OREANDA-NEWS. January 23, 2015. Representatives of the Economics Ministry met a group of experts of the East-Invest European project, financed by the European Commission and implemented by Eurochambres (Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry).

The projects is at its second phase of implementation and is aimed at building the capacity of business support organisations and SMEs' associations, via twinning and training programmes, the Economics Ministry’s information and media communication service has reported.

The role of training sessions is to prepare business consultancy organisations in different sectors of the economy, which are to subsequently provide the private sector with assistance in developing businesses.

The project’s first phase contributed to the first mapping of the business support associations, as well as to make an assessment of their private needs. Via a wide range of capacity building activities, both SMEs and support associations got an introspection regarding their level of advancement in terms of internationalisation, DCFTA (Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area) knowledge and in any other sectors relevant for development.

The participants in the meeting presented the goal and activities planned within the project, and addressed the priority assistance sectors for training.

State Secretary Lilia Palii welcomed the launched initiative and voiced the Economics Ministry’s support for carrying out the project and sustainability of initiated activities. In the context, Palii underlined the importance to consolidate the partnership with EU institutions in adjusting the national legal framework to the EU aquis.

East-Invest is a project launched at an initiative by the European Union, meant to back the development of a friendly economic environment and competitive private sector, as well as to strengthen the increase of commercial flows and investments between the EU member states and the six Eastern Partnership states (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine). EU and EUROCHAMBRES (project’s implementer) have recently  signed the second phase of the project for a 36-month period.