New business hub opens in Vienna
Switzerland has opened a new business hub in Vienna to promote trade. The office in the Austrian capital is the first of ten to be established in Switzerland's most important export markets by the end of 2002.
OSEC Business Network Switzerland, which was granted a new mandate for trade promotion by parliament earlier this year, set up the office to help small and medium sized businesses gain a foothold in the Austrian market and encourage Austrian companies to invest in Switzerland.
“Swiss Business Hub Austria” was opened by the CEO of OSEC Business Network Switzerland, Balz Hösly. He was joined by the General Secretary of the Swiss-Austrian chamber of Commerce, Jürg Schweri and by the vice-president of the Austrian Economics Chamber, Dr Egon Winkler.
Alex Becker will head the new office.
Establishing networks
OSEC’s new responsibility for foreign trade promotion is to be based on the idea of networks.
“We have our partners at home, the cantonal chambers of commerce and the interested industry associations and we have our network partners abroad, the foreign chambers of commerce and embassies,” says OSEC spokesman, Stephan Meier.
“And in 10 specific markets we are building up Swiss business hubs that will be active by the end of next year”.
Apart from Vienna the other hubs will open in Milan, Stuttgart, Paris, London, Chicago, Sao Paolo, Mumbai, Beijing and Tokyo.
Internet reliance
The business hubs will be backed by OSEC’s new Internet-based service centre and a reorganisation of its services to enable it to carry out its new responsibility for trade promotion.
The choice of Vienna as the location for the first business hub reflects the close ties between Switzerland and Austria.
“Austria was the first country to ratify Switzerland’s bilateral accords with the European Union,” explains Stephan Meier, “Austria’s economy is also very similar to Switzerland’s and it is a crucial gateway for other markets in central and Eastern Europe.”
Austria is also one of Switzerland’s most important trading partners, with Swiss firms exporting goods worth SFr4.2 billion last year. Imports from Austria were worth SFr5 billion.
By Michael Hollingdale
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