ENPI EAST/ EU AND EBRD STEP UP SUPPORT FOR SMES IN GEORGIA, MOLDOVA AND UKRAINE

The EU and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) are stepping up
 their efforts to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Georgia, Ukraine and
 Moldova, with a programme to help them get loans to upgrade production facilities and seize
 new trade opportunities with the EU.
 
 Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and
 Enlargement Negotiations, announced the launch of the programme on a visit to Tbilisi today,
 saying it would help businesses take full advantage of the Association Agreements and the
 Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTA).
 
 Under the programme – part of a facility supporting implementation of the DCFTA –an EU grant
 of €10 million will be used to guarantee at least €69 million of EBRD financing for SMEs in
 Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, targeting individual investments between €0.5 million and
 €10 million....(link)