Britcham Newsletter February 2021 | British Chamber of Commerce in the Slovak Republic on Glue Up

BRITCHAM NEWSLETTER - FEBRUARY 2021

Dear Subscriber,

Welcome to the latest edition of the British Chamber of Commerce Newsletter! Despite starting the New Year with stricter Covid restrictions, I really hope 2021 will be a much better year for us all!

The UK and EU have agreed a Trade and Cooperation Agreement governing future trade relations from 1 January 2021. The new rules affect citizens, businesses and travel to the UK.

Following the announcement of the UK-EU trade agreement, the first public edition of the EU-UK deal analysis was published by the British Chambers of Commerce in the UK. Your firm does not have to navigate the end of the Brexit transition period alone. Feel free to contact us to find our how our Chamber can support you.

Ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021, the main objective is to build momentum around the shift to a decarbonized economy, where governments must strengthen their contributions to the Paris Agreement. Slovakia signed up for net zero carbon emission by 2050 but significant actions need to be taken to be able to meet this goal. And that's where the Race to Zero comes in!

“Race To Zero” is a global campaign to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions, investors for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery that prevents future threats, creates decent jobs, and unlocks inclusive, sustainable growth.

Our Chamber was the first (but I hope definitely not the last!) to join the race to zero campaign from Slovakia via the International Chamber of Commerce initiative because we firmly believe that “climate action is everyone’s business”.

We have a lot of interesting events lined up for you this year. We’re inviting businesses from every corner of Slovakia to join us in the #RacetoZero. Watch out for more information on this campaign!

Kind regards,

Hajni Hayler

Executive Director

British Chamber of Commerce in the Slovak Republic

TOGETHER FOR OUR PLANET – THE UK’S YEAR OF CLIMATE ACTION

The UK will host the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in November 2021 to bring together world leaders to commit to urgent global climate action.

But each of us has a part to play. Slovakia signed up for net zero carbon emission by 2050 and our Chamber wants to be at the forefront of encouraging a move towards clean growth and to present an opportunity for our members to build back better in a sustainable, green and clean way, and to share knowledge and best practice on how to achieve net zero objectives.

Visit our website for more information britcham.sk

BRITCHAM JOINED THE RACE TO ZERO

Our Chamber was the first to join the race to zero campaign from Slovakia because we firmly believe that “climate action is everyone’s business”.

Slovakia signed up for net zero carbon emission by 2050 and our Chamber wants to be at the forefront of encouraging a move towards clean growth and to present an opportunity for our members to build back better in a sustainable, green and clean way, and to share knowledge and best practice on how to achieve net zero objectives.

By joining the Chambers Climate Coalition we are ready to take bold action.

As chamber leaders, we therefore commit:

To advocate for climate action within our business networks and for well-conceived policies to limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5°C.
To support the goal of achieving net-zero emissions globally by 2050.
To mainstream climate mitigation and resilience guidance into chamber services.
To work with public and private entities to support effective climate solutions as part of a transformational change that works for people and planet.
To reduce the greenhouse footprint from chamber activities without delay.

FUTURE PROOF YOUR BUSINESS TODAY

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NEW PATRON MEMBER

ESCO Slovensko provides comprehensive and innovative energy services in the field of effective, economical, and environmentally friendly solutions for companies, municipalities, and state organizations. We bring together the international experience of CEZ ESCO, one of the largest energy service companies in the region of central Europe, with the experience and background of SPP, the largest energy supplier in Slovakia.

We provide wide range of services tailored to your needs and we cover the whole process from design and planning to construction and operation of energy installations. Our services:

Energy performance contracting (EPC)
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)
Lighting
Photovoltaics and energy accumulation solutions
Energy consulting and management
Technical facility management
Local distribution grids for energy
Electrical substations and other distribution installations

Visit www.escoslovensko.sk for more information.

EVENTS

Feb

The Future of the UK/EU Trade Relations: NI/GB Border

Feb

Behind the Scenes with KPMG

Feb

The Power of a Global Network

Feb

KPMG Global Automotive Executive Survey

Mar

The Future of the UK/EU Trade Relations: Services and Data

Mar

The Future of the UK/EU Trade Relations: Looking at VAT implications

Mar

The Future of the UK/EU Trade Relations: Building on the deal

SPOTLIGHT ON EVENTS

BEHIND THE SCENES - KPMG

The COVID-19 global pandemic presents major challenges for manufacturers and businesses. Many companies are still fighting to survive this crisis.

BritCham will help support you through the next phase by giving you expert insight and intelligence to continue adapting, and providing the guidance you need to restart and boost your business, and build resilience for the new normal.

Quentin Crossley, Partner at KPMG Slovakia will be our next guest on our Behind the Scenes webinar between 10:00-10:30 on 16 February.

GLOBAL BUSINESS NETWORK

We are very excited to welcome Anne-Marie Martin, Director of Global Business Networks at BCC to address our community on the benefits of global network throughout the BCC and how to leverage the network to your own advantage.

Reason to attend:

A brief introduction to British Chambers of Commerce
The BCC’s Global Network benefits and how to access it
Meetings members’ needs

Leading the strategy and growth of the International Chambers, Anne-Marie will share insights on the power of a Global Network as well as will discuss important topics impacting global business.

Date: 11:00-11:45 18 February

KPMG GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE EXECUTIVE SURVEY

Peter Nemečkay, Executive Director at KPMG shares information about KPMG's “Global Automotive Executive Survey 2020”, where more than 1,100 executives in the automotive and technology industries and over 2,000 consumers from 30 countries were surveyed.

Join us in exploring the entire future automotive ecosystem and what could come next as the “new normal”, as life goes on in the post-COVID-19 era.

Prepare to be inspired about the insights and ideas.

Date: 11:00-12:00 25 February