Business Community

CONFEDERATION OF EGYPTIAN EUROPEAN BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS

Introduction

The Confederation of Egyptian European Business Associations (CEEBA) was created on the 10th of May 2004 as a coordinative body to guarantee the cooperation between the existing European bilateral chambers, act on behalf of the non-existent ones and ensure cooperation in implementing European programs by the bilateral chambers together.


Objectives

The main objectives of the Confederation, as stated in its Establishment Agreement are the following ones:

Coordinating between EU-Egypt bilateral associations and intensifying the cooperation at the Pan-European Front
Availing a Forum for Egyptian Pan-European Dialogue and creating a collective and unified Egyptian Pan-European Advocacy front
Establishing a network of Egyptian-European business Associations
Promoting Trade, Investments and Technology transfer between Egypt and the EU
Supporting the EU-Egypt Association Agreement
Acting as a bilateral chamber for EU member states that do not have a bilateral chamber
Supporting, coordinating, outreaching and implementing EU and MS economic programs and projects


Structure

The organisational structure of CEEBA consists on an Advisory Council inclusive all its members, which is the supreme advisory body. The chairmanship of the Council rotates every six months following the present EU presidency. In addition, an Executive Board, formed of seven members and the Secretary General manages CEEBA and meet on monthly basis. The Board is formed of the four founding members plus three members from the Advisory Council (one from the EU-15, other than the founders, and two from the 10 new member states). Implementation of the Executive Board resolutions is conducted by the Secretary General, who works closely with the institutions of the Executive Board and the Advisory Council and utilizes the facilities and resources of the founders.

Although initially not foreseen either, committees and task forces could be created inside CEEBA, in coordination with its member organisations, for specific topics and activities that could include representatives from the member organisations as well as from relevant EU based organisations.


Membership

CEEBA has not been created as a membership organisation and does not accept individual members, so as not to compete with the bilateral chambers. Besides the four founding members, each EU member state shall be represented by one member representing its bilateral chamber, business association or business council. In case of the absence of such entities, the Ambassador of the MS shall recommend three senior business member conducting business in Egypt for CEEBA Executive Board to select from.

Membership fees are not foreseen. Any activities conducted by CEEBA will be supported in kind by the members or funded through sponsors, or grants, or projects under the EU or other donor programs.


Activities

As foreseen activities, CEEBA intends, among others, to sustain a high level Egyptian Pan-European business dialogue, support and advise visiting EU Delegations and business delegations from MS, disseminate information and produce relevant publications and position papers, and implement Pan-European workshops, seminars and roundtables. In this regard, a launching conference was organised by CEEBA on 20th September 2004 on Standards and Specification as barriers to trade, under the auspices of the Egyptian Prime Minister. The Conference hosted guest speakers for Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Investment, as well as representatives of European standardization organizations.

For Further Information

Dr. Alaa Ezz
Secretary General
21 Soliman Abaza st.,
Mohandesein, Cairo, Egypt
Tel: + 202 3368183
Fax: + 202 3368786
Email: ezztips@link.net
www.ceeba.org