Invest in Panama SIPA expocomer 2011

Come and learn about investing in Panama. At the ATLAPA Convention Center on March 24, 2011 from 8 am to 5:30 pm interested investors will attend a series of seminars outlining opportunities and giving specifics about investments in Panama.

Pay $100 at the door on the 24th or register early for $75. Bring friends and a group of five pays $50 person for insightful presentations about investment opportunities in the country where the recession never happened. While the world is still languishing in ever so slow recovery efforts Panama’s rate of growth has merely dipped down to the 3% to 5% range and is on its way back up.

The mainstays of Panama’s economy are construction, the Panama Canal with its ports and associated logistics, the insurance industry in Panama, and its banking industry. Although these are the kingpins of growth in Panama the interested investor will learn how he can take part in the growth of this country that joins the Americas as a land bridge and the Atlantic to Pacific via the Panama Canal.

The seminars will highlight the fact that Panama has a business friendly government and is economically and politically stable. It has one of the lowest crime rates in Latin America and is truly a tropical paradise.

For more information and to reserve a seat or two at SIPA Expocomer 2011 visit www.sipaexpo.com, email i...@sipaexpo.com, or call 211-2758.

Expo Logistics is an International Logistic and Multimodal Transportation Exhibition based on the experience developed by the Panama Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (CCIAP – due to its acronym in Spanish) on the organization of Expocomer as the main trade exhibition of the region.

The CCIAP is a business association, established on May 17th, 1915 and it is formed by members of 15 commerce, industry, agriculture and service sectors of our country. Promotes the defense of its member’s interests from measures that affect the principles of business freedom and private initiative. The CCIAP tries that the ethics and the good will are observed on all the transactions and activities and collaborates with the national government on the initiatives and the negotiations oriented to obtain Panama’s socioeconomic development.

The Panama Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture’s Exposition and Events Direction is in charge of Expo Logistics execution, they promote and spread information about the event at the national and international level, making Panama known as a country with a logistic platform.

Expo Logistics is part of the joint projects that the Panama Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (CCIAP) develops together with the National Secretariat of Sciences, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT – due to its acronym in Spanish) with the purpose of promoting and developing exchange programs and projects on the scientific research and technological innovation field.

Floor Plans:

Start Time: Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 12:00pm
End Time: Friday, October 8, 2010 at 8:00pm
Location: Centro de Convenciones ATLAPA

http://www.expologistica.org/

For more useful information about moving to Panama contact one of our experts today.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MICI) of Panama presented to the Panamanian Association of Business Executives (APEDE) the government’s strategy to boost trade and attract investment.

Trade Minister Roberto Henriquez, told APEDE members that the goal of MICI is not only to attract foreign direct investment, but also boost local investment.

Among the topics discussed at the meeting, which were held at the facilities of Panamanian airline Copa, was highlighted the unique investment window in order to centralize information and provide the follow up of investors interested in Panama.

Education also was a concern for CEOs. The minister announced that in conjunction with SENACYT, scholarships will be directed toward market demand in specialized areas such as logistics, technology, among others.

Article courtesy of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Panama

For more useful information about moving to Panama contact one of our experts today.

Panama will participate in an informal meeting in Brussels with Central American trade negotiators and the European Union, in which both sides will take stock of what was negotiated for a trading partner agreement and resume talks in late February.

The country will participate as an observer, since it does not belong to the Central American Integration System (SIECA).

The meeting will take place the 1 to 3 of February, said the agency EFE. The Panamanian Government’s aspiration is to make Europe accept that the country accedes to the negotiation without being part of SIECA.

Article courtesy of La Prensa Newspaper

Peter Giffin led the trade mission. Photo Courtesy of Atlantic Canada

A group of 11 companies from the Atlantic region of Canada ended yesterday their five days commercial mission in Panama.

This is the fourth time that this region organizes trade missions to Panama since 2007, and the second in over seven months.

The mission leader, Peter Giffin, explained that the first delegations were framed in the Panama Canal and the expansion project, but as they started knowing the country they found opportunities in other sectors.

So much so that on this occasion they were joined by environment companies, technologies, communications, maritime, potato chips and Christmas trees distributors.

