By Philip Iglauer
Italy proposed an alternate transportation route to Dutch Rotterdam or German Hamburg for Korean shippers at a trade seminar in Seoul, Thursday.
The Italian Trade Commission, which is part of the trade promotion section of the Italian Embassy in Korea, and the Udine Chamber of Commerce said Italy’s northeast Friuli-Venezia Giula port region with Trieste as its capital is an excellent alternate route to northern Europe, as shippers have better access to the new European markets in Poland, Hungary, the Czech and Slovak Republics and Romania, prized by Korean companies.
At a seminar titled “Port of Trieste Your Gateway to Central & East Europe,” Italian Ambassador to Korea Sergio Mercuri said, “Northeast Italy is a key transportation link to East and Central Europe and is one of the most prominent industrial areas of Europe.”
Mercuri said currently other ports may be more familiar, like Rotterdam or the port in Hamburg for instance, but we would like to propose Fruili as an alternate route for it has many advantages to other entryways into Europe. “We hope to create a better perception among Korean companies with this seminar today,” Mercuri said.
“Fruili can be a gateway for trade for Korean companies, and the 500 million consumers in Europe,” he said.
Organizers announced an MOU inked between the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Udine Chamber of Commerce at the seminar.
They counted off a list of advantages at the all-day event, in addition to Triestes’ strategic location between rapidly developing southeast Europe manufacturers, wealthy West European consumers and Korean exporters.
They listed the region’s rich artisan tradition and numerous small manufacturers as a new source for furniture importers in Korea; major research centers for innovation, business technology transfers, and universities; a high quality of life even for European standards, as the per capita income is higher than EU27 average and unemployment lower at 5 percent than the EU average of 9 percent.