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Issue No. 42 - August/September 2008
Hi-tech partner, Israel
Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce SA/NT President, Allen Bolaffi points out Israel’s free trade agreement with the EU has many Australian companies using Israel as a conduit to European market.
“It does make trade a lot easier as you can bypass some European trade barriers, for example strict limitations on wine entering France, as well as textiles into the rest of Europe,” Allen says.
Allen notes the Israeli technology industry is extremely strong, with NASDAQ President Robert Greifeld claiming Israel has the highest concentration of high-tech start-up companies outside the USA.
“The industry is very market-driven, providing a great platform for international competitors,” he says. “Optus and Telstra have made significant inroads; Optus’ satellite network was built by Israeli company Gilat and the ADSL equipment used for many Australian homes was originally developed in Israel.
“Given Imaging, an Israeli medical company, has recently de...



