Danish Chamber of Commerce joins International CO Accreditation Chain

The announcement was made during an International CO Council meeting of more than 40 CO experts from 21 countries, which took place in Sydney, Australia on 16-17 September 2017. The meeting was chaired by Peter Bishop, Deputy CEO of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Jens Klarskov, CEO of the Danish Chamber of Commerce said: “The Danish Chamber of Commerce is proud to take our role in issuing COs to this next step. We have a clear strategy of being the preferred business-to-business partner to all Danish companies, nationally and abroad. In becoming a part of the CO Accreditation Chain, we see a fulfilment of one major sub-goal in our ever increasing concern and efforts to improve our customer’s journey and expand our business relationships in the globalised economy.

Head of Sales, Jesper Juul-Jensen, added: “Our chamber cannot exist without our customers–the members. This is why we are constantly focusing on how to win new customers and retain existing customers. As a member of the CO Accreditation Chain, we will be able to increase the quality of one part of our customers’ experience and thus fulfil one important step in the strategic objective of The Danish Chamber.”

“The CO Chain is all about quality and integrity,” said Mr Van der Weide, Chair of the CO Accreditation committee. “There is still a common misconception by international organisations concerning chambers and their role in issuing COs. In this fast-changing world, it is more important than ever that chambers work in harmony, delivering the same quality global services to their local business, no matter where in the world they may be. Chambers have competent trade staff and expertise and have been supporting exporters for centuries. As part of a global trade network, we do encourage all chambers to join this international accreditation chain.”

The new members are:

• The Danish Chamber of Commerce

In Italy (with UnionCamere as the national coordinating body):

• Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Handicraft and Agriculture of Brescia
• Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Handicraft and Agriculture of Venezia-Rovigo Delta Lagunare

To date, there are 17 accredited chamber members from Italy. There is currently a total number of 523 chambers from 21 countries issuing certificates of origin bearing the ICC WCF International CO Label.

A special greeting was made to the Japanese delegation, attending the CO Council meeting for the first time.  The delegation was led by Takeshi Akagi, General Manager of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who gave a detailed overview of Japan’s trade agreements and both non-preferential and preferential CO issuance to members of the CO Council.