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Colombia: a World of Opportunities for Germany
DW-WORLD
04.21.2009



While the most serious internal problem of Colombia is a conflict driven by the drug trade, their biggest problem outside is their bad or distorted image, concluded the economic forum IHK Pfalz.

The dissemination of inaccurate or biased information can be poison to an open market economy. Even though Colombia has serious internal problems, its image abroad only covers part of the truth. An informative event with qualified experts from both countries demonstrated successfully in Germany that Latin America is much more than prejudices.

The forum "Colombia: opportunities through trade and investment" was made by Kim Gronemeier, Head of Section for Latin America, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of the Palatinate (IHK-Pfalz), based in Ludwigshafen, in southwestern Germany.

"The perception of Colombia in Germany is confused with reality," says Katarina Steinwachs, Director of the Chamber of Commerce Colombo-German and German-Ecuadorian in Bogota. What many Europeans think about Colombia, are the events that occurred 6 or 7 years ago, when the violents had managed to gain much ground in that South American country.

"In Colombia something fundamental has changed," Steinwachs said, "The recovery of security, one of the pillars of the policy of the current president Álvaro Uribe has been a decisive factor in the significant strengthening of the Colombian economy," concludes the executive.


New Interest in Latin America by Germany

With an economic growth in 2007 of 7.6% and 5.4% of the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce of the Palatinate, IHK-Pfalz in Ludwigshafen. On average in the last five years, Colombia is currently one of the best performing countries in Latin America and in the world. Its currency is close to the real in Brazil, one of the most appreciated in recent times.

Facts that have not gone unnoticed in Berlin. The economic performance of the region, especially in countries like Brazil, Colombia and Peru, was one of the arguments weighed in the decision of the German Chancellor to visit Colombia, against voices that recommended otherwise.

During his visit in 2007, the German president, Horst Köhler, former director of the World Bank had already experienced person that one thing is the flawed perception of Colombia spread in the media, and other external reality of 45 million Colombians that live with some 10,000 illegal with weapons.

Colombia, according to the Federal Agency of Foreign Economy (bfai), is by its population, the third largest economy in Latin America after Brazil and Mexico. Moreover, Colombia is one of the most industrialized countries in Latin America with an economy based on services 52%, 36% in industry and 12% in agriculture.


Colombia: The Unknown Country

"In terms of natural resources the possibilities are immense in Colombia," says Peter Rösler, vice president of the German Association for Latin America. "Colombia is the world's leading exporter of emeralds, fifth in nickel, coffee and flowers and the second and tenth in coal and bananas," he adds highlighting Colombian reserves of oil, natural gas, gold, iron, copper, salt, marble, silver and platinum. Add to this that Colombia is one of the least studied of the world: only 10% of Colombian territory has been geologically explored.

One fact that supports the thesis of Georg Ulrich Rüger, FW Langguth Erben GMBH and former regional manager of Lufthansa in Latin America, "Colombia is the most underestimated Latin American country".

Angela Merkel, meanwhile, was positively impacted, not only because of the excellent economic indicators, but by the pragmatism and cordiality of the people during her visit to Bogota. Merkel was so enthusiastic with Colombia that immediately ordered a deepening of relations, including mutual visits of experts.

The German Foreign Ministry seems to have recognized that Latin America is the alternative to India and China, both countries that Germany has been devoted to in recent years. "The bad experiences of European businessmen in Asia, who are returning have also forced Germany to see the great potential in Latin America," says DW-WORLD, ProfessorThomas Wilmer, director of an innovative educational business program and promotes the median industry of informatics in Germany and Latin America, at the University of Applied Sciences in Darmstadt. Wilmer was one of 40 experts and businessmen who accompanied the delegation of the chancellor and Merkel who visited Colombia for the first time and expected to be transformed into healthy surprise.


Cultural Familiarity still Untapped

"But the first trip of the German Chancellor to the region was also clear that Germany has not yet able to take advantage of the great benefit from the cultural closeness between America and Europe," said Wilmer, whose project leader for the sale and production of software aimed at Latin American markets, from Brazil.

The potential of Latin America, and in this case of Colombia, was in fact amazingly varied and large. Colombia is emerging as one of the most active emerging countries, not only as raw materials market, but as a net exporter of industrial products with added value, as a Call Center services, largely as a likely tourist market of the future, as well as producer and exporter of biofuels.

The massive Improvement plans of the national infrastructure offered ample opportunities for the industry not only national, but international: expansion of airports, construction of seaports, underground municipal and regional highways are just some of the national modernization projects that require know-how and capital.

The vast openness of the Colombian economy and its increasing cooperation and partnership with other Latin American markets makes the country a hub, from which you reach other countries in the region. Colombia is already the second largest airfreight place in Latin America.

As the only country in South America with access to both the Atlantic and the Pacific, as well as proximity to the Panama Canal, Colombia is a strategically privileged location, speakers stressed this forum dedicated to Colombia by the Chamber of Commerce Pfalz, in Ludwigshafen.



Source: DW-WORLD (04.21.2009)


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