European Union Chamber of Commerce in Canada – West
A non-profit, membership-based organization incorporated in November 2013 under the Society Act of BC
The European Union Chamber of Commerce in Canada West is an independent, privately organized, non-profit, bilateral trade organization, established in 2013 in Vancouver, British Columbia. We act as a service-centre for providing information, business assistance and soft landing services to Canadian SME’s looking to expand their operations in the EU and to European SME’s interested in doing business in Canada.
We work with governments and strategic public and private sector partners to organize CETA info sessions, trade & investment seminars, business forums and ad-hoc B2B meetings, missions to trade fairs and conventions, marketing and promotional campaigns and we generally act as a catalyst between economic operators in Canada (with a focus on Western Canada) and in the EU. Learn More.
The EU is Canada’s second-largest trading partner and the world’s largest integrated economy, with more than 500 million consumers and a GDP of over $17 trillion. The Comprehensive and Economic Agreement (CETA) represents Canada’s most significant trade initiative since the much debated and divisive North American Free Trade Agreement. Western Canada is under-represented in the trade dynamic with the EU, particularly regarding small and medium sized companies. Whereas large corporations can marshal considerable resources to facilitate internationalization, SMEs often underestimate their potential to be successful internationally, to become a “micro-multinational” in effect, because they lack knowledge of foreign markets and because of perceived obstacles. Among these perceived obstacles are difficulties in identifying market opportunities and entry strategies, choosing reliable foreign partners, accessing financing, overcoming trade barriers, and complying with security and authentication requirements. The Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) signed on October 30, 2016 between Canada and the European Union (EU) is a progressive free trade agreement, which covers virtually all sectors and aspects of Canada-EU trade and has provisionally entered into force on September 21, 2017.
Increasing public awareness of CETA