The entrepreneurs met with representatives of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Panama Canal Authority, and have participated in working sessions with local companies, which have highlighted the opening and the similarities with the Canadians in making business.

Article courtesy of La Prensa Newspaper.

For more useful information about moving to Panama contact one of our experts today.

The commercial showcase of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Panama “Expocomer 2010” expects to reach transactions similar or superior to those of 2009, which totaled $ 100 million. The event will take place from 3 to 6 March in the Atlapa convention center. It was learned that this year one of the largest pavilions will be Taiwan.

For more useful information about moving to Panama contact one of our experts today.

Panama will host the second exploratory meeting for the FTA

A Bilateral Partial Agreement between Panama and Colombia is already in force

Photo from left to right: Ambassador of Panama in Colombia, Ricardo Anguizola, Ambassador of Colombia in Panama, Gina Benedetti, Minister of Trade and Industry of Panama, Roberto Henriquez and Deputy Vice Minister of International Trade Negotiations Panama, Francisco Alvarez De Soto.

Panama will host the second exploratory meeting for the negotiations of a the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Panama and Colombia, the next 11 and 12 of February confirmed the Minister of Trade and Industry (MICI) of Panama, Roberto Henriquez.

The Minister Henriquez commented, after the first exploratory meeting last Friday in Bogota that “the structure, scope and principles of the negotiating framework will be the main issues in this second meeting.” He added that the negotiating teams of both countries will also clarify the legal and statistical information to be exchanged in the coming weeks.

The first exploratory meeting served to the Minister of MICI and its counterpart in Colombia, Luis Guillermo Plata, to define the fundamental concepts that should work for the heads of trade negotiations and their work teams to establish the framework for negotiations.

“The Minister Plata and I agreed that the treaty should be comprehensive in its coverage of the supply of goods and services of both countries,” said Minister Henriquez, while adding that “the vice ministers of the two countries must present a framework that incorporates the appropriate way to address the imbalances between the two economies and to ensure that the text of the document is evolutionary. ”

He explained that they will try to find the mechanism for “allowing updates of the natural progress of bilateral trade in the future, under this Treaty.”

The first meeting included the both Deputy Ministers of each country, responsible for trade negotiations in Panama and Colombia, Francisco Alvarez de Soto and Gabriel Duque, respectively.

Negotiating teams exchanged economic reports and reviewed the implementation by Colombia of the World Trade Organization to dismantle port measures and reference prices affecting exports from the Colon Free Zone of Panama. They also agreed to exchange on statistics reports and legislation.

Article courtesy of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Panama.

For more useful information about moving yourself and/or your business to Panama contact one of our experts today.

The Panamanian American Chamber of Commerce USA, located in Miami, Florida, promotes bilateral trade between Panama and the United States and doing important work especially in the field of communication between managers and senior businessmen and government institutions in both countries.

The purpose of the camera is to provide a platform for development and growth of its members, improve communication, knowledge representation and likewise facilitate the personal relationship between partners, through activities such as card exchange events, the members will have the opportunity to meet face to face and exchange business cards and prints. Likewise, Panamanian Chamber of Commerce USA performs an important role as a bridge to improve trade and industrial relations between persons of enterprises and institutions in Panama and the U.S.

The official launch of the camera will take place next February 23, 2010. The chamber’s website is now operational www.panamanianamericanchamberofcommerce.com, which can begin to be a reference guide for members and people interested in more information. At maturity, the website promises to be a useful reference tool for trade issues and serves the same information platform on the activities and benefits available for partners of the Panamanian American Chamber of Commerce USA.

PACC donated on December 23, 2009 five Christmas baskets with turkey, ham and all the necessary for a Christmas dinner to five low income Panamanian families and single mothers with small children living in Miami, Florida.

Pictures of the event:

Its board is presided by Gisela Thomas (Chairman), Jennifer La Rocca (Vice – Chairman), Alex De La Cruz (Director), Pepe Freixas (Director), Christopher Klein (Legal Advisor – USA) and Jaime Padilla G. (Legal Advisor – Panama)

Contact information:

Panamanian American Chamber of Commerce
4460 NW 107 Ave Suite 208
Doral, FL 33178
Phone: (786) 355-1090      E-Mail: pana...@aol.com

For more useful information about moving to Panama contact one of our experts today.

Panama and Colombia initiated the first exploratory meeting for a possible FTA between both countries.

.
Press conference when it was announced the removal of the discriminatory measures in the ports of Colombia against imports from the Colon Free Zone. From left to right: Ambassador of Colombia in Panama, Gina Benedetti and Trade and Industry Minister Roberto Henriquez.

To this end, the Minister of Commerce and Industry of Panama, Roberto Henriquez, will travel tomorrow, January 14 to the City of Bogota, along with the Deputy Minister for International Trade Negotiations, Francisco Alvarez de Soto, to meet with Colombian counterpart headed by the Minister of Industry, Turismo y Commerce, Guillermo Plata.

The head of the trade portfolio, Roberto Henríquez explained that this first exploratory meeting with the negotiating teams of both countries are home to a wide exchange on international trade integration policies, the economic development and bilateral experience at regional, hemispheric and globally.

“Panama in Colombia recognizes a major trading partner and therefore we must build a solid and long term for such business relationship, as is a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement and orderly, understanding that there are elements that must be present for both negotiation and treaty itself to be viable “said the Minister of Panama.

In that regard, the Minister Henriquez said that Panama expects that  Colombia accepts that “we must speak of the significant differences between the productive capacities of both countries, as well as recognized sensitivities in some the Panamanians productive sectors.”

In conclusion, the Panamanian Minister was optimistic about this next draft agenda of international trade integration by the national government, stating that “Panama is an open economy that in its service, must look to international markets to advance a new phase in its economic development and, in this work, the continuing quest for greater and more diversified business integration is key. ”

Article courtesy of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Panama.

For more useful information about moving to Panama contact one of our experts today.

Panama has entered the major leagues in attracting investment and exports

MICI, 12 January 2010. The implementation of an integrated information system to identify investment opportunities and increase exports is the goal of the new strategy that incorporates the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MICI) in Panama.

For this purpose MICI launches today (12 January 2010) the first stage for the creation of the Agency for Investment Attraction and Export Promotion of Panama, in order to exploit the potential of the country, capturing a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of at least a billion dollars a year and better benefit from trade agreements.

The Minister of Trade and Industry Minister Roberto Henriquez, explained that the intention with this new structure is to have and to facilitate access to relevant information that supports the efforts of the national productive sector and the national government for the conquest of new markets and capture capital in the international market.

For the Deputy Foreign Trade Minister, Jose Domingo Arias, Panama has the infrastructure, stability, security and legislation that make it an attractive location for regional headquarters and new business.

The Agency will allow investors to understand and identify the tools for attracting FDI, focusing on four strategic areas: logistics, agro-exports, tourism and financial services.

The strategy will provide the necessary tools to export successfully in the global marketplace, focused on goods and services in which the country has sustained competitive advantages (such as agro-exports).

Henriquez said the minister through the agency they want to involve investors and managers of local firms and multinationals in decision making within the project of transformation and promote Panama as a logistics hub, commercial and financial area.

The agency will involve all government agencies that affect the business climate as the Ministry of Education, National Directorate of Immigration, Labor and Welfare Ministry and Ministry of Government and Justice, among others.

The first phase of the initiative, which contemplates the realization of agreements for the operation and facilities will be introduced this month. The second phase of the launch of the agency and the implementation of a marketing plan will be implemented in July. In the third phase, consisting of the internationalization of the agency and the opening of the several offices abroad, will be activated in December of this year.

Event Photos:

Frank Heemskek, Minister of Foreign Trade of Holland

Jose Domingo Arias, Vice Minister of Commerce of Panama

Eugenio Boehm, CEO of Philips, one of Panama's Multinational Headquarters

Jacob Ehrler (Editor of The Visitor), Ursula Kiener Ford (President of The Panama Club), Ingrid Vega, Miroslava VIlar (Director of Multinational Headquarters of the Ministry of Commerce), representatives of Kuehne Nagel and guests.

Article courtesy of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Panama.

For more useful information about moving to Panama contact one of our experts today.