited and tailor-made programmes.
We have earned a reputation for delivering high quality training with particular attention being paid to
meeting customer needs.
From initial enquiry, CWA Training work to build effective relationships with our clients to develop and deliver programmes which are relevant to particular problems or identified skills gaps. Through dialogue our aim is to align courses specifically to the organisational needs of business.
We ultimately aim to deliver training which results in meaningful improvements in skills, staff effectiveness, quality and productivity.
This comprehensive guide highlights a range of our most popular accredited and bespoke programmes; however, this is not an exhaustive list as we aim to provide bespoke training solutions even if these popular courses may not specifically meet your training requirements.