Success stories

With OECD support provided under the EU4Business initiative, Moldovan food producers will increase their capacity to work with international supermarket chains and access global markets. The food processing sector plays a key role in Moldova ’s economy, accounting for more than a third of production and a quarter of employment in the manufacturing sector. It also enjoys an expanding and nearby...
When a pandemic changes business plans and individual lives, it’s no surprise that one of the projects under the EU M4EG or Mayors for Economic Growth programme being implemented in the small western Ukrainian town of Dolyna has temporarily turned into a charity. At the end of March, the team of a Pioneer project supported by the EU under the auspices of the EU4Business initiative, began helping...
C Bot ChatBot with AI keeps Georgian business informed during pandemic
When a pandemic hits and social distancing is a key means to stay safe, the idea of remote services becomes even more valuable. In the wake of the COVID-19 quarantine, an AI-based public assistant comes as savior for Georgian businesses and the more than 125,000 residents of Rustavi by keeping them informed about city services, new regulations, and steps to take to cope with coronavirus...
Today, Nelva has 250 employees, 14 stores and thousands of fans in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Deputy Director Irina Rakhmanova speaks of how the ambitions of a few students grew into a large-scale business. Her speech is filled with such passion and enthusiasm that it immediately becomes clear why this could not have been any other way. 10 years from reselling knitwear to owning a chain of...
EBRD and EU help Moldova's Ponti diversify its sales strategy
Harnessing the full power of online textiles during coronavirus pandemic It is always the smallest things that make the biggest difference. The right colour of socks can create a winning outfit, a fluffy cushion can add cosiness to a couch and elegant napkins can turn a simple dinner table into a sophisticated setting. This philosophy has been the driving force behind Ponti’s three successful...
When a pandemic hits and your business is one of the key types forced into complete lockdown, how do you cope with the quarantine at your sports and aqua-entertainment complex? Do you lay off your employees? Do you look for other ways to cut costs drastically? That’s how some companies might respond. But not Lviv’s Pliazh Aquapark. The 12-year old Pliazh Aquapark in Lviv is not only the biggest...
Art Lunch , an Armenian enterprise providing food, catering and hospitality services, has been able to move to e-marketing model that increased turnover by 78% and improved sales by 31% with EU4Business support through the EBRD’s Advice for Small Businesses programme. In turn, the company has been supporting Armenia by providing food to 1,500 COVID patients and individuals who have become...
Three Western Ukrainian participants in a cluster development programme supported by the EBRD and the EU4Business initiative re-oriented production to help with the pandemic—and saved jobs, too. During the two months of Ukraine’s quarantine and lockdown, three garment-making clusters in Western Ukraine were able to achieve this: 100% of jobs saved, 1 million protective masks and 12,000 protective...
EBRD and EU4Business help AugmentAR look to the future Just a few years ago, 3D printing belonged more to industrial settings than to people’s homes. The rapid evolution of the field and the growth of the market mean that 3D printers are now available at affordable prices to consumers, so everyone can create their own kitchen utensils, toys and DIY tools. In Armenia , the AugmentAR team, which is...
In early April, 10,000 express COVID-19 tests arrived in three oblasts of Western Ukraine—Vinnytsia, Ternopil and Khmelnytskiy. The whole process—from the search for a test to delivery—was handled by six small businesses that are part of a cluster of bridal wear manufacturers called Podillya Wedding Group. The cluster was launched in 2018 with the support of EU under the EU4Business initiative,...