13th August 2019

AmCham President Michal Chour outlines 2019 agenda

As businesspeople, we learned to analyze the future by using a SWOT. We determined our direction by defining our hopes and identifying what could harm us on our way to achieving our goals. Today's geopolitical environment seems to have abandoned opportunity to focus solely on the threat. If everything is a risk, though, we begin to ignore the opportunities. Over the next year as President of AmCham, I want to focus finding and taking advantage of the opportunities to make the Czech Republic a top ten economy in the EU.

 
At the end of August, we will publish a redesigned Czech Investment Primer. The primer will provide a snapshot of key sectors for investment with insights from our experts. A more in-depth sector analysis will be prepared for members. The primer and the analysis are examples of our intention to improve the data and analysis we provide to members and potential investors. This will be our way to help businesses find opportunity.
 
At the end of September, we will issue an updated Letter on Economic Priorities. The letter serves as the framework for our policy advocacy. In our last letter, we advocated focusing on research, city development, health care, and good governance. Much of what we advocated is government policy today. Our aim now should be to get into the top ten of European research, the top ten of health care outcomes, and the top ten of effective government. The only way to get there is more intensive and more constructive cooperation between the government, business and society.
 
Finally, we want to discuss openly the role of business in society. Business executives cannot be business leaders if they stand on the sidelines of the most important debates in our society. What is the role of the EU? How will digitizing the workplace impact our working lives? Is global trade good or bad and does a tariff war do more harm than good? How does the Czech Republic want to engage with other societies? Our Leadership Council has been asked to engage in discussions on these themes.
 
AmCham is a network. That means it is an instrument for all of us to attain our individual and company goals. We will be holding more small and short sessions on defined topics to solicit your feedback. I encourage you to participate, and work with us to make the Czech Republic a better place to work and live.

Members of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic