Eurochambres
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Logo_EUROCHAMBRES_Web.jpg/303px-Logo_EUROCHAMBRES_Web.jpg)
Eurochambres is the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The association is one of the largest business representative organisations in Brussels, representing over 20 million companies through 45 members (43 national associations of chambers of commerce and industry and 2 transnational chamber organisations) and a European network of 1,700 regional and local Chambers. More than 93% of these businesses are small and medium sized enterprises.
Eurochambres' direct members are national associations of Chambers of Commerce based in 26 European Union countries, European Free Trade Association countries, and some Eastern European, Western Balkans and Mediterranean countries.
Eurochambres represents, serves and promotes European Chambers of Commerce and Industry through lobbying, development of projects and services to members.
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/84/EurochambresNetwork.png/224px-EurochambresNetwork.png)
Eurochambres was founded 28 February 1958 as the "Conférence Permanente des Chambres de Commerce et d’Industrie de la CEE" by six members with the mission to promote the views of Chamber organisations on the unification of national legislation at the European level and to form opinions regarding the modifications to be made to commercial legislation. An important objective of the Conférence was also to bring closer competences in order to provide an example of the European cooperation of the highest quality level. The Conférence Permanente held its first assembly in Strasbourg on 28 February 1958. Initial members were national association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and Netherlands. The year 1961 saw the creation of the first technical committees and 4 new members joined. A permanent Secretariat was created in 1977 (before the various countries assumed the role in turns).
Eurochambres, the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry was registered as an international non-profit organisation in Belgium (AISBL - Association internationale à but non lucratif) in 1977. The network expanded progressively to 43 national associations plus 2 transnational organisations of Chambers from an enlarged Europe.
In 2008, Eurochambres organised the first "European Parliament of Enterprises" that gathered some 774 European businesses of all sizes and from all sectors in the European Parliament hemicycle in Brussels. The opening session was led by Hans-Gert Pöttering (President of the European Parliament), José Manuel Barroso (President of the European Commission), Hervé Novelli (French Minister of State for Business, Trade, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Tourism and Services) and Pierre Simon (then President of Eurochambres). Three sessions of debates and votes followed, each in the presence of a Member of the European Parliament and a European Commissioner. Further editions of the event were also organised in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016, in coordination with the European Parliament.
Current leadership
Information from official website[1].
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/2015_Christoph_Leitl_%2818734816783%29.jpg/220px-2015_Christoph_Leitl_%2818734816783%29.jpg)
- Christoph Leitl (President of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber) - President. Elected in October 2017[2].
- Constantine Michalos (President of the Union of Hellenic Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Greece) - Deputy President
- Ian Talbot (CEO of Chambers Ireland) - Deputy President
- Stephan Müchler (President & CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Southern Sweden) - Deputy President
- Pierre Goguet (President of CCI France) - Vice President
- Michl Ebner (President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Crafts and Agriculture of Bolzano, Italy) - Vice President
- Miquel Valls y Maseda (President of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Spain) - Vice President
- Wolfgang Grenke (Member of the Board of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce – DIHK) - Vice President
- Marek Kloczko (Vice President and Director General of the Polish Chamber of Commerce, Poland) - Vice President
- Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu (President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey) - Vice President
- Arnaldo Abruzzini - CEO
Members
Currently Eurochambres has 45 members, 43 of them being national chambers and 2 transnational chambers:
Country | Name of organisation | Status | Date of affiliation |
---|---|---|---|
Albania | Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Albania | Affiliated member | 10 October 2002 |
Armenia | Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Armenia | Affiliated member | 20 October 2004 |
Austria | Austrian Federal Economic Chamber | Full member | 22 November 1966 |
Azerbaijan | Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Azerbaijan Republic | Affiliated member | 20 May 2005 |
Belarus | Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry | Affiliated member | 10 October 2002 |
Belgium | Federation of Belgian Chambers of Commerce | Full member | 28 February 1958 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Foreign Trade Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina | Affiliated member | 19 October 2001 |
Bulgaria | Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry | Full member | 3 October 1994 |
Croatia | Croatian Chamber of Economy | Full member | 13 April 2000 |
Cyprus | Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry | Full member | 10 May 1974 |
Czech Republic | Czech Chamber of Commerce | Full member | 3 October 1994 |
Estonia | Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry | Full member | 7 October 1993 |
Finland | Finland Chamber of Commerce | Full member | 9 April 1987 |
France | Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de France - CCI France | Full member | 28 February 1958 |
Georgia | Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry | Affiliated member | 20 October 2004 |
Germany | Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce | Full member | 28 February 1958 |
Greece | Union of Hellenic Chambers of Commerce and Industry | Full member | 30 August 1961 |
Hungary | Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and industry | Full member | 20 April 1990 |
Ireland | Chambers Ireland | Full member | 30 August 1961 |
Israel | Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce | Correspondent member | 28 April 1967 |
Italy | Association of Italian Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Craft and Agriculture | Full member | 28 February 1958 |
Kosovo | Kosova Chamber of Commerce | Affiliated member | 16 October 2015 |
Latvia | Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry | Full member | 7 October 1993 |
Lithuania | Association of Lithuanian Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Crafts | Full member | 7 October 1993 |
Luxembourg | Chamber of Commerce of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg | Full member | 28 February 1958 |
Macedonia | Economic Chamber of Macedonia | Affiliated member | 22 May 2003 |
Malta | Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry | Full member | 5 October 1989 |
Moldova | Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Moldova | Full member | 10 October 2002 |
Montenegro | Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Montenegro | Affiliated member | 12 October 2006 |
Netherlands | Netherlands Chamber of Commerce | Full member | 28 February 1958 |
Norway | Federation of Norwegian Commercial and Service Enterprises | Affiliated member | 1 December 1967 |
Poland | Polish Chamber of Commerce | Full member | 17 October 1991 |
Portugal | Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry | Full member | 28 November 1980 |
Romania | Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania | Full member | 7 October 1993 |
Russia | Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation | Correspondent member | 23 April 1993 |
Serbia | Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia | Affiliated member | 19 October 2001 |
Slovakia | Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry | Full member | 7 October 1993 |
Slovenia | Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia | Full member | 8 December 1992 |
Spain | Spanish Chamber of Commerce | Full member | 1 December 1967 |
Sweden | Association of Swedish Chambers of Commerce and Industry | Full member | 1 December 1967 |
Switzerland | Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Switzerland | Correspondent member | 10 May 1974 |
Turkey | Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey | Affiliated member | 17 June 1966 |
Ukraine | Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry | Affiliated member | 10 October 2002 |
(AIC Forum) | Forum of the Adriatic and Ionian Chambers of Commerce | Correspondent member | 15 October 2010 |
(INSULEUR) | Network of Insular Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the EU | Correspondent member | 4 October 2006 |
Its General Secretariat office is based in Brussels, Belgium.
See also
- Business association
- British Chambers of Commerce
- Lobbying
- Non-governmental organization
- Trade group
- Trade union
- United States Chamber of Commerce
External links
- ^ "Eurochambres". Eurochambres: our members. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "Christoph Leitl elected new President of Eurochambres". Eurochambres. Retrieved 23 January 2018.