Dear Working Group member,

The European Chamber is pleased to invite you to the next Environment Working Group meeting + Chair Election. It will be held on Monday, 21 March, 15:30 – 17:45 at the European Chamber Shanghai and Beijing offices via video conference. The Environment WG members in South China will join via conference call.

At this meeting, a presentation will be given. The speaker and topic will be confirmed asap.

Moreover, we will have a discussion on the Environment Position Paper (PP) 2016/2017. As you may know, the PP is the Chamber’s key lobbying document and is widely recognized by the Chinese and European governments, EU institutions, business associations and the media as the authoritative voice of EU business in China. It is used extensively for policy considerations, bilateral discussions, cooperation projects and background information. The value and importance of a well-written and well-represented Environment Position Paper cannot be overstated. Please see the Environment PP 2015/2016 attached for your reference.

Additionally, we will hold 2016-2017 Chair elections. The Environment Chair and Vice Chairs play a crucial role in driving the Working Group, which includes a leadership role in the drafting of the Position Paper, communicating key messages to Chinese and European government authorities and steering Working Group meetings. The desired characteristics of a Chair and Vice Chairs are a senior industry representative with relevant industry expertise and government contacts who has the time and willingness to support the WG. Moreover:

- Previous participation in the WG is essential.

- The maximum duration of Chairmanship or Vice Chairmanship of a Group is three consecutive years.

- Per the ExCo decision of 29 September 2015, ExCo members are not eligible for Chair positions, but are eligible for Vice Chair Positions.

- Candidates are only eligible for Chair or Vice Chair position if he/she is physically based in China and it is recommended that the member holds the position in the Chapter where he/she is physically based.

- Only Corporate members of the Chamber are eligible for Chair positions unless specific approval has been obtained from the Chamber’s Executive Committee.

- Both Corporate and Associate members are eligible to hold Vice Chair positions.  

For the Environment WG the following positions are vacant:

1) One Working Group Chair based in any of the Chapters that the WG is based in (Beijing, Shanghai or South China) to serve as the National Chair

Please note that in the context of the WG consolidation process where the number of WGs has been reduced from over 50 to 25, the position of national Chair will imply a bigger commitment than has previously been the case. It is expected that the national Chair acts as the ‘face’ of the Environment WG in Beijing, Shanghai and South China and has a profound insight in the main lobby issues in order to represent the WG during lobby activities, events and in the media. Since this WG is active in different locations in China, potential travel expenses - that cannot be reimbursed by the European Chamber - need to be taken into account when applying for this position. In his/her important task, the National Chair will receive the support from the respective Business Manager / Working Group Coordinator.

2) One Vice Chair based in Beijing or Shanghai or South China to serve as Vice Chair and Local Chair (a local Chair can only be based in the city where there is no national Chair)

3) One Vice Chair based in Beijing or Shanghai or South China to serve as Vice Chair and Local Chair (a local Chair can only be based in the city where there is no national Chair)

4) Up to three Vice-Chairs based in Beijing and Shanghai and South China respectively

Election rules:

The National Chair election (1) will take place first, thereafter the Vice Chair/Local Chair election (2), and finally the Vice Chair election (3). In case there are two or more candidates for the national Chair position, then the unsuccessful candidate(s) can run for Vice Chair/Local Chair or for Vice Chair. In case there are two or more candidates for the Vice Chair/Local Chair position, then the unsuccessful candidate(s) can run for Vice Chair.

Should you be interested in putting your name forward for election, please, firstly, read the Working Group Chairs’ Code of Conduct and Roles and Responsibilities documents. To apply, please send a short biography and motivation letter, stating whether you intend to run for Chair or Vice Chair to Ms. Heidi De Langhe athdelanghe@europeanchamber.com.cn for Beijing WG and to Mr. Daniel Sellers at dsellers@europeanchamber.com.cn for Shanghai WG and to Ms. Anna Rudawska at arudawska@europeanchamber.com.cn for South China WG by Monday, 14 March COB.

Tentative agenda:

- 15:30 – 16:05: Presentation (speaker + topic TBC)

- 16:05 – 16:45: Chair/Vice Chair Elections

- 16:45 – 17:30: Discussion on Environment Position Paper 2016/2017

- 17:30 – 17:45: Discussion on upcoming Working Group activities

As always, we welcome your suggestions for possible agenda topics and speakers for this and future meetings.

We encourage as many of our members as possible to attend to have their say in the leadership and representation of the Working Group in the year ahead. If you would like to attend this meeting in South China, please register here or contact Ms. Anna Rudawska at arudawska@europeanchamber.com.cn by Friday, 18 March COB.

For more information on the Environment Working Group or the European Chamber in general, please do not hesitate to contact Ms. Heidi De Langhe at hdelanghe@europeanchamber.com.cn in Beijing or Mr. Daniel Sellers at dsellers@europeanchamber.com.cn in Shanghai or Ms. Anna Rudawska at arudawska@europeanchamber.com.cn in South China.

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