Tassilo Brinzer
EuroCham Chairperson Tassilo Brinzer for a conversation on the recent reorganisation of the relationship between BritCham and EuroCham.
During the conversation, he emphasised shared priorities of the two chambers and was optimistic about the continued collaboration between the British and broader European business communities in Cambodia.
Tassilo also shed light on the role of National Chapters in the Chamber before turning to how EuroCham can contribute to the upcoming Francophonie Summit in November.
EuroCham and BritCham parted ways last month after 15 years. How does this change the DNA of EuroCham and what impact does it have on its work?
Tassilo: EuroCham has constantly evolved and adapted to a changing environment for many years, in the economy, the market and the requirements of its members. Just as in Europe and in the case of Britain, BritCham was an important national chapter of EuroCham but had never fully integrated, unlike the other founding chapters GBC (German Business Cambodia) and CCIFC (Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie française du Cambodge), ItaCham, Benelux or the Nordic and Central European Chapters. Since Brexit, things obviously have changed a bit more.
BritCham, which reserved a Vice-Chairperson position on our board, had not participated in our board meetings for a long time. Most recently, we had only around 15 members from BritCham involved as chapter members in EuroCham activities. We all felt that the relationship needed to be reorganised, and have amicably agreed to part ways and to conclude the ambiguity that marked our partnership in recent years. Moving forward, we will be meeting with the BritCham board soon, with the hope of arranging a MoU for continued cooperation in the future. I am convinced that what we do at EuroCham is in the full interest of British business in Cambodia – the important work of public-private sector advocacy, but also market and business promotion, services and networking.
BritCham and EuroCham in future
How do you see the relationship between BritCham and EuroCham in future?
Tassilo: We should align and work together on important topics and shared priorities, particularly now that we are able to choose the level of our collaboration even more freely and flexibly. British business is famously keen to cut red tape and be more efficient. Likewise, our goal is to cut red tape for European businesses and investors in Cambodia; both our organisations want the Kingdom to be using more digital and efficient tools to govern the business landscape, from licensing and permits to documentation and regulations. We both want more investors from anywhere in the world to come to Cambodia, and existing businesses here to grow as the economy better integrates into the region and becomes more international.
The list of joint interests is huge, and I can’t see any area of our work where we would not be aligned in our vision for business in Cambodia – patriotic sentiments aside. EuroCham’s sectoral committees, the key drivers of our advocacy initiatives, are open to British companies and their representatives and we would love to have British businesses’ expertise contribute to our mission of driving positive change in Cambodia’s economy.
We welcome BritCham members to contribute to our work and support their visibility within the EuroCham network: through the end of 2027 we are offering BritCham members a 50% discount to join EuroCham as associate members. And we hope that many take up this offer and join the chamber, and even lead some of our sectoral committees, to ensure that the British voice of business is heard within our network, too.
What role do the national chapters of EuroCham play within the chamber?
Tassilo: Well, each chapter can play the role it chooses to with the support of EuroCham. They decide the level of engagement and are invited to contribute their views and concerns to our work – some do this more, some less. All of them are free to follow their interests in many ways, but in advocacy and government interactions it is EuroCham who generally acts as the one European voice vis-à-vis other stakeholders. This makes sense in such a small business and government community: our successes, and the levels of engagement with the Royal Government and international partners, confirm that this is a strong strategy.
Through our joint work we support the whole business community. We work with the Royal Government and many stakeholders to modernise, reform, and internationalise the economy while helping to integrate with neighbouring markets and the international business community in the region. The chapters have an opportunity to lead their national communities by holding events, guiding business delegations from their region to the Kingdom, and by showcasing their national assets to a broader audience, directly and with EuroCham’s support where required.
The recent EuroFeast event was a perfect example of how EuroCham provides a popular platform for European culinary champions and creates space for our national chapter members to shine. We do this on similar levels in many other areas, such as advocacy, services, management and administrative support to the chapters, as well as market promotions, networking opportunities, etc.
This week’s White Book 2027 Launch (see below) was a huge success for our whole community; it has a real impact on improving the business environment, and the participation of many of our chapter’s members in our committees is testimony to EuroCham’s inclusive vision in this regard.
Cambodia hosting the annual summit of the Francophonie
This year is a big year for the French community, with Cambodia hosting the annual summit of the Francophonie. What role is EuroCham playing in this event, as it has such a large French chapter?
Tassilo: That depends on what is wanted by our board and the CCIFC, but I think we will host events around the summit to support the very strong and engaged French community.
We currently have four CCIFC members on the board, two board members are “Francophone” and in addition, two others represent French multinationals. They all work very closely with EuroCham – as two of our Vice-Chairpersons, Secretary General, Treasurer and many more within several of our committees. And our Executive Director is French – and I speak French. EuroCham has never been more Francophone in its leadership!
At the same time, we probably have the most diverse board of directors ever. This composition fits this year perfectly and we of course hope that the Francophonie summit will be a great platform for Cambodia to shine on, and we will happily contribute to its success as much as we can.
