Kamil Blažek retains chairmanship of the AFI
24.02.2011Company: Amcham
Kamil Blažek has retained his position as chairman of the Association for Foreign Investment (AFI). The retention of Mr. Blažek, a long-time member of the association’s steering committee and partner at the international law firm Kinstellar, as chairman was decided by a General Meeting of all association members and confirmed by a subsequent vote of the Steering Committee. Miroslav Křížek, CEO of CzechInvest, was elected to the position of vice-chairman of the AFI.
For the coming period, the association’s new leadership headed by the returning chairman is planning to focus primarily on support for the Czech Republic’s investment environment, strengthening of the Czech economy’s competitiveness and, among other things, intensive cooperation with CzechInvest, the national investment and business development agency. “Key areas will be, in particular, increasing targeted support for foreign and Czech investors, initiating new programmes for capital entry of foreign investors into small Czech firms, and support for Czech start-up businesses,” says Blažek. Miroslav Křížek, CEO of CzechInvest and vice-chairman of the AFI, adds: “At this time we are working intensively on an amendment to the Investment Incentives Act, which should make life much easier for investors. We are also planning a whole range of seminars with the aim of helping firms to obtain financial resources from European Union funds. There is growing interest in such aid; in January this year the record sum of 819.2 million crowns from the Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovation went to the accounts of Czech businesses. Last year the average monthly figure was roughly 600 million.”
ASB Prague, Dr. Kaufmann & Partner, Grafton Recruitment, Havel, Holásek & Partners, KPMG Česká republika, NWD Legal, PwC Česká republika, Tebodin Czech Republic, Technoprojekt and Weinhold Legal are also represented in the AFI’s governing bodies.
The AFI provides significant support for foreign and domestic investors, development of the domestic business environment and business legislation, and the Czech Republic’s competitiveness in the field of foreign investment. In cooperation with CzechInvest and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the AFI also organises the annual Investor of the Year and Business Property of the Year competitions. Last year the AFI also unveiled the Cooperation of the Year pilot project, which had the purpose of recognising and rewarding the best examples of cooperation between universities and the application sphere in the area of research, development and innovation. “In 2011 we are preparing a research project in the area of foreign direct investment with the University of Economics in Prague, meetings of innovative start-up firms with venture-capital funds and business angels, a supplier opportunities trade fair, and specialised trainings for CzechInvest employees. We will also strengthen our cooperation with foreign chambers of commerce and Czech business associations,” Blažek adds.
