ACI ponders partnership with European companies

Chairman of the Amman Chamber of Industry (ACI), Ziad Al Homsi, said on Saturday that the Jordanian industrial sector is looking forward to benefiting from the European expertise, to boost the national industry and its competitiveness in the international markets.
Speaking at the 9th Arab-Belgian-Luxembourg Economic Forum in the Belgian capital Brussels, Homsi called for launching a partnership between Jordanian companies and their European counterparts.
Jordan has not been able to benefit from the Jordanian-European Partnership Agreement signed in 1995, when the Kingdom's exports then amounted to $90 million, compared with $2.1 million of imports. Whereas when the agreement went into effect in 2002, Jordanian exports fell to $70 million compared with $1.6 billion of imports, Homsi said.
In return, Homsi added, Jordan has achieved great success through a 2001 free trade agreement signed with the United States. After the signing of the agreement, he said, Jordan's exports to the US amounted to $262 million and nearly $482 million of imports.
Homsi also shed light on Jordan's enterprises, stressing their need for marketing strategy and comprehensive development plan.