EuroCham Launches White Book 2027, Leading Calls for Regulatory Reform to Strengthen Cambodia's Investment Competitiveness./B2B Asia News.

The European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (EuroCham) officially launched the White Book 2027 at a high-level ceremony on May 19, 2026, bringing together senior representatives of the Cambodian government, the Delegation of the European Union to Cambodia, diplomatic missions, development partners, and the private sector. 

In a landmark handover ceremony, EuroCham Chairperson Tassilo Brinzer formally presented the White Book 2027 to H.E. Dr. Aun Pornmoniroth, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance. The handover underscored the document's role as the cornerstone of structured, evidence-based dialogue between the European business community and the Royal Government of Cambodia.

Opening the ceremony, Brinzer acknowledged a challenging global backdrop of geopolitical tensions, energy price pressures, and rising business costs, and called on Cambodia to use the coming years decisively to modernise, reform, and restructure its economy. He highlighted Cambodia's approaching graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status in 2029 as both a national milestone and a critical inflection point requiring deeper competitiveness, greener energy, stronger logistics, and greater economic diversification.

“EuroCham's White Book and its digital twins, the upgraded Advocacy Compass and the newly launched Red Tape Tracker, have turned operational challenges into constructive recommendations – converting businesses' experiences into structured, evidence-based dialogue with the Royal Government," said Brinzer. "The White Book 2027 that we are launching here is not just a policy document. It is a living instrument to improve, modernise, and shape our economy as we move forward. EuroCham will continue to work with the Royal Government and other partners on a range of regulatory topics – not to complain, but to solve.”

Tassilo Brinzer, Chairperson of EuroCham Cambodia./B2B Asia News.

H.E. Dr. Aun Pornmoniroth, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance./B2B Asia News.

Martin Brisson, Executive Director of EuroCham Cambodia, presented a comprehensive review of EuroCham's advocacy performance since the White Book 2024. Of the 78 recommendations published in that edition, 10 have been fully resolved and six partially resolved, achieved through nearly 30 government consultations conducted in 2025 alone across 12 sectoral committees and six European national chapters.

Key achievements include the establishment of the GDT's Special Tax Audit Unit – which improves standardisation for tax audits – while the creation of a compliance certification system brings greater predictability for compliant businesses. The resumption of regular Ministry of Health committee sessions for medical product registration and renewal helps life-saving medicines and equipment reach patients more quickly, and the launch of the Sustainable Green Financing Facility has expanded access to green finance for businesses. The White Book 2027 builds on this foundation with 18 new recommendations spanning digital assets, advertising guidelines, pharmaceutical reform, solar energy, automotive, and green economy frameworks.

H.E. Igor Driesmans, Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union to the Kingdom of Cambodia, described the White Book 2027 as a timely, practical, and solution-oriented roadmap aligned with Cambodia's Pentagonal Strategy reform agenda. He cited three concrete outcomes of recent EU-EuroCham-government dialogue: regulatory clarity on the definition of new vehicles; progress toward an internationally recognised renewable energy certificate framework; and the phase-out of “open-lid beer promotions” that had undermined fair competition.

“For high-quality European investments in Cambodia to reach their full potential, they need to be anchored in a regulatory framework that is transparent and predictable, and aligned with international best practices," said Ambassador Driesmans. "The recommendations in the White Book, from trade facilitation and logistics to taxation and green transition frameworks, point exactly in this direction and can help unlock future European investments in Cambodia.”

According to Brisson, 20 per cent of issues highlighted in EuroCham's White Book 2024 have been either solved or partially solved./B2B Asia News.

EuroCham Cambodia's White Book 2027 features 18 new recommendations and 14 updated recommendations from White Book 2024./B2B Asia News. 

In his opening remarks, H.E. Dr. Aun Pornmoniroth reported that Cambodia's economy grew at 5.3 per cent in 2025, with approved investment projects identifying six priority reform areas shared between the Cambodian government and the White Book 2027: 

• Advancing the digital economy and adopting a Personal Data Protection Law aligned with international standards;
• Creating a level playing field for competition; 
• Modernising trade facilitation and fully integrating relevant ministries into the National Single Window; 
• Implementing a Renewable Energy Certificate framework; 
• Investing in human capital development; 
• Strengthening investment confidence through regulatory transparency and predictability.

“Over the years, the White Book has been instrumental in driving many key reforms in Cambodia," said the Deputy Prime Minister. "This document is not merely a publication, but a testament to the strength of the close public-private partnerships in achieving a shared vision of sustainable, inclusive, and resilient development. It provides an ‘investor's perspective’, allowing the Royal Government to fine-tune policies, ensuring Cambodia remains a competitive and attractive investment destination in the region.”

A high-level panel moderated by Julie Kéo, Vice-Chairperson of EuroCham Cambodia, brought together Brinzer; H.E. Phan Phalla, Secretary of State, Ministry of Economy and Finance; Koen Everaert, Deputy Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation; and Faya Hayati, Senior Economist at the World Bank, for a frank discussion on Cambodia's structural challenges and the road ahead.

The panel called for a fast-track business registration pathway for first-year investors, greater use of technology to replace multi-ministry certification requirements, and stronger inter-ministerial coordination as the complexity of Cambodia's reform agenda grows. On LDC graduation, Hayati cautioned that the preferential trade access which drove Cambodia's past growth will no longer be available post-2029, and that the new engine of competitiveness must be built on regulatory quality, infrastructure, and skills, areas requiring a fundamentally different approach than in previous decades.

Panel discussion at the White Book 2027 launch./B2B Asia News.

EuroCham Launches White Book 2027./B2B Asia News.

Closing the event, Brisson reaffirmed EuroCham's commitment to constructive, evidence-based engagement with the Royal Government across all recommendations of the White Book 2027. He called on the European business community and government counterparts to treat the publication as an instrument for shared progress and invited all stakeholders to explore EuroCham's updated Advocacy Compass and Red Tape Tracker for the latest tracking of issues and dialogue.

“The White Book is a unique publication available in Cambodia. Alongside the Advocacy Compass, any business, investor, or policymaker can see exactly what EuroCham is working on, which issues are resolved, and where dialogue is still needed," said Brisson. “This transparency is what makes the White Book 2027 different: it is not a document you read once and file away, but a powerful reference tool for accountability and progress that keeps all stakeholders aligned around a shared goal of a more competitive Cambodia.”

This press release was supplied.

EuroCham Cambodia's White Book 2027./B2B Asia News.