SMEs in the agro-food and beverage industries learned how to prepare products for export to the EU on a training course organised by the Georgian Chamber of Commerce with support from East Invest 2.
The SME Academy training course was held in April 2016 for representatives of SMEs operating in the agro-food, food processing, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and other related spheres such as tourism.
The course was designed to raise awareness on different issues related to exporting to the EU market and equip the companies with the knowledge and tools to find the information they need to go on and buy and sell with their counterparts in EU countries.
There were notable results, too. Thanks to techniques learned in the Academy, one Georgian wine and spirits producer, Sarajishvili Ltd., was able to sell 25 000 litres of drinks to companies in Germany and Slovakia.
Another, the Alvani cooperative, sold branded sweets to outlets in the Netherlands, and a number of Georgian vineyards have since won contracts to supply annual quantities of wine, also to importers in the Netherlands, Germany and Slovakia.
Furthermore, an Austrian travel company, Travelshop, contacted by the participants, brought a group of tourists over to Georgia to visit the regions involved.
The objective of the SME Academy was to support SMEs in benefiting from the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) that came into being between Georgia and the European Union on 1 July 2014.
European Union experts from Latvia, Belgium, Italy and Austria delivered the Academy’s interactive courses on the DCFTA, technical standards, export readiness, marketing, and participation at trade fairs.
Find out more
East Invest 2 is an EU-funded project within the EU4Business framework under the Eastern Partnership (EaP) initiative that started in September 2014.
The target groups of East Invest 2 are Business Support Organisations (BSOs) and SMEs from the six EaP countries. Its main objectives are to:
- promote and facilitate investment and economic cooperation between the EU and Eastern Partnership countries, and also between the EaP countries themselves
- create the “East Alliance”, mobilising business organisations from both sides to engage in a sustainable partnership and dialogue both within the private sector and towards the public authorities
- develop concrete activities that generate immediate results for SMEs in the region.
EU Contribution
€6.5 million for Armenia, Georgia and Belarus
Duration
2016-2019
Implementing partners
Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry (EUROCHAMBRES)
Address: Avenue des Arts, 19 A/D, B1000 Brussels, Belgium
Phone: +32 (2) 282 08 50
Fax: +32 (2) 280 01 91
E-mail: eurochambres@eurochambres.eu
European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (UEAPME)
Address: Rue Jacques de Lalaing, 4, 1040 Brussels, Belgium
Phone: +32 (2) 2307599
Fax: +32 (2) 2307861
E-mail: info@ueapme.com
Contacts
- Christian Gessl – Key Expert on Policy: c.gessl@uepame.com
- Irina Tikhonova - Business Support Organizations’ Key Expert, East Invest 2: tikhonova@eurochambres.eu
- Stanislav Daskalov - East Invest 2 Team Leader: daskalov@eurochambres.eu
- Vasile Cirlig – Roadshow Manager: cirlig@eurochambres.eu
- Doris Rabetge – SME Key Expert: d.rabetge@ueapme.com
Local Partners
EU-Georgia Business Council
3 Zandukeli Street
Tbilisi 0108 Georgia
Tel: (+995) 32 2 2421 14/15/16
E-mail: info@eugbc.net
Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
29 Berdznis str.
Tbilisi 0112 Georgia
Hotline: (+995) 32 2 6947 47
E-mail: info@gcci.ge
Georgia Employers Association
40 Shartava str., Tbilisi, Georgia
4 Bokhua str. Tbilisi, Georgia
Mioni Business Centre
Tel/Fax: (+995) 32 2 14 73 73
Mobile: (+995) 599 39 05 19
E-mail: employer@employer.ge