International Networks

Enterprise Greece works closely or partners with a variety of international and regional bodies and Investment Promotion Agencies. This has broadened the horizons for the organisation to expand its exposure and provide opportunities for transfer of know-how and an exchange of information. Through partnering, the organisation gains access to advanced studies, investor trends and international best practices, aiding in strategy and planning.

The International Network for Small and Medium Enterprises -INSME is a legally recognized not-for-profit association functioning under the auspices of the OECD – Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

As of April 2020, INSME can count on the support of 61 Members from 30 different countries including innovation and technology-transfer stakeholders, governmental bodies, international organizations, NGOs, business support organizations and  chambers of commerce etc.

INSME 

ANIMA Investment Network is an international network that promotes economic integration and convergence between Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Created in 2006 by the Investment Promotion Agencies, ANIMA aims to foster cooperation and collaborations among various stakeholders. Currently, the network brings together 70 member organizations across 22 countries, including Investment Promotion Agencies, Foreign Trade Agencies, Economic Development Organizations, Business and Investor Networks, and International Organizations. Additionally, the network supports business networks in 16 African countries. Our collective efforts are focused on enhancing partner countries’ attractiveness for businesses and investors, improving policy and institutional performance, and promoting businesses that create value for society.

ANIMA members enjoy several benefits including:
• Expanded Network of Partners across more than 22 countries in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. A member can promote the economic opportunities of its territory to the partner countries within the ANIMA network.
• Capacity Building Activities to enhance members’ expertise and skills in attracting investments and promoting economic development effectively.
• Cooperation within the framework of EU funded projects, allowing for collaborative initiatives that drive economic growth and development.
• Preferential Access to Investment Impact Rating Tool to assess the impact of investment projects. We believe that by strengthening our collective dynamic and collaborating closely, we can foster economic growth, drive innovation, and create sustainable value for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region.

Enterprise Greece is elected Vice-President of ANIMA.

For more information, please visit https://anima.coop/en/

The European Association of Development Agencies (EURADA) was founded in 1992, gathers Organizations working on economic development through a large network of 66 members throughout 21 european countries.
EURADA’s mission is the economic development of a region based on its collective interest (and not on corporate or sectoral interest), while its highly specialized practitioners are able to address the needs of companies that wish to develop their activities in a particular geographic region.
The EURADA network connects its members with all kinds of economic development practitioners such as Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), business partners and european authorities.

Trade Promotion Europe is a non-profit association founded in October 31, 2018 in Brussels, bringing together 13 european Trade Promotion Organizations (TPOs), its founding members: AWEX (French-speaking community of Belgium), hub.Brussels (Brussels area), BSMEPA (Bulgaria), Business France, (France), Enterprise Greece (Greece), Enterprise Lithuania (Lithuania), FIT (Flemish community of Belgium), ICEX (Spain), HEPA (Hungary), AICEP Portugal Global (Portugal), Trade Malta (Malta), Wallonia Be (Walloon community of Belgium) and Energy Service (Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry of Cyprus).
Enterprise Greece is elected member of the Board of Directors for two consecutive mandates.

Trade Promotion Europe’s main objectives are:

• To promote and represent Trade Promotion Organizations (TPOs) in Europe, at an institutional level, as far as the European Commission is concerned and its competent Services (DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, DG Trade, DG Energy)
• To maintain dialogue and contribute to policy discussions at EU level but also with corresponding associations beyond european borders
• To organise business meetings in accordance with the founding purposes of the association, always to the best interest of its members
• To bring TPOs closer together in cooperation through the exchange of know-how and best practices
• To further develop the association’s possibility to participate in the European Union’s call for proposals.

Enterprise Greece, as a member of TPE’s Board of Directors, designed and implemented its rebranding as Trade Promotion Europe-TPE (former ETPOA), as well as the brand’s new communication strategy for its members, the European Union Directorates and all its institutional stakeholders.
https://tradepromotioneurope.eu/

Enterprise Greece is a member of STARTUP EUROPE REGIONS NETWORK. It is a Network with the aim of reinforcing the links between regional authorities, development agencies, universities and other stakeholders who support the startup ecosystems at regional level in Europe.
STARTUP EUROPE REGIONS NETWORK

Enterprise Greece is a member of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) which was established in 1995. Since its establishment, WAIPA gathers a growing number of Organizations-Members. It includes 244 national and regional Investment Promotion Agencies from 162 countries. WAIPA engages in a variety of activities providing its members with the opportunity to network and exchange best practices in investment attraction- promotion. The Association has always committed time and effort towards building the human resources capacity of its member agencies.

For more information, please follow the link:

https://waipa.org/

In 2016, the OECD, under the auspices of the OECD Investment Committee, created the OECD IPA Network as a platform to facilitate peer-learning on issues of common interest. The OECD IPA Network has the following objectives:

• To create a community of like-minded practitioners to engage in discussions, exchanges and experience sharing.
• To provide an adequate platform for gathering and using knowledge on investment promotion and related topics.
• To engage with policy makers.

The OECD IPA Network is chaired by Mr Achim Hartig, Managing Director at Germany Trade and Invest, and closely advised by a Steering Group composed of the IPAs from Canada, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that in OECD’s recent policy paper, Synergassia, the flagship programme designed and developed by Enterprise Greece was identified as best practice.

OECD’s policy paper on The geography of foreign investment in OECD member countries: how investment promotion agencies support regional development provides comparative analysis on the geography of FDI disparities in OECD countries, across countries and over time. It also explores the governance settings, coordination mechanisms and strategic approaches for regional development used in national IPAs.

The initiative “Scale-Up Europe” was lunched on March 4, 2022 by the French Minister of State for the Digital Transition and Electronic Communication and the European Commissioner for Innovation, with the aim to gather, develop and forward recommendations/proposals to european businesses wishing to accelerate their development in global markets.
The initiative focused on the emergence of european tech champions. The project brought together 150 founding members, investors, researchers, corporate and institutional stakeholders, leaders, to collect and develop proposals on the following four pillars:

• Talent attraction and training
• Access to finance
• Cooperation of start-ups and big groups
• Development of disruptive technologies

Enterprise Greece was coordinating the group on Talent attraction and training.