Open Letter

New Challenges - New Opportunities for 2009
An Open letter to the Membership of the
Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hungary

As the new Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hungary, it is an honour to be writing to you. We had a strong show of support during the December General Assembly meeting - and we have a clear new mandate. In speaking to many of you over the past year, it has become clear that the membership is looking for change. Our survey in 2008 sent a clear message- more commerce related events and more possibilities to meet business opportunities are needed as well as strong family-oriented social opportunities ajre needed to bring our community closer together. We have also realized that many of our members have not met the other members of our Chamber.

New Initiatives for 2009

Our new Board will respond to these challenges. Many of you will have seen already the Friends of Canada initiative - these events have highlighted how very many ‘friends of Canada ‘live among us in Hungary- many of which we have not yet met! As of January 2009, the Friends of Canada events are now formally part of the Chamber - they will be bringing our community opportunities for fun, socially interactive and family friendly events that are both affordable and fresh.

Commerce initiatives will be commenced as well, but they will start with opportunities to meet other members of our Chamber. In February 2009, there will be a business 'speed dating' event that is a modern way to quickly exchange business cards with our community. Later in the spring, we intend to extend this event to include other chambers as well. There will also be several events organized around the more pressing political and economic challenges facing us in 2009.

Economic Challenges in 2009

Globalization and barrier free trade - two pillars of Canadian economic policy face perhaps the most challenging periods of economic downturn in living memory. In Hungary multinationals have already started to react - production levels are falling sharply as are the numbers of displaced employees. Hungary has entered these uncertain times with the already sharp challenge of unstable politics, staunch budget deficits, and an unrelenting need for reform. In October, the world press warned that Hungary may be the next economy to follow Iceland into the economic abyss.

Bilateral trade with Hungary has been a major participant in economic growth in this country and Canada has played a significant role in this - making Hungary one of Canada’s most important investment partners. However, in these difficult times it is more important than ever that the interests of Canadian businesses in Hungary be represented. Challenge and change will test our resilience - but our commitment to fair, transparent and barrier free trade needs to remain strong as an example of how to move forward. In concert with the Canadian Embassy, our Chamber will move forcefully to strengthen its relationships with other the bilateral chambers and with Hungarian government agencies in order to better deliver this representation to our membership.

Economic Sectors

Although the CCCH is here to represent mainly its members, we will also be looking to promote initiatives that better represent Canadian trade priority. Canadian companies or industry representatives in the Canadian strength areas of renewable energies, technological innovations in IT and communications, as well as in agriculture will be represented in upcoming events and initiatives throughout 2009.

The strength and success of the CCCH depends wholly on its membership - I ask for your input, your participation and your continued support for this great organization.

I look forward to seeing you at our next event!
Thank you

Nicholas Sarvari
Chair of the Board of Directors