News/Press

Lack of regulation hampers growth of organic market in Ukraine
Ukraine
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04/12/2017
Ukraine is among the 20 countries in the world with the largest land bank for organic production. The Ukrainian market for organic products therefore has enormous potential, but development is hampered by the lack of effective regulation of the industry. The relevant Law has not yet been put into practice, and as a result no domestic producer is certified under Ukrainian legislation, meaning that...
Heritage can boost development, if the proper regulations are in place
A new future for ancient heritage: focus on regulation around heritage development
Ukraine
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01/12/2017
Ukraine has 130,000 monuments of cultural heritage. With proper preservation and effective development of the surrounding infrastructure, the country can significantly increase its cultural and tourist potential. However, current regulation does not provide protection for cultural heritage and provokes numerous corruption abuses, an audience heard at a round table organised by the Better...
Piotr Arushanyants, Director of the Entrepreneurship Department at the Belarusian Economy Ministry
Belarus approves plan to cut red tape for businesses
Belarus
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30/11/2017
On 23 November President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus signed an ordinance on entrepreneurship development, the key document in a package of regulations designed to improve the country's business climate, according to the BelTA news agency. Piotr Arushanyants, Director of the Entrepreneurship Department at the Belarusian Economy Ministry, told BelTA that, “the ordinance is the result of the...
The event was organised in the unusual venue of Lviv International Airport, which was decorated for the occasion
Focus on creative design to boost Ukrainian SMEs
Ukraine
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30/11/2017
More than 100 people gathered for the Creative Economy Days in Lviv over two days on 24-25 November, to discuss issues based around ‘Design for Competitiveness’, in an event addressed by 14 speakers and which hosted three workshop. The Creative Economy Days were organised in the original venue of Lviv international airport, by the Lviv Business Support Centre with the support of EU4Business and...
New local currency loans available to Ukrainian SMEs, thanks to EU4Business
Ukraine
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29/11/2017
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ukraine now have access to a range of loans in Hryvna, offered by local banks under the EU4Business initiative, in partnership with European Financial Institutions. The new loan opportunities, which have become available following a series of agreements signed with local banks in the past few weeks, are all part of the second phase of the EU4Business...
EU4Business working group meeting on implementation of SME roadmap in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
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29/11/2017
A first public-private working group meeting on supporting the implementation and monitoring of Azerbaijan's SME Roadmap will take place on 7 December in Baku, as part of the project ‘EU4Business: From Policies to Action’, implemented by the OECD across the Eastern Partnership and funded by the EU in the framework of the EU4Business initiative. A specific component on ‘supporting the...
Story-telling for crowdfunding campaigns – growing sustainable small businesses in Armenia
Armenia
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29/11/2017
The EU4Business project for ‘Support to SME development in Armenia’ (SMEDA), in cooperation with the Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy and Goldsmiths University of London, is organizing a three-day training for Armenian startups and a one-day training for marketing companies, taking place on 5-8 December. The training will cover the start-up journey that businesses need to go on to successfully...
EIB Group joined forces with local Banks to support businesses in Georgia
Georgia
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29/11/2017
The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF) – jointly the EIB Group – on 29 November signed guarantee agreements with TBC Bank in Georgia to support the equivalent of over €90 million of lending to Georgian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the framework of the EU4Business initiative. The EIB also signed its first microfinance investment in the country,...
Eastern Partnership Summit steps up business support pledges
28/11/2017
The 5th Eastern Partnership Summit took place in Brussels on 24 November, marking the achievements of the last two years in the EU's relationships with its six Eastern partners, while looking forward to implementing 20 deliverables by 2020 that will bring tangible benefits to citizens, including significant pledges in the area of business support. The Summit brought together Heads of State or...
SME events and trainings across Ukraine: plan ahead for December
Ukraine
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28/11/2017
A number of EU4Business events and trainings, funded by the EU, will be taking place in towns and cities across Ukraine in December, targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). They include a number of business forums and conferences around issues ranging from tourism to green economy. Check out the events near you and make sure you register for participation. There are also several...