a TV-Station - American Chamber of Commerce in Denmark

Minister Pia Olsen Dyhr at AmCham’s
Foreign Investor Summit.
Amcham engaged Minister Pia Olsen Dyhr in Amcham’s 2011
Foreign investor Summit on november 1.
In her keynote address, the minister underscored the government’s
commitment to the business community: “That I stand here today in the
capacity of Minister of Trade and Investment, is a concrete testament
to the government’s commitment to increased foreign trade and
investment. We want to give you the best conditions to achieve higher
growth and create more jobs.”
Among the government’s initiatives for ensuring growth and
competitiveness is the establishment of a productivity commission
aimed at mapping out underlying factors that have caused productivity
growth to lag behind, and come up with concrete solutions. Other
priorities include promoting higher education, increasing the priority of
R&D, and reducing administrative red tape for businesses.
the importance of the multinationals, the talent challenge and the
need for pre-conditions for attracting foreign direct investment.
During the Summit, AmCham Chairman Kim østrup outlined the
importance of the multinationals, and Charlotte Mark, Managing
Director, Microsoft Development Center Copenhagen, presented
highlights from the new AmCham HR Committee white paper
entitled “The Talent to Compete ,” which was unveiled at the summit.
Mark acknowledged the small but important steps that had been
accomplished since the release of the HR Committee’s January 2010
white paper “The Talent to Succeed,” but underlined
there is much more work to be done. “The winner
of the global competition will be the country that
proactively manages the talent challenge, and
Denmark needs a coherent national talent strategy,”
Mark stated.
Torben Möger Pedersen, CEO for PensionDanmark
and a member of the Copenhagen Business Task
Force, shared the findings and recommendations
from the Task Force, which was launched by
Copenhagen’s Mayor Frank Jensen in March 2011.
One of the main objectives of the Task Force is to
increase Copenhagen’s annual growth to an average
of 5% of GDP through 2020 – which will benefit all
of Denmark. “To accomplish this, the capital region
must have the right pre-conditions for attracting
foreign investment, including being accessible to
international companies and their employees,” said
Pedersen.
Amcham’s three key recommendations to the
Danish Government - Looking forward
The three key recommendations, which the Danish
government must address to attract and retain
foreign investments:
• Commit to making foreign investments a
long-term governmental priority.
• Create a national talent strategy linked closely
to Denmark’s investment strategy
• Ensure stability, predictability and competitiveness
in corporate tax legislation.
Specifically regarding the tax issue, the new
Government stated in its platform that “The tax
must support the competitiveness of Danish
companies operating in competitive markets.
Denmark must be an open country that utilizes the
opportunities afforded to us by globalization.”
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