Culture and Regional Economy of Europe
Andrea Del Pilar Lara, Diego Cortés H, Maira A. Gutierrez C, Jineth Gomez Rodriguez,
Lady Murcia Rubiano
Politécnico Grancolombiano
Marzo 31 de 2020
Notas del autor
Andrea Del Pilar Lara, Diego Cortés H, Maira A. Gutierrez C, Jineth Gomez Rodriguez,
Lady Murcia Rubiano, Negocios Internacionales, Politécnico Grancolombiano
La correspondencia relacionada con esta investigación debe ser dirigida a nombre de
Maria Alejandra Pineda, Politécnico Grancolombiano, Calle 57 Nº 3-00 Este
Introduction
These three countries are recognized in Europe for their great economic development and
growth within the region, however they can develop excellent business opportunities for
Colombia leading to potential of free trade agreements with Europe, additionally their
geographical position is key to be able to provide products from the region and our country as
well, This is why we have made a brief analysis on the situation of each country and its little
difference at the political, economic and social level.
General Information about Germany, Belgium and Sweden
- Germany
This country is located in western Europe, with a population of 80,722,792, it is a very
populated country and has a population density of 232 inhabitants per km2, Its capital is Berlin
and its currency is Euros. The official Language is German.
Germany is one of the 10 most important economies in the world by the volume of GDP
(Gross Domestic Product). Its public debt in 2018 was 2,069,007 million euros, with a debt of
61.9% of GDP. Its debt per capita is € 24,922 euros per inhabitant.
HDI (Human Development Index) which is prepared by the United Nations to measure
the progress of a country which definitely shows us the standard of living of its inhabitants, also
it indicates that Germans has an incredible life quality.
- Belgium
Belgium is located in western Europe, with a population of 11 409 077 people, is in the
position 79 of the population table, made up of 196 countries and has a high population density,
with 375 inhabitants per km2, Its capital is Brussels and its currency is Euros. In contrast with
other countries, it has three official languages: Dutch, French, German.
Belgium is the 24th economy by volume of GDP. Its public debt in 2018 was 460,039
million euros, with a debt of 100% of GDP, it’s belong to the countries with the most debt with
respect to the world's GDP. Its debt per capita is € 40,159 euros per inhabitant, then its
inhabitants are among to the most indebted in the world.
As for the Human Development Index or HDI, Belgium shows one of the multicultural
and gender equality
- Sweden
-
It is located in northern Europe, with a population of 9,880,604 people, is in position 89
in the population table, made up of 196 countries and has a moderate population density, 23
inhabitants per km2, Its capital is Stockholm and its currency is Swedish Krona, its official
language is Swedish,
Sweden is the 23rd economy by volume of GDP. Its public debt in 2018 was 182,698
million euros, with a debt of 38.8% of GDP. Its debt per capita is € 17,859 euros per inhabitant,
The latest annual CPI (Consumer Price Index) published in Sweden is from February 2020 and
was 1%.
The GDP of Sweden, in 2019, it was €46,180, which is why it is in a incredible position,
since it occupies the 14th position in the ranking, what it assumes that its population has a
excellent standard of living in relation to the 196 countries in the GDP per capita ranking,
However, the HDI indicate that they are almost on the top of the ranking on best countries to
live.
Main Economic Indicator
As far as we know, in the world the economy is very important for the development of a
country, likewise in the economic environment it is of vital importance to know what are these
economic indicators and more important still is to be able to answer questions such as: What is it
for ?, What does it measure? and knowing how to interpret each one, since knowing everything
about the economic indicators of a country gives you a perspective on the development that the
economy has had in a certain period of time, as well as the changes it has.
Finally It is the primary objective of these indicators to determine if the economy is on
the path to success, if they are not on the right track, they will help us create strategies and
policies that seek economic improvement for the country (República, 2020).
The most relevant and main economic indicators are: the Gross Domestic Product (GDP),
the Inflation Rate, the Unemployment Rate and the Consumer Price Index.
European Union Countries
Germa
Belgium Sweden
ny
Economic Inhabitant 80,9
11.2 M 9,6 M
Indicador (Population) M
Unemployment 3,10% 5.40% 6.80 %
Rate (%)
Inflation rate (%) 1,70% 1,10% 1,00%
GDP(USD) $55.73 $53,675 $54,838
7
CPI (%) 0,4% 0,6% 0.5%
70,4% 118,0% 58,5%
Debt (%)
of the GDP of the GDP of the GDP
Economic Indicators "Own Creation" - Source: OECD
Overview of business culture and results of the World Bank's Doing Business report
Swedish culture
Sweden is a country surrounded by nations of great culture such as Norway, Finland and
Denmark, which has helped it build a solid culture of world example. It is part of the European
continent and has a pacifist history of more than a century. They are elements that undoubtedly
distinguish the culture of Sweden
Doing Business
“Sweden is in 12th place in the" Doing Business "of the 190 that make up this ranking,
which classifies countries according to the ease they offer to do business. In the last year,
Sweden has fallen 2 places in this ranking, which indicates that it has become more difficult to
do business in the country. However, it is undoubtedly a country where it is easy to do business “
(Swede - Illustration Sweden - Doing Business Index)
Germany Culture
Germany is one of the most important markets in the European Union, which is why it
has become a strategic commercial ally for several countries around the world that want to enter
or are already part of the market of this European giant, This is why not only the characteristics
and quality of the products are the main requirement to enter the German market but also the
quality of the personnel designated to establish the business relationships
Doing Business
“Germany is in 24th place in the "Doing Business" of the 190 that make up this ranking,
which classifies countries according to the ease they offer to do business. In the last year,
Germany has fallen 4 places in this ranking, which indicates that it has become more difficult to
do business in the country”
(Illustration - Germany - Doing Business Index)
Belgium Culture
Belgium is bilingual by law (Dutch and French), but not everything is mixed. The two
dominant cultures coexist with difficult but positive tensions, as they contribute to creating
creative dynamism. Although deeply traditional in many ways, Belgians are flexible and have
international perspectives. Belgians are also famous for knowing how to take advantage of the
good things in life, However, they discreetly do whatever it takes to earn what it takes to lead a
high standard of living. Belgium may be small and internally complicated, but it is also definitely
open to business, it is considered the country with the highest export rate per inhabitant
worldwide, making it a power in foreign trade.
Doing Business
“Belgium is in 45th place in the "Doing Business" of the 190 that make up this ranking,
which classifies countries according to the ease they offer to do business. In the last year
Belgium has improved its position, since the previous year it was 52nd, so it has become easier
to do business in the country”
(Illustration - Belgium - Doing Business Index)
Balance of Trade (BOT)
- Belgium
Belgium's economy is one of the most advanced in Europe, taking advantage of its
geographical location and developing a sophisticated diversified transport network with a
commercial and industrial base; in 2019 it registered a surplus in its trade balance of 16,432.7
million euros, 3.47% of its GDP, higher than the surplus reached in 2018, of 13,089.1 million
euros, 2.85% of GDP. The change in the trade balance has been due to an increase in exports
accompanied by a decrease,
In 2019, exports grew by 0.55%, sales abroad represent 83.83% of the export ranking.
The main countries to which it is exported are the United States with 23.38%, China with 6.73%
and India with 6.32% of total exports.
Imports fell 0.31% over the previous year, purchases abroad are 80.36% of its GDP, very
high compared to that of other countries, the main countries that sell to it are the United States
21.09%, China 12.28%, Japan 8.22% of the total imports of the country.
- Germany
Germany is a world economic power, in 2018 it was classified as the fourth largest
economy behind the United States, China and Japan, in 2019 it registered a surplus in its trade
balance of 227,820.4 million euros, 6.63% of its GDP, lower than that reached in 2018 of
233,301.1 million euros, 6.98% of GDP; The change in the trade balance has been due to an
increase in exports but accompanied by an even greater increase in imports,
Exports grew by 0.72% compared to the previous year, foreign sales represent 38.71% of
its GDP, it is the third country that exports the most with a figure of 1,330,188.3 million euros,
its main destinations are the United States 21.79 %, China 17.57% and Switzerland 10.26%.
Imports grew 1.37% over the previous year purchases abroad represent 32.08% of its
GDP, this is one of the countries with the highest volume of imports, mainly purchases from
China 20.95%, the United States 14.78%, Switzerland 1.63%
- Sweden
The trade balance for 2019 rises as it registered a surplus of 1,635.5 million euros, 0.34% of its
GDP, it is a very important change since in 2018 the trade balance was negative and registered a deficit of
3,960.2 million euros 0.84 of GDP and this change has been due to increased exports and decreased
imports, despite this, it has an average trade balance, making it a benchmark with the rest of the countries.
Regarding exports, they grew 2.05%, representing 30.21% of their GDP, they were mainly for
Norway 25.79%, the United States 19.27% and China 11.41%, the coverage rate was 97.51%
Imports for 2019 fell by 1.88%, purchases abroad represent 29.86% of its GDP imports for this
year put 141,756 million euros, the main countries it sells to are Norway 28.19%, China 20.11% and the
United States 9.96% respectively.
Describir y analizar la historia de las relaciones comerciales entre Colombia y los 3
países de la UE elegido por su grupo.
Colombia - Alemania
Consolidan relaciones diplomáticas en 1872 justamente en ese mismo año Alemania
inicia la primera misión pedagógica en el país.
Alemania tiene un papel destacado en Colombia ya que jugaron un papel importante en la
industrialización y modernización 2 ejemplos claros son la cervecería Bavaria y en la aviación
comercial Scadt hoy día Avianca, también intervinieron en la construcción e infraestructura, en
la producción del café de modo que Alemania para entenderlo mejor es uno de los países
europeos muy importante para el país. Por su parte Colombia su mayor parte de exportación se
centra en productos agropecuarios, el café, té y especias.
“En términos generales, en un país de libre mercado la inversión siempre representa la
posibilidad de crecimiento para distintos sectores económicos, especialmente para el comercio
exterior. En este sentido, los beneficios para los exportadores e importadores colombianos se
incrementan en la medida en que se diversifica su potencial de intercambio comercial desde y
hacia terceros países. De la misma manera, se logran unas dinámicas económicas en el país,
como serían el crecimiento del empleo, el desarrollo económico; el fortalecimiento de la
competitividad”.
Alemania ha sido un proveedor de equipos industriales y químicos para Colombia,
empresas como Siemens, BMW y Mercedes Benz han estado siempre en los grandes rubros de
las importaciones de Colombia. Alemania ha sido un gran comprador de nuestros productos,
principalmente el café y el tabaco, seguir cultivando esa relación comercial es muy importante
para el país”, agrega Meisel.
Aunque desde 2013 entró en vigencia el Acuerdo Comercial celebrado entre la Unión
Europea y Colombia, el mercado alemán ha sido poco aprovechado por los productos
colombianos. Además, el rubro de exportaciones correspondiente a los combustibles ha
disminuido en los últimos años (67% entre 2017 y 2018), a cambio de mejoras en las
exportaciones de productos agropecuarios. Los productos que más se exportan actualmente a
Alemania son el café, té y especias; alimentos, bebidas y tabaco; y vegetales. Sin embargo, en
2018 solo se exportaron USD449 millones FOB a Alemania
Comercio bilateral de Colombia con Alemania
Colombia – Suecia
Establecieron relaciones diplomáticas el 11 de Diciembre de 1874, Suecia en gran parte
depende de la importación en productos agrícolas e hidrocarburos el café a representado un 80%
de estas exportaciones seguido de guanábana mango y otras frutas tropicales complementándose
con flores mientras que Suecia en líder en innovación cuna de ideas revolucionarias como Skype,
minecraft, spotify empresas que la mayor parte de las personas desconocen su origen sueco
Siendo Suecia un país experto en producir energías de fuentes alternativas creen que este
sistema debe ser prioritario para todos los países siendo un sistema que se puede implementar no
solo en los hogares sino también en las ciudades se encuentra muy interesado en Colombia en
crear los conceptos de sostenibilidad para construir ciudades sostenibles, existe un pacto entre
ambas partes que lucha por la transparencia y lucha encontrar de la corrupción, para Suecia es
importante la estabilidad de Colombia en cuanto a las fuerzas armadas ya que siendo expertos en
sectores como el transporte telecomunicaciones mineras entre otras necesita de la confianza en
poder desarrollar estos procesos en ciudades pequeñas y municipios; así mismo Suecia se
encuentra interesado en fortalecer sus importaciones en productos estándares como el cacao el
banano.
Colombia- Bélgica
Establecieron relaciones bilaterales en 1873 incluye temas importantes en materia de
cooperación en puertos apoyo y fortalecimiento de la democracia intercambio comercial entre
otros.
Bélgica se encuentra entre las 25 mayores economías, siendo un país de altos ingresos
cuyo PIB per cápita corriente fue de US $46.696 semejante a Alemania, siendo una economía
abierta, el comercio exterior de sus bienes y servicios represento 176% del PIB siendo un país
altamente importador, sus relaciones con Colombia se han fortalecido ya que ha manifestado su
apoyo en procesos de estabilización y construcción de convivencia política en Colombia como
en la participación de la implementación de los procesos de paz con las FARC, así mismo al ser
miembro de la unión europea Colombia hace parte del acuerdo de exención de visados para
estancias de corta duración aplicado desde el 3 de Diciembre del 2015.
El intercambio comercial entre Colombia y Bélgica no solo es muy bajo sino también en
el último registro reporto una caída del 8.7% de algo más de 420 millones de dólares registrados
en los primeros meses del año, desde el la entrada en vigencia del TLC entre Colombia y la
Unión Europea refleja una leve alza en perspectivas de importación entre algunos productos
como aceites y grasas, banano autopartes y textiles.
Bibliographies
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- Expansión / Datosmacro.com obtained from:
https://datosmacro.expansion.com/paises/alemania
- OECD. (22 de Enero de 2020). OECD. obtained from: https://www.oecd.org/germany/
- OECD. (20 de Enero de 2020). OECD. obtained from:
https://www.oecd.org/belgium/
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https://www.banrep.gov.co/es/contenidos/page/qu-inflaci-n
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