Moldovan businessmen are learning how to establish partnership relations with businesspeople from Romania and Ukraine at the Crossborder Forum of Entrepreneurs held in Chisinau on September 8. The event is staged by the Business Consulting Institute within the project “Competitiveness enhancement through human
synergy in the border region”.
Contacted by IPN, project coordinator Ana Mardare said the forum involves over 100 entrepreneurs from Moldova, Ukraine and Romania. It focuses on competition enhancement and establishment of partnerships between entrepreneurs from the border region. A similar meeting will take place in Iasi in October. In the Chisinau forum, there were presented the results of studies of the investment opportunities in agriculture and the food industry, transport, tourism and consultancy services. An investors’ guide was worked out based on them. Within the project, there will be held training sessions for entrepreneurs centering on competition enhancement, establishment of partnerships and starting of businesses in the border region.
In the opening of the forum, MP George Mocanu said now that the Association Agreement between Moldova and the EU took effect, new opportunities appeared for the Moldovan entrepreneurs. Theoretically, Moldova has access to the EU market, but at practical level everything depends on the entrepreneurs who have yet a lot to do to improve competitiveness.
Deputy Minister of Economy Tudor Copaci said the government now focuses on the necessary economic infrastructure and on the development of the SME sector as international experience shows that namely these companies contribute the most to the formation of the GDP. Moldova still needs to enhance competitiveness and this aspect is very important for developing the economy.
Head of the Political and Economic Section of the EU Delegation to Moldova Wicher Slagter said that Moldova has possibilities of entering the EU market, which is the largest in the world, with over 500 million consumers. By such projects as “Competitiveness enhancement through human
synergy in the border region”, there will be developed agriculture and the food industry, transport and tourism.
Liviu Bleoca, diplomatic counselor at the Embassy of Romania in Moldova, said the possibilities of implementing crossborder projects are greater now owing to Moldova’s European course. The forum aims to boost the SMEs. Given that the neighboring countries now go through difficult times, it’s time to transform the challenges into opportunities.
In the forum, Mariana Puntea, of the Regional Office for Crossborder Cooperation Programs, said that Moldova managed already to access over €50 million within these programs.
The project “Competitiveness enhancement through human
synergy in the border region” is supported financially by the European Commission through the European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument, within the Joint Operational Program Romania - Ukraine – Republic of Moldova 2007-2013. It is implemented by the Business Consulting Institute in partnership with the Regional Entrepreneurs Association North-East Romania, the Iasi Dialog for Development Association and the Association for Economic Development of Kolomyia, Ukraine.
