With the first month of the new year and decade barely over we have already witnessed significant global events some of which are devastating and unexpected. Whilst parts of Australia are consumed by catastrophic fires and floods, much of China has now been paralysed by the Coronavirus as the rest of the world holds its breath and hopes that global cooperation can avoid or slow down its spread.
The UK general election reslt means that we start the new decade with greater political clarity than at any time since the EU referendum in 2016. the government now has the comfortable majority required to pass legislation and set its own pass. How well it succeeds can only be judged in time. Yet this is only the end of the beginning of the Brexit saga. Uncertainty over whether the UK can reach agreement on its future relatonship with the EU, before the transition period ends on 31st December 2020, will continue to test the resolve of markets. Further trade tensions between the US and China, as well as other nations, are likely to weigh heavily on the world economy. And, of course, we have the impeachment of Donald Trump and a US presidential election to contend with. Uncertainty is perhaps the only certainty in a challenging and changing world.
However, there are some positive signs on the horizon and much to look forward to. In the last weeks we learned about the secret peace summit in Berlin which is an attempt to end the war in Syria. There is the excitement of the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo, Euro2020, the World Expo in Dubai and COP26, the climate change talks in the UK to name but a few. And as regards an issue close to our hearts, boot Düsseldorf is the first member event of 2020 and has made a brilliant start to the new decade with a hugely successful event. It was during the opening remarks of the pre-open day SEA TOURISM SUMMIT, organised by The Economist, that the marvellous John Andrews told us of his belief in worldwide GDP growth in 2020 with significant economic growth in India.
2020 will see a closer cooperation between IFBSO and EBI (European Boating Industry), the voice of the recreational boating industry in Europe, building on the synergy between the two organisations, especially the commitment of both to work towards the UN sustainable development goals which IFBSO supports through it #ReThinkPlastic initiative.
Registrations for the annual ICOMIA/IFBSO Congress which was due to take place in China in May have now been suspended as we are looking into an alternative venue due to potential health risks associated with travelling to China.
We wish all of our members and industry colleagues a prosperous, successful, healthy and peaceful year!
