Prime Minister of Estonia Mr. Jüri Ratas and his delegation ignited the Baltic American Chamber of Commerce members and guests' interest in Estonia

A major turnout, around 70 people, attended a Business Roundtable discussion with the Prime Minister of Estonia Mr. Jüri Ratas, the Ambassador of Estonia to the United States Mr. Jonatan Vseviov, and an Estonian Business Delegation, on October 29th, 2019. The event was organized by the Baltic American Chamber of Commerce (BACC) and was hosted at the White & Case office in New York.

The Prime Minister of Estonia Mr. Jüri Ratas is visiting the United States to meet with business delegations, local companies and government representatives in New York and Washington, D.C. On Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Ratas stressed in his speech to a full house how important it is to form closer bilateral relations and expand economic cooperation between Estonia and the United States. He added that the Estonian economy is flexible and innovative,and opportunities in the U.S. market are extremely important for Estonian exporters. 

The Prime Minister's speech was followed by questions and answers, during which Mr. Ratas explained the importance of NATO Article 5 and the need to spend 2 percent of countries’ GDPs on collective defensive measures on behalf of all member states’ safety. The Prime Minister expressed his conviction that the United States will help Estonia in every kind of crisis situation. 

In addition to defence policy, Mr. Ratas also discussed Brexit and its potential impacts  for the European Union as well as Estonia. The Prime Minister expressed his concern about a possible no-deal Brexit and acknowledged that the British leaving is a disadvantage in every possible way. 

The event continued with an introduction of Enterprise Estonia (EAS). Its board member Ms. Sigrid Harjo briefly enlightened the participants about how EAS promotes business and regional policy in Estonia and is one of the largest institutions within the national support system for entrepreneurship by providing financial assistance, cooperation opportunities, etc. 

White & Case was introduced by Mr. Duane Wall, former Chairman and Partner Of Counsel at the firm. Participants were also welcomed by Mr. Hugh Verrier, current Chairman of the White & Case board, and by Mr. Lauri Käi, an Associate at White & Case. The successful business roundtable had an informative end with a discussion about legal issues that foreign companies often face when entering the U.S. market, presented by Mr. Edward So, Partner at White & Case. The conversation focused on the tax system and the differences between federal, state and local laws that companies entering the U.S. market have to consider. 

The Estonian business delegation included representatives of Enterprise Estonia, Ampron, Proekspert, Nortal, KYC Pass, Cognuse, SolbegSoft, Markit Holding, Helmes, Elip Solutions, and the TalTech centre Mektory.

A roundtable discussion was moderated by Mr. John Kancans, Head of Asset Managment AML Compliance, Global AML Consultant.

For Baltic American Chamber of Commerce it is extremely important to help to facilitate the relationship among professional organizations and governments in the Baltic States as well as in the United States. 

A Press Release:

Photos: Press Department of the Government of the Republic of Estonia and Darryl Stith from White & Case

BACC New York