The Danish Confederation of Industries (DI) has praised proposals from Business and Growth Minister Ole Sohn (SocPpl) and Trade and Investment Minister Pia Olsen Dyhr (SocPpl) for a new strategy to strengthen Danish businesses in new growth markets such as China and Brazil.

“(The strategy) contains a lot of good and sensible initiatives and there’s not a comma out of place. We agree with it all,” says DI Sales Policy Executive Peter Thagesen.

The strategy for Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC), which is to be announced today, calls for an increase in exports to these growth markets of more than 50 per cent, and with the markets investing at least twice as much in Denmark as in the pst five years.

“Simply the fact that the government launches a thorough and well-prepared growth market strategy is a positive step and shows how important exports to these countries are,” Thagesen says.

An increase in exports of more than 50 per cent would correspond to an increase of some DKK30billion over the next five years.

The two ministers say that a further DKK50million are to be earmarked in 2012-2013 in orer to further exports and investment, and half of the Export Council’s funds for export drives will be earmarked for the BRIC markets.

Although Thagesen congratulates the government on its plan, and believes targets can be reached, he also points out that cost levels cannot be ignored in a BRIC-strategy.

“There should also be focus on Danish competitiveness, with attention to Denmark’s high taxation and duties that continue to be a problem for Danish companies,” Thagesen says.

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