Blog

The South-East Europe region is one of the fastest-growing in Europe. It is marked by overall macroeconomic stability featured by low inflation, low budget deficit and stable public debt. These economies are continuously improving the business environment, offering a favourable cost structure – characterised by comparatively low labour and utility costs, and a favourable tax regime. The location provides easy connectivity for trade and transportation, with a great position to serve the markets of the EU, Russia, the Middle East and Northern Africa.

Sometimes the most natural of things can give birth to an outstanding idea. Discover the latest edition of the Network’s Blog! German Network Adviser, Andrea Dohle from ZENIT GmbH interviewed Anna Yona, founder of Wildling Shoes, to ask her what sustainability means to her and how successful a sustainability-focused business strategy can be.

"Never waste a crisis", it is sometimes said. The Enterprise Europe Network experienced this first-hand when the coronavirus took hold of the world. We made changes at lightning speed to keep our professional Network active. And the results were impressive! Entrepreneurs did not feel abandoned. Supporting and connecting people, even at the height of the storm: this is the strength of our Network!

Green is the new black. There are no doubts about it. We’ve all heard the slogans and buzzwords, but we might still be wondering, what does this really mean? How can companies get on board and go green, especially those working in specific sectors, like the building one, with their own distinct challenges? How do the latest sustainable solutions help deliver economic growth? What kind of help does the Enterprise Europe Network offer?

The Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) has been in place since autumn 2017. Three years into the Agreement, we can already see some of the huge benefits the Agreement has brought to European and Canadian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). German Network adviser Benno Weissner from ZENIT/NRW and Canadian Network adviser Katelyn Petersen guide you in discovering everything you need to know about CETA.

How do I calculate the import duties to export my products outside the European Union? How can I pay less of these duties thanks to the EU free trade agreements? What documents do I need? And what if I wanted to import products into Europe? The Access2Markets portal gives you the right answers to all of these questions and many more. It is capable of helping importers and exporters in their trade relations outside the European borders.

In recent years, women are changing the world of digital technologies. Inspiring stories are starting to pile up, describing the unique journeys of successful women entrepreneurs in the high-tech industry. One of them is Dragana Calija, owner and CEO of Saint Di & Co, winner of the Best Woman Exporter Award in the Success Flower Awards for the 2020 best women entrepreneurs. Sanja Popovic-Pantic, the chair of the Network’s group of experts in women entrepreneurship met Dragana and asked her a few questions to put the spotlight on her story and achievements.

There is a good chance that you and your employees are working from home due to Covid-19. This means you are likely to be more vulnerable to online attacks. By ransomware, for example. How does ransomware work? What can you do to protect yourself? Choose to be one step ahead of cyber criminals. As an entrepreneur, you can take a few precautions against ransomware. Here are our five tips to keep your business safe!

In line with the European Green Deal’s goal to improve people’s health, quality of life and care for nature, the Farm to Fork Strategy addresses an essential element for people well-being: food. European food is known to be of high quality and safety. Furthermore, European food and drink manufacturing enterprises – the majority of which are SMEs – export their products to more than 200 countries. This makes the EU the world’s largest exporter of food and drink products.

The transition to economic, environmental and social sustainability has become a major priority for the new European Commission. At the same time, all main actors have agreed that this transition must be based on a strong and resilient economy which finds its backbone in Small and medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).