On Wednesday, 4 November, EuroCham Cambodia and the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) convened the 5th Cambodia-Europe Public-Private Sector Dialogue, bringing together senior officials from the Royal Government of Cambodia, the European Union Delegation to Cambodia, and European businesses to address investment barriers and advance regulatory reform.
Discussions covered textile recycling, pharmaceutical registration, customs procedures, vehicle imports, alcohol regulation and wider administrative processes.
Several developments were reported, including progress towards a mechanism allowing garment factories to transfer textile waste cuttings to recycling facilities without additional fiscal barriers. The proposal, developed by EuroCham with GIZ and TAFTAC, has been submitted to the Prime Minister for consideration.
Other updates included the submission of draft minimum-age alcohol sales regulations for legal review, a commitment to raise the recognition of European Medicines Agency assessments with the Ministry of Health, and ongoing reviews of vehicle import tariffs and competitive conditions. The dialogue also addressed customs broker costs and the adoption of digital tools to improve oversight of export documentation.
Broader reforms remain underway, including a proposed risk-based Environmental Impact Assessment system, the development of a commercial court and efforts to simplify business registration and administrative procedures through greater digitalisation and data-sharing between government agencies.
EuroCham Chairperson Mr. Tassilo Brinzer emphasised that reducing regulatory complexity and compliance costs, alongside strengthening legal certainty, would help improve Cambodia’s investment environment. Both sides committed to continued cooperation on the issues raised.