Moldexpo Center during November 17-19 is hosting the “Antreprenor Expo” exhibition that brings together business entities and state institutions for giving a new impetus to the development of SMEs in Moldova, supporting these and offering them the possibility of selling their products, IPN reports.
Dumitru Pîntea, director of the Organization for Entrepreneurship Development that staged the event, said that this is a classical exhibition whose program includes a number of useful activities for the business community, such as seminars, support program presentations, business consultancy, B2B sessions, etc.
“Many of you, dear entrepreneurs, are beneficiaries of the programs implemented by the Organization for Entrepreneurship Development. But our Organization has not only grant programs, but also other types of programs, such as subsidization of participation in fairs and exhibitions. Why? Because the entrepreneurs need not only money to invest. They also need to sell, to establish partnerships, to know the market. We therefore decided to organize this exhibition,” stated Dumitru Pîntea.
Among the planned events is a dialogue with entrepreneurs on the issue “Enhancing competitiveness of Moldova’s SMEs on foreign markets”. There will be presented and analyzed instruments of support for increasing the competitiveness of SMEs and facilitating export, international export rules, implementation of standards for entering foreign markets, etc.
Attending the event, Boris Filipov, project manager at the EU Delegation in Chisinau, said the implementation of the Association Agreement with the EU brought multiple benefits to Moldovan entrepreneurs. In connection with Russia’s war against Ukraine, the EU in July adopted regulations to significantly increase the export quotas for Moldovan products. The granting of the EU candidate status opens up new opportunities for Moldova, including by extending exports. For the opportunities to materialize, the investment, business climate needs to be improved and predictability and a fair judicial system should be ensured.
This year’s exhibition was organized with support from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). Thomas Foerch, GIZ project manager, said the Republic of Moldova can provide a lot of agricultural products and not only access to the international market is needed, but also the possibility of selling the products according to their value. The small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of Moldova’s economy, representing over 90% of the companies. They are the country’s future. It’s good that the state and the foreign partners support the SMEs.