The French partners of the Valorg organic waste recovery European programme visited the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry in September and expressed interest in knowing more about the structure of the Chambers in Cyprus as well as about the activities of the Limassol Chamber in particular.
Originating from Alsace (la Régie des Ecrivains, General Council of Bas-Rhin and University of Strasbourg), the French cluster was briefed extensively on the Chamber system in Cyprus, how it operates and what it does in terms of rendering assistance to members while at the same time promoting entrepreneurship in general, and taking up the case for economic development projects.
It was pointed out that, whereas Cyprus Chambers have constant cooperation with government departments, they themselves are not government organizations and do not receive any financial backing from the state. They are autonomous entities, dependent on membership fees and on the income deriving from the services they offer and initiatives that they undertake. Moreover, membership is optional.
On the French side it was stated that the Chamber regime in France is different, in that Chambers there are state entities and every company is under a legal obligation to be a Chamber member. However, this modern way is not so efficient in practice and could well change in the near future, with the adoption of a regime comparable to that in force in Britain or Cyprus for that matter.
The French delegation were also briefed about the role played by the Limassol Chamber, since its establishment in 1962, in the realization of development projects in the district of Limassol, not least of which were the industrial estates, the port of Limassol, road and water projects. More recently, the Limassol Chamber played a truly pivotal role in the realization of the Marina project and nowadays specific initiatives are being developed for the Scientific and Technological Park and the expansion of Limassol port.
Reference was also made to the successful participation of the Limassol Chamber in the European intelligent energy-related PiNE project, the basic aim of which is the efficient use of energy in the industrial sector. The Chamber is also actively pursuing participation in several other European programmes, aiming, first and foremost, to offer additional high quality service to members.
Concluding their visit, the members of the French delegation had the opportunity to see the old machinery museum-in-the-making on the ground floor of the Chamber premises and expressed their admiration of the exhibits.
