Gov. Tim Kaine departed the country Saturday, Nov. 11, to undertake a seven-day international trade mission to Europe and promote the Jamestown 2007 celebration.
Kaine will visit Sweden, Denmark, England and Germany where Kaine will meet with companies based in Europe who have existing operations in Virginia and with companies looking to establish a presence in the United States.
Kaine's visit happened to coincide with the announcement of Queen Elizabeth that she and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, will visit Virginia in May 2007 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the settlement at Jamestown.
In a telephone conference Kaine said he was excited about his "productive" visit with regard to commercial development in Virginia. He said he is seeking to strengthen trade relations with existing investors and to meet with European companies that are interested in expanding their production to the U.S.
Much of the business activity dealing with potential commercial deals must remain confidential, Kaine spokesperson Kevin Hall said.
Kaine reported that two of the companies he is meeting with already hold property in Virginia, including the Maersk corporation, a Swedish shipping company, and the Volvo corporation. Maersk currently holds a $500 million dollar investment in Hampton Roads, Va., and Volvo owns a heavy-truck factory in Southwestern Virginia.
On Monday, Kaine met with senior executives at the Volvo Corporation in Sweden. Kaine explained Volvo's North American corporation announced a layoff of 1,000 of its 3,100 employees at the Hampton Roads area plant. He called his meeting "timely and important."
The layoff was announced in response to increased emission standards in the auto industry, which could lead to a seven to 10 percent fall in truck sales. Volvo sought to head off this sales decrease by seeking to reduce the Virginia workforce by 1,000 employees. Kaine said he hopes Volvo will rehire the laid-off workers in the future, if the cycle occurs as it has in the past and business conditions improve. He added that the remaining 2,100 workers should have no need for concern over job security.
Hall likened Kaine's role in the meetings to that of a CEO, thanking the European corporations for their investments and offering Virginia's continued support.
Queen Elizabeth's announcement to Parliament of her May 2007 visit yesterday was promoted by Kaine's attendance at a celebration at Tower Bridge in London. Kaine expressed his excitement for the Queen's visit, saying it will "put an exclamation point" on the Jamestown celebration. Kaine said he hopes this will be a major draw for English tourists to visit Virginia, and reported a high enthusiasm among English tourism companies.
Overall, Kaine viewed his visit to Europe as successful in both the business aspect and in the promotion of Jamestown 2007. He added that European countries recognize Virginia's "reputation for a well-managed business climate."
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