COBCOE: Its Aims, Services and Benefits

COBCOE’s objective is to protect and promote the collective interests of its members and their members, in multilateral cooperation, trade stimulation and united representation.

Founded in 1973, COBCOE, the Council of British Chambers of Commerce in Continental Europe, is a non-profit making non-party political organisation, representing through its members, over 8,000 businesses in Europe, all with an interest in trading with Britain.

These businesses represent companies from every sector and together provide the Executive Committee of COBCOE with creditable influence and effective power in approaching British trade organisations, such as the CBI, BCC, and IOD, as well as the British Government. Close contact is maintained with UKTI and at the beginning of 2003, a Memorandum of Understanding was drawn up. This is a ‘road map’ for a working cooperation between Trade Partners UK, British Embassies and the British Chambers.

The overall aim of each Chamber is to enhance British business in their specific countries and the aims of COBCOE are:

 To represent the collective interests of its members in the UK and EU to official and private bodies who are concerned themselves with the furtherance of trade and business

 To make known to such bodies the views of COBCOE members on subjects of common interest and to make representations to these bodies to further the interests of the members of COBCOE

 To act as a focus point for meetings of COBCOE members’ officers

 To increase the awareness of COBCOE to trade promotion bodies in the United Kingdom and the EU

 To promote, advance and protect trading, commercial, financial and manufacturing interests and relations between COBCOE members and the United Kingdom

[12/01/2006]