MAHO--Tourism and sustainable energy are possible shared points of interest between Germany and Country St. Maarten, said German ambassador to The Hague, Heinz-Peter Behr. The top diplomat lectured on the economic situation in Germany and the European Union, at Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and Casino, Thursday evening.
The lecture and subsequent cocktail reception were organised by the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry to mark the appointment of attorney-at-law Karel Frielink as Germany's honorary consul for Curaçao and St. Maarten.
Before an audience which included Governor Eugene Holiday, Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams, President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell and Minister of Health, Labour and Social Affairs Cornelius de Weever, Ambassador Behr said the economies of Germany and The Netherlands are very much intertwined.
The Netherlands is Germany's third-most important trading partner, and Germany is The Netherlands' biggest partner, with German trade with The Netherlands valued at 134 billion euros per year.
According to Behr, tourism would be St. Maarten's main opportunity to tap into Germany's economy. "Germans don't just like to go to Benidorm, but also to exotic places, so why not to St. Maarten as well?" he asked, pointing to the fact that German tourism to the Dominican Republic and Cuba was already well-established. He said St. Maarten's presence at trade fairs would be paramount in attracting tourists to the island.
The ambassador said sustainable energy would be another potential field for cooperation. In Germany, 20 percent of energy is already sustainable, with the sector having generated 400,000 new jobs.
A self-declared proponent of the European Union, Behr said European integration was and still is successful, despite the euro crisis. He said member states were committed to fixing the problems in the euro zone, with the stronger economies showing solidarity with states struggling with liquidity problems.
Behr said Germany, which is the biggest net contributor to the EU together with The Netherlands, had contributed 200 billion euros to the Solidarity Fund.
Contrary to populist parties, Behr said the answer to the crisis would not be the creation of "Fortress Europe," but more European integration. He said he was "moderately optimistic" about Europe's future.
Even more optimism resounded in the ambassador's account of the German economy, which is the strongest in the euro zone. Growth is forecast at 0.7 per cent this year, nurtured by higher wages and growing consumption.
Ambassador Behr said the labour market was also expected to expand, with unemployment having dropped to 6.9 per cent and youth unemployment to 5.9 per cent.
Chamber of Commerce Chamber president Arthur Bute said in the opening speech that the appointment of an honorary consul fit into the Chamber's plans for 2012, titled "New Country, New Approach." These plans include initiatives to assist in sustainability and the economic and social development of St. Maarten.
Bute said a Public Private Partnership Bureau would be established to provide "a whole range of services to government, the business community and the population."
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