On the eve of the 5th Eastern Partnership (EaP) summit, taking place in Brussels on 24 November, Eurochambres – the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry and a key partner of the EU4Business initiative in the EU-funded East Invest programme – called for a strong political engagement of the European Union in the Eastern Partner countries.
It also underlined the importance of further economic reforms, development of the private sector, and independent business support organisations for increasing trade and investment opportunities with EU businesses.
Eurochambres urged EU leaders to enhance their support for the involvement of the private sector in reform efforts to improve the business environment for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), thus contributing to the success of the transition process in the six Eastern Partner countries.
Business support organisations (such as Chambers of Commerce and Federations of Small Businesses) play a vital intermediary role for bringing together SMEs from EU Member States and EaP countries for developing trade relations.
In this context, the EU4Business East Invest initiative was launched in 2010 and is still in operation today. The project has been implemented by Eurochambres in cooperation with European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (UEAPME).
