“EU4Business: Connecting Companies” is the name of an ambitious new action funded under the EU4Business initiative of the European Union and managed by EUROCHAMBRES. The main aim is to promote trade between the EU Member States & the 6 Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova & Ukraine.
The “EU4Business: Connecting Companies” project is expected to run for three years, up until December 2022. It builds upon the positive results of the successful East Invest projects that were developed and implemented by EUROCHAMBRES from 2010 until 2017, and which were also funded by DG NEAR.
The new project will focus in particular on five specific sectors of economic activity, where there is considered to be significant potential for increasing cross-border trade, which in turn will foster the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the EaP countries. The chosen sectors are: Bio/organic Food, Creative Industries, Textiles, Tourism and Wine-making.
The “EU4Business: Connecting Companies” project was presented to delegates attending the Eastern Partnership Platform 2 meeting in Brussels on 17 January, 2020. Arnaldo Abruzzini, CEO of EUROCHAMBRES, was invited to explain how the new project will create and strengthen contacts between businesses in the 6 EaP countries and companies in the EU Member States.
According to Mr Abruzzini: "Our new project will contribute to sustainable economic development and job creation in the Eastern Partnership countries by helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to grow – especially by promoting increased trade, encouraging inward investment and fostering business links with companies in the EU."
High-level representatives of the EU institutions and national representatives of EaP countries, as well as other stakeholders such as business support organisations, are expected to attend the Kick-off Conference for the “EU4Business: Connecting Companies” project, which will take place in Brussels on 25 March, 2020.
Over the coming three years, the project will support a wide range of activities which will benefit business support organisations, including local and regional chambers, and businesses in the EaP countries and EU Member States – such as B2B Matching, Twinnings and Study Visits. These activities will be managed and implemented by sectoral consortia that bring together business support organisations in the EaP countries and those in the EU Member States.
