Cambodia Investment Review
EuroCham’s White Book 2027 is set to launch next week, so we sat down with Mey Ching Chan, Senior Advocacy Officer at the Chamber, to discuss advocacy work and what businesses can expect from this flagship advocacy publication.
Mey Ching offers an inside look at how EuroCham translates the real operational challenges facing companies into structured dialogue with the Royal Government and why the White Book has become one of the most important publications in Cambodia’s private sector calendar.
For readers who may not be familiar with EuroCham’s advocacy work, what does the advocacy team do, and why is it important for the business community in Cambodia?
MeyChing: Our team works to bridge the private and public sectors, ensuring the business community’s voice is heard constructively and with purpose. Day-to-day, we work through 12 sectoral committees, listening to the real challenges companies face and translating those concerns into meaningful dialogue and action.
Advocacy is grounded in operational reality: we engage in cross-cutting sectoral reform recommendations, including fair competition, legal certainty, digitalisation, sustainability, skills development, regional connectivity, and even on procedural level for red tape reduction. We push for a business environment that is more efficient, transparent, and internationally competitive, one that serves both our members and Cambodia’s longer term economic ambitions.
Many of these efforts can be seen through our regular engagement and dialogues with the Royal Government of Cambodia, as well as through advocacy initiatives such as position papers, the Live Advocacy Compass, and the White Book publication.
The upcoming White Book 2027 continues EuroCham’s long-standing effort to support policy dialogue in Cambodia. Where does the White Book fit into this work, and why has it become such an important publication for both the private sector and policymakers?
MeyChing: What makes the White Book particularly valuable is that it is grounded in real operational experiences across industries. Rather than focusing only on challenges, it aims to provide actionable recommendations that can support Cambodia’s economic competitiveness, investment attractiveness, and long-term sustainable growth.
Over the years, the White Book has become an important reference point for both the private sector and policymakers because it fosters structured public-private dialogue. It provides government institutions with consolidated industry feedback across a wide range of sectors, while also giving businesses confidence that their concerns and recommendations are being communicated in a coordinated and solutions-oriented manner.
More broadly, the White Book reflects EuroCham Cambodia’s commitment to supporting a transparent, predictable, and internationally competitive business environment through continued engagement with the Royal Government of Cambodia.
Since the last edition, Cambodia’s business environment has continued to evolve across a range of sectors. Without giving too much away ahead of the launch, what are some of the key developments or recurring themes readers can expect to see reflected in the White Book 2027, and why should businesses stay tuned for the full publication on 19 May?
MeyChing: New issues have been added to reflect emerging challenges, while longstanding priorities that remain relevant are retained. Where meaningful progress has been made, issues have been updated accordingly, capturing key developments and what still lies ahead.
If I had to single out one theme that cuts across every sector, every industry, every business, it’s tax and governance. That’s why, in this edition, we’ve added a dedicated governance component within the Tax Committee, recognising that tax administration and governance are deeply interconnected issues that need to be addressed together.
Alongside that, we are also introducing a brand-new Red Tape component within the Advocacy Compass platform, where businesses can submit the bureaucratic barriers they encounter directly into the system. Submissions are reviewed by our team on a regular basis, ensuring that every concern raised is taken seriously and fed into our ongoing advocacy work. This will be launched on the same day as the White Book Launch.
Stay tuned, the full picture lands on 19 May, and it’s worth the wait.
